People who start doing organic gardening do so because they don’t like toxic effects of pesticides and fertilizers. Another benefit of organic gardening is that it is relatively inexpensive. The following tips will help turn you into a successful organic gardener in no time at all.
If you want your children to enjoy your organic garden, plant some tasty strawberries. Children enjoy picking fresh fruit, especially if they can eat it right away.
Top all your garden beds with several inches of organic mulch. 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.
Pine Needles
Do not underestimate pine as great mulch. Many types of plants thrive in soil that has high acid levels. If you have these plants in your garden, keep them healthy by using pine needles as mulch. Spread a few inches of pine needles on your organic beds so that it will put the acid into your soil.
Using coffee grounds as part of your soil mixture in your garden is often advised for healthy plants. Coffee grounds contain many of the essential nitrogenous nutrients that plants are able to use. Nitrogen is often the most important nutrient when it comes to plants thriving, and a solid source of nitrogen, like coffee grounds, urea, or compost, can boost growth speed and increase height.
Stay on top of your organic gardening to-do list, and don’t let the work pile up. Even doing just a few small things each day can keep chores from piling up and eventually becoming unmanageable. This will save you a lot of time in the long run. For example, while your canine is outside going to the toilet, take the time to pull out a few weeds.
Laundry Basket
Use an old laundry basket to gather your vegetables and fruits. The laundry basket can be used as a colander for your produce. While your freshly harvested fruits and vegetables are still in the basket, rinse them off and any excess water will run off through the laundry basket holes.
Consider solving your weed problem without the use of toxic chemicals. Take layers of newspapers and use them for weed control. In order to grow, weeds need sunlight. With layers of newspaper on them, the weeds are not going to have light, and therefore will not grow. Newspapers break down nicely over time to become part of the compost. One way to enhance the appearance of your garden if you are using newspapers is to add an additional layer of mulch.
When you plant the seeds in containers, be sure the planting’s depth is three times bigger than the seed. There are exceptions to this rule, however. Some seeds should remain uncovered because they thrive in direct sunlight. Some examples are petunias and ageratum. If you are unsure about your seed’s requirements for sunlight, the resources are often provided along with the seeds, or you can find out online.
A beer trap is an effective way of of dealing with any slugs