How To Grow An Organic Garden That You Can Be Proud Of

How To Grow An Organic Garden That You Can Be Proud Of

When you properly apply organic gardening techniques, your garden will show great results. When you care about plants, they can grow up and be healthy. It is quite admirable. However, you can always find new things to learn about, and improve your skills. This article will provide you with some ways to accomplish this. One way to create a great organic garden is to allow for a portion of your yard to be undeveloped for wildlife. The presence of native flowers, trees and grasses will attract birds and insects. You will be rewarded by an appealing and flourishing landscape. When you are organic gardening, ask your children to lend a hand. A garden can provide a wonderful learning experience for children, and will give you an opportunity to bond with them while you produce healthy food. If you're planning on gardening inside, the first thing you should consider is an adequate light source. The amount of light available can determine which type of organic plants you should grow. For example, if your living area does not provide much natural sunlight, you could grow those plants that only need low to medium amounts of natural light to thrive. If you want to grow a plant which requires more light, you can invest in grow-lights. Water infused with aspirin is great for combating plant disease. One and a half aspirin, dissolved in two gallons of water, can be a great addition to your plants. You can just spray this on them to fight disease. Use this solution once in every three-week period. Have all of your tools available to you as you garden to increase efficiency. You should use a large pail and wear sturdy pants that have several pockets. If you have your pruning shears, spade, trowel and gloves handy, you will be able to get your gardening chores done much more quickly. If you are growing plants inside of your home, you need to keep the thermostat set to 65 to 75 degrees during the day. They need this type of warm temperature in order to grow. You can also buy a heat lamp to maintain ideal conditions for your inside plants during the winter. Once your seeds have germinated they will not need to be kept as warm as before. You can begin to move them further from the heat source as they become seedlings. Additionally, remove any plastic films that were on your containers. This will keep out warmth and humidity. Keep an eye on your seeds so you will know when this should be done. To be more efficient when working in your organic garden, have your tools close at hand. Large pockets or a sturdy bucket can be used to store tools. You should always have your gloves, pruning shears and a trowel close to you. Don't underestimate pine as a great mulch. Some plants like acidic soil because they have high acidity. If you have acid loving plants, use pine needles as a mulch. Cover your beds with the needles, as they will decompose and disperse their acid throughout the soil.

Flower Beds

Put coffee grounds in your soil. Coffee grounds will add nitrogen to your soil which will make them helpful for some of your plants. Coffee grounds as a source of nitrogen for plants are usually limited to acid-loving plants because coffee is acidic. A strong nitrogen source in your garden area is a wonderful way to have healthy and strong plants. When mulching your flower beds, aim for anywhere between two or three inches of mulch. By doing this, you can lock in moisture, discourage weed growth, and nourish your plants. Your flower beds should also look beautiful all year long. Include both green and dry plant refuse in your compost. Green plant material can include old flowers, fruit waste, grass clippings, vegetable waste, and leaves. Dried plant material includes straw, sawdust, shredded paper, cardboard, and dried and cut-up woody material. Don't include ashes, diseased plants, charcoal meat, or carnivorous animal waste. Put coffee grounds in your soil. The grounds contain essential nitrogen, which will benefit your plants in many ways. Nitrogen, along with phosphorous and potassium, is an important nutrient in the garden. It contributes to healthy and strong growth of the plant, but don't overuse it. In an organic garden, ruffle any seedlings with a piece of cardboard, or even your hand, a couple times each day. You may think it odd, but studies show that this action results in plant growth that is more substantial than would otherwise be achieved. Do you prefer to eliminate weeds without the use of harmful chemicals? A good thick layer of newspaper can be laid down to control weeds. Weeds require sunlight to continue growing. The layers of newspaper over the weeds will block out the light and kill them. As an added benefit, the newspapers will decompose over time, becoming organic compost. Covering the newspaper with mulch will help your garden to be more pleasing to the eye. If you wish to honestly proclaim your produce to be truly organic, you need to secure organic garden certification. This will increase your sales, and it will prove to your customers that they have quality products. Ruffle the seedlings carefully with a piece of soft cardboard or your hands twice a day. Believe it or not, aerating the soil in this manner can actually make your seedlings grow larger. Over-watering your plants is not healthy because too much water may inhibit the roots from getting nutrients out of the soil. Before watering your organic garden, check weather forecasts to determine if it is likely to rain later that day. You may be able to skip watering because of the pending weather.

Treated Wood

One of the best parts about using foods that are organic or from organic gardens is that they do not have any type of pesticides used on them. This is great for your health, but you do want to check the produce for bugs prior to using it. In order to construct your raised beds, make use of untreated brick, stone, wood and other materials. If you use wood, be sure that it is untreated and naturally rot resistant. Some good choices include locust, cypress, and cedar. Treated wood can leach chemicals into any soil it rests against, so don't use it in a garden with vegetables. If you have some space treated wood, you can still use it, however, be sure to line it with some type of barrier like plastic sheeting. Grow garlic in your organic garden. Plant single garlic cloves during the spring or fall seasons in soil that is moist and well drained. Plant them two inches into the soil with the ends up, and leave four inches between each clove. You can cut the sprouts as they grow and use them to replace scallions and chives. The bulbs of the garlic are ready for harvesting when the very tops of them begin to brown. Allow the skin to harden by letting your bulbs sit out in the sun. You can go ahead and store them in a cooler area, and you can either keep them loose or tie them up. While it's harder to grow organically than chemically, the rewards are much better. Even though the claims of the chemicals may be astounding, the organic way is always going to provide the best reward to you and whoever is eating your crops. Try using botanical pesticide products that can keep your insect problem under control. Under certain conditions, organic pesticides can outperform chemical products in effectiveness and safety. Keep in mind, however, that these insecticides have very short half lives. Since they are made out of all natural ingredients, they may decay and disappear soon after you use them. An easy to grow plant to grow in your organic garden is garlic. It's best to plant garlic cloves in either spring or fall. Make sure the soil is drained well. Put them an inch or two down into the soil with the pointed end up placed about four inches apart. You can cut the green shoots as they are growing and use them in your cooking. The bulbs are ready to harvest when the tops start to turn brown. Leave the bulbs out the sunshine for a few days until the skin gets hard. Store the garlic in an area that's cool, either tied up in bunches or loose. Water your organic garden using a soaker hose. These hoses let water out slowly at a regular rate. You can direct the hose to the roots of your plants, keeping the leaves dry. Soaker hoses don't use as much water as sprinklers, and make it easy to water plants. If you have the right tools and products, you can use these tips to help your garden. That's wonderful! These tips should provide you with a good basis for your gardening. With luck, you have learned something you can use to get the most from your garden. When working in the garden, know exactly what you are using. Instead of chemical fertilizers, use natural alternatives. One of the best substances is simple compost. If you choose to go organic, you have less of a chance that there will be chemical, toxic buildups in your soil and water.