Gardening Without Chemicals: Everything You Need To Know About Organic Gardening

Gardening Without Chemicals: Everything You Need To Know About Organic Gardening

Anyone can learn how to maintain an organic garden and enjoy it. However, for a beginner, the whole gardening experience can be a very intimidating thing to enter into. So, how should a beginning organic gardener learn the basics? This article will give you some great ideas to begin. If you're working to build a sustainable organic garden, try leaving a portion of your garden untouched so that the wildlife will be able to thrive. As the natural wildlife begins to flourish, the various insects, birds, and other natural life around will all blend together and actually assist your garden as it begins to grow. Your children can help you with your garden. They will enjoy learning about nature and bonding with you. When you are cultivating an organic garden inside, you should think about the lighting situation. If the room you wish to grow them in faces in a direction that gets little light, choose varieties of plants which can accept this type of environment. If the type of plant does not help, you can always use lights to help. Strawberries are a good organic garden choice for families with strawberries, particularly everbearing strawberries. Small kids enjoy picking fruit themselves out of a garden. Because of this, they'll be more likely to provide you with some assistance in your garden if they feel like they're receiving something out of this. Have your tools for gardening nearby in order to maximize your efficiency with gardening. Carry your tools in a bucket, or keep them in the pockets of a pair of rugged pants. You will be much more productive if you can quickly get to your spade, pruning shears, trowel and watering can. When a seed actually sprouts, it doesn't need to be in as warm an environment. Your seedlings should be moved away from any heat source. Also, remove plastic coverings from the tops of your growing containers to keep them from becoming too warm or humid. Watch your seeds closely to find the right time to do this. Use several inches of organic materials for mulch in your flower beds. Mulching helps to hold moisture in the soil, enhance the soil quality, and slow down the growth of weeds. In addition, your flower beds will have a beautiful, finished appearance year round. To avoid tracking the mud and dirt that will get on your gardening shoes, use plastic bags. This allows you to work steadily and without distractions, making you a happier and more productive gardener. You should work efficiently, instead of working hard in your garden, to simplify things. Don't waste your time looking for missing tools. Prepare them all ahead of time and have them handy before you need to garden, and then put them back in their place when done. If you need, use a tool belt or even pants that have quite a few pockets. Do not underestimate pine as great mulch. Some plants have a naturally high acidic level, and therefore like acidic soil. Plants like these thrive when you use pine needles as mulch. Using several inches of needles to cover your beds provides acid for the soil as they begin to decompose. Add used coffee grounds to your soil. Plants can use the nitrogenous nutrients found in coffee grounds. It is best for your plants to use coffee grounds that are part of a blend of ingredients in the compost or soil you are using for your plants, rather than directly adding coffee grounds to your garden plants. Space is very important when you plant an organic garden. Many people don't realize exactly how much space a plant needs when it grows. Beyond just the physical space that the plants will need, you should also consider the airflow that the plants will require. Try to plan your garden and place sufficient distance in between your seedlings. Tend your organic garden on a regular schedule. Even if you're to busy to focus on your garden's needs each day, you could do small things that could prevent you from piling up work when you wish to work on your garden. For instance, pluck weeds while you take your dog outside or before getting in your car.

Compost Pile

If slugs are a problem in your garden, use a beer trap to kill them naturally. Start by burying a wide-mouth jar in the soil, ensuring that the rim of the jar is just at the soil's surface. Fill the jar with beer to an inch below the jar's top. Slugs will be attracted to the beer and fall into the jar. The compost pile should include equal parts of dried material and green plant material. Garden wastes, such as grass clippings, are classified as green materials. Dried plant material comprises shredded paper, cardboard, sawdust, and straw. Never use ashes, meat, charcoal, diseased plants or carnivorous animal manure in your compost pile. Over-watering your plants can be harmful, because roots that are drowning in water cannot effectively pull nutrients out of the soil. Check the weather for the next couple of days to see if you actually need to water your plants. Make your decision about watering dependent on the weather. A good general rule when planting your seeds into containers is that the depth of the planting should be about three times the size of the seed. It is important to note though, that not all seeds are covered to this depth, as some need direct sunlight to grow properly. Two of the common examples are petunias and ageratum. Always be sure to check online or with the company you're purchasing the seeds from as to their sunlight needs. Annually rotate your garden layout or plan. Keeping plants that belong to the same family in the same place can eventually spark fungus growth and disease. The fungus and bacteria will stay in the ground a whole year and attack your plants when the time is right. If you mix things up, by planting in different spots, you will have enlisted a natural method of keeping fungus and diseases at bay. Slugs are a nuisance that can be easily remedied with the use of an organic beer tramp. Take a glass jar and bury it so that the soil is even with its mouth. Fill the jar with beer within one inch of the top. The slugs will be attracted to the beer and will end up being trapped within the confines of the jar. Make sure you actually take a look under the surface of the dirt at the roots of your plants before you transplant anything into your garden. After planting tomatoes, for example, you must closely monitor the soil for the first signs of green shoots. Don't get attached--these hints of green are hiding an underdeveloped root system below the surface of the soil. Some green starts can last for several weeks, which will actually inhibit the growth of new seedlings that are delayed. Adjust your watering according to season and current climate. The amount of water you use each time should be dependent on the water quality, the soil type and what time of day you are doing it. In a warm and humid climate you should avoid watering the plant itself. Wet leaves promote the growth of leaf fungi. Instead, water the root system well. Add mulch to flowerbeds and your garden that is about three inches and made from various organic materials. This will add nutrients to your soil, keep it moist, stop the growth of weeds and keep the garden looking beautiful. One thing that sets organic gardening apart from conventional gardening is that commercial pesticides are not used. While organic foods are healthy for your family, you will still need to check closely for bugs or worms. Use a soaker hose to water your garden. As the water slowly seeps out of the hose, it is directed right to the plant roots so the leaves do not get wet. Compared with sprinklers, a soaker hose wastes less water and is far more convenient to use. Rotate where you plant each type of plant each year. For example, if you usually plant corn in one area of your garden and flowers in another, switch which plant is planted in each section. Planting the same area with the same plants year after year will lead to disease and fungus. These things can get into the ground, and attack plants the next year. Change the design of your garden regularly to prevent diseases from spreading. Make garden beds correctly, if you want to create an organic garden. To do this, slice under the turf with a space. Next, flip it so that is is upside down, and then place about four inches of chunky type wood chips on top. Give it a few weeks and you can start to plant your plants. You should now realize how much fun and how enjoyable gardening can be. Properly growing your garden can involve serious relaxation and even some fun. With these tips in mind, you can start growing like a pro! Biodiversity is a key element of your organic garden. Including a healthy mix of native grasses and flowers will attract wildlife. You can create a very realistic environment if you plant a wide variety of species in your garden. The end result should be a calming and great place to relax. Your hard work will have been well worth the effort.