Simple Organic Gardening Tips From The Pros

Simple Organic Gardening Tips From The Pros

One good way to have a steady supply of healthy, fresh vegetable is to develop an organic garden. It does take some time and effort, though. There are also other other considerations, like the optimal soil for a garden and the right seeds. Here are some steps you can take to ensure you get what you need to grow your organic garden. Consider planting strawberries, especially ones that are everbearing, for your garden if you have small children. For kids, there are few things as fun as picking fruit fresh from the garden. Your children will be much more interesting in helping out if they know they'll get to enjoy some tasty strawberries. When you are organic gardening, ask your children to lend a hand. Toiling together in the garden brings your family closer together and offers many different opportunities to learn new things and instill green values. It is easy to quickly prepare your perennial garden ground. With a garden spade, slice under the dirt then flip it over. Next, spread out wood chips several inches deep. Give the area a couple of weeks, then dig into it and plant your new perennials. Planting organic strawberries is a great way to encourage your children to get involved. Children are thrilled to harvest fruit from their own garden, and doing so often makes them more enthusiastic about helping out with the more hum-drum aspects of tending a garden. Pine is a wonderful mulch so do not discard the idea. A number of plants commonly grown in garden settings do best in an acidic soil. For such plants, pine needles function both as a handy mulch and as a soil amendment to lower the pH. Cover the surface of the ground with a two-inch layer of the pine needles; as the needles break down, they will release acid into the soil and nourish your plants. If you're thinking about growing your own organic garden, then you might want to consider keeping a bit of your property undeveloped; this way wildlife can flourish. This will also benefit your cultivated gardens as it will attract more bugs and birds to pollinate your other plants. Use an old laundry basket to collect your produce. You can also use a laundry basket as a strainer. Just rinse the produce right in the basket; the water will drain through the holes. If you are growing your organic plants inside of your home or office, it is vital to make sure that the right amount of light reaches them. Almost every type of plant you grow requires ample sunlight, so think about how much natural light you home receives or if you perhaps need to supplement with UV lamps. If this is not an option, or you have your heart set on a particular type of plant, consider adding additional growing lights instead. Keep your compost pile balanced with a combination of dried and green plant mulch. Garden wastes, such as grass clippings, are classified as green materials. Your dried material can be things such as sawdust, paper shreds, wood shavings, straw and cardboard. Avoid meat, ashes, charcoal, plants with diseases and manure from carnivores. Remember to plan for adequate spacing when you first lay out an organic garden. Many people don't realize exactly how much space a plant needs when it grows. You will also need to ensure that you allow ample space around full-grown plants for air circulation. Plan your garden accordingly, and make sure the right distance is between the seeds. It is possible to control weeds with natural methods. Put down old newspapers in several layers for controlling weeds. Without exposure to the sun, weeds cannot thrive. By covering them with a layer of newspaper, you are essentially suffocating the weeds due to a lack of light. Newspapers easily break down over a period of time, and eventually become a portion of the compost. You can add mulch on top for aesthetic reasons.

