Growing An Organic Garden: Tips And Tricks

Growing An Organic Garden: Tips And Tricks

While organic gardening is normally extremely enjoyable and relaxing, it can also cause you major problems if you don't know exactly what you're doing. Here are some suggestions to get you on the right path to successful organic gardening. If you want to get children in on the fun, plant a few strawberries, everbearing if possible. Children love to snap up these sweet juicy fruits for themselves and will be much more willing to eat other foods you've planted as well. If you are looking at creating an endurable organic garden, you should think about keeping some of your property vacant so that wildlife may flourish there. This can be a good area for the types of insects that pollinate plants. It can also be a sanctuary for birds, which will help some plants thrive. This can greatly improve the production of your organic garden. A mixture of aspirin and water can protect your plants from common diseases. One and half tablets of aspirin in a couple gallons of water will be a wonderful help to the plants you have. The solution can then be used to spray the entire plant, and will offer protection naturally. Use this solution once in every three-week period. When growing plants inside of the house, you should ensure the thermostat is set at around 65-75 degrees in the daytime. Warm temperatures encourage plant growth. You can also buy a heat lamp to maintain ideal conditions for your inside plants during the winter. After your seeds begin to sprout, it is not as important to keep them warm. As your baby plants grow, you can move them from their heat source. Take off any plastic that is on the containers to keep away from warmth and moisture. Watch the seeds so you can know when you do this. Have your gardening tools near you to minimize the time spent searching for them. You can wear an apron or pants that have a lot of pockets, or use a big bucket or can. Have gloves, small shears, a trowel and any other tools you may need on hand to make it simpler to maintain your garden. Keep plastic bags handy to cover your muddy gardening shoes. This lets you be able to return to the garden without interrupting your work. Coat your flower beds with a few inches of an organic mulch. Covering the beds with mulch serves multiple purposes; it helps the flowers by retaining moisture and adding nutrients, and it discourages the growth of unwanted plants. What's more, your garden will look professional all year. When you are planning on growing a garden, you should think about the space you will need to provide a healthy growing area for your plants. Leave a little more space than you think your full grown plant will need to make up for overgrowth. Failure to provide adequate room will restrict growth because it forces plants to compete for valuable nutrients and oxygen. Try to plan your garden and place sufficient distance in between your seedlings. It never hurts to keep a few bags around the house to protect your floors from dirty gardening shoes. You will save time and be back in the garden much more quickly by doing this. The compost pile should include equal parts of dried material and green plant material. Green plant material comprises leaves, weeds, spent flowers, grass clippings, and fruit and vegetable waste. The leaves you rake in the fall, straw, sawdust and the like are dry material. Materials to avoid during composting include diseased plants, meat, ashes and charcoal. Be aware of spacing considerations when you are first planting your organic garden. It can be easy to underestimate how much space your plants will need once they begin growing. Space is vital for your plants not only due to their literal physical size requirements but also because of how much room your garden needs for air circulation. Try to plan your garden and place sufficient distance in between your seedlings. If you'd like to create a raised bed, use materials like brick, stone, or untreated wood. Choose a wood that is resistant to rot and does not contain any chemicals. The best varieties include cedar, locust and cypress wood. Do not use treated wood in your vegetable garden. If your existing garden structure contains treated wood, at least take the time to make a plastic lining beneath the soil.

Laundry Basket

While organic gardening costs more and requires more effort, the produce that will come out of your garden will be healthier for you. Although chemical fertilizers and pesticides can offer impressive claims, choosing the organic route will always yield the best food in the end. When it is harvest time, use a laundry basket. The laundry basket can be used as a colander for your produce. Just rinse the produce right in the basket; the water will drain through the holes. Mulch is necessary for a healthy soil. Mulch acts as a protective covering for the soil. It protects the plant roots, keeping the ground cool on a hot summer day. Mulch also slows the rate at which water evaporates, which improves your soil's ability to retain moisture. It will also serve as a method of controlling unwanted weeds. Apply equal portions of dried plant material and green into your compost pile. Your green material can be made up of produce waste, used floral arrangements, lawn cuttings, leaves, and other yard waste. Dried materials are things like hay, wood shavings, cardboard and paper. 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. One thing that sets organic gardening apart from conventional gardening is that commercial pesticides are not used. Organic gardening is wonderful for your family and their health, but you also need to be vigilant about pests. Want to kill weeds naturally? A layer of newspaper, several pages thick, placed over the ground will do the trick. Weeds can only grow when there is adequate sunlight. They will suffocate and die if you cover them with newpapers. Newspapers break down over time, and they make a great addition to compost. You can cover the newspapers with mulch to make them look more attractive if you like! Plant some organic garlic. Wait until early spring or the fall to plant cloves in a moist soil. Plant them two inches into the soil with the ends up, and leave four inches between each clove. Green garlic can be cur directly from the plant and used in a pinch instead of scallions or chives. When the tops of the bulbs turn brown, they're ready to harvest. Allow the sun to dry out the bulbs for a few days until the skin gets hard. Store the bulbs separately or tied in loose bunches in a cool place. When you are growing seedlings in your organic garden, lightly brush over them using your hand up to twice a day. This probably sounds like an odd recommendation, but research has shown that this technique encourages more plant growth, than no petting at all. For perennials, you can quickly get a plot developed in a short amount of time. Cut into your turf using a spade and then cover the exposed portion with lots of wood chips. You'll be able to dig into your new garden to plant out perennials within a few weeks. Create raised beds with stone, brick or untreated wood. If you choose wood, ensure that it has not been treated with a sealant or other chemicals. The best varieties include cedar, locust and cypress wood. Never use compost from treated woods in a veggie garden; the chemicals can contaminate your food. If your existing garden structure contains treated wood, at least take the time to make a plastic lining beneath the soil. Use a soaker hose to water your garden. You can regulate the hose so that the water seeps very slowly into the soil, going directly to the roots, which avoids the leaves. A soaker-hose does a better job and is easier than using a sprinkler or watering can. As you can see, there is a lot more to organic gardening than most people think. It involves lots of work as well as patience, but it's so worth it when you see your beautiful organic garden. The groundwork of information contained in this article should get you off to a good start. Make sure that your garden is diverse. Packing your garden with multiple species and varieties helps ensure you attract wildlife. Adding a variety of plants to your garden will mimic the look of a natural environment. If you do this, you can create a naturally relaxing atmosphere, and have satisfaction from helping the environment yourself.