Laundry Basket

When you plant the seeds in containers, be sure the planting's depth is three times bigger than the seed. Some seeds need to be in direct sunlight, though, so you need to know information about each type of seed. Ageratum and petunias fall into this category. With so many different types of seeds, it is important that you check seed packaging or utilize other resources, such as the Internet, to discover which seeds require exposure to direct sunlight. When the time comes to harvest your produce, collect it using an old laundry basket. This type of basket can double as a large colander for the fruits and vegetables you pick. You can rinse your produce off while it is in the basket, and the excess water will strain through the holes of your laundry basket. Be aware of seasons and climates when you are watering, and change accordingly. The level of necessary watering turns on the type of water you use, the kind of soil in your garden and the amount of direct sunlight you have. In warm climates with high humidity, for instance, plants often develop fungal infections when water is applied to the leaves. Instead, the roots should be thoroughly watered. When creating a compost pile, use dried plant materials and green plants in equal parts. Examples of good green material to use for compost include grass clippings, flowers, leaves, and weeds. Dried plant material includes straw, sawdust, shredded paper, cardboard, and dried and cut-up woody material. Certain substances will undermine your composting efforts and cancel out any benefits; these include meat, charcoal, ash or plants that have diseases or fungal growths. Grow organic garlic. Garlic cloves should be planted in the spring or fall. They require soil that is well-drained and moist. Lay each bulb into the ground ends up at a distance of about 4 inches away from the next bulb and 1-2 inches down into the soil. As the garlic shoots grow, you can snip them and use them for cooking. When your garlic tops are turning brown in color, they are ready to be dug. Harden the skin by setting the bulb in the sun, it usually takes several days. Store the cloves in a cool area. They can be tied or left loose. A rule of thumb followed by many planters is to bury the seeds in soil to a depth of around three times the diameter of the actual seed. Be aware that some seeds shouldn't be covered, as they need sunlight. Some of these seeds are petunias and ageratum. If you are unsure about the specific needs of your seeds, you should consult your local garden center or conduct further research online. Important things to look for include water requirements, ideal soil type, and recommended sunlight exposure. Always give your garden the benefit of looking beneath the upper portions of a plant. When buying tomato seedlings for the garden, keep an eye on lush green starts with root systems that are bad. These kind of starts stay on these seedlings for weeks at a time; this doesn't allow the seedling to grow unless the starts are gone. Lightly ruffle your seeds by hand or with cardboard, twice daily in your organic garden. Believe it or not, aerating the soil in this manner can actually make your seedlings grow larger. Botanical pesticides that are from your local area can be incredibly effective on pests. Natural insecticides are often more powerful than ones that have chemicals in them. However, because botanical insecticides are biological, they often decay and disappear quickly. A beer trap is an effective way of of dealing with any slugs that invade your organic garden. Take a glass jar and bury it in your garden, making sure that the lip of the jar is even with the soil. Pour beer into the container to within an inch of the jar lip. Slugs will be attracted to the beer and fall into the jar. A soaker hose is the best choice for watering an organic garden. With a soaker hose, you actually help your plants grow to their potential because the water slowly seeps out the hose which helps guide it to the roots, allowing the leaves to remain dry. These use much less water than the sprinklers and are less time-consuming than hand-watering your plants. You should use wood that is untreated, brick or stone when building the raised bed. If you are to use wood, you should make sure that the wood is not treated and is also naturally rot resistant. The best varieties include cedar, locust and cypress wood. It is particular important that you don't use treated wood for vegetable beds, as the chemicals and toxins on the wood could leach into the soil and be absorbed by food plants. If you are already using treated lumber, you can use plastic liners, or a different barrier, in order to protect your garden. Biodiversity is important in your garden. Packing your garden with multiple species and varieties helps ensure you attract wildlife. Use a variety of plants, flowers and even fruit or vegetable-producing choices to create an abundant, natural garden. If you are able to achieve this, you will have a garden that is a pleasant place to be around and relax, and also you get great satisfaction from knowing you did your part for the environment. For claiming your crops are credible and truly organic, get organic garden certified. This should boost your sales while proving to your customers that they are getting healthy products. Organic gardening can be made easy with just a few simple techniques. Use native grass, plants and bushes. When you choose plants that can work with your soil type, climate and nearby plants, you can reduce the need of fertilizers and other aids. Many native plants work quite well with compost composed of natural and native ingredients. Organic gardening is a high-risk, high-reward activity compared to normal gardening, but the rewards certainly are sweet. Though the use of chemicals has its own benefits, organic farming is a rewarding experience that ends with natural, healthy produce. Try making your organic garden a shade garden. Shaded gardens require very little upkeep, making them ideal for many amateur gardeners. They require little watering, and not much work or time. Growth is sustained, but weeds will be less of a problem. If you'd like to improve the health of your soil, try adding some mulch. The soil will be efficiently protected. On hot, dry days, mulch keeps the dirt underneath cool and moist. This protects and nourishes plant roots. It helps the soil retain moisture longer by reducing the evaporation rate. Mulch is also great for controlling weed growth. Be sure that holes you dig for planting trees and shrubbery are ragged around the edges. If you place a plant in a hole with glazed sides, the roots will not be able to penetrate the soil properly. The importance of organic food in your diet cannot be understated, although achieving this in your own backyard can be challenging. If you use the advice from this guide, you will have a healthy, lush garden in no time at all. Make sure you try to incorporate about 3 inches of organic material when you mulch your trees and flowers. This method is not only good for the earth, but conserves water, saving you money on your water bill and offering a bit of relief to the environment as well. The proper amount of mulch also makes for a very attractive appearance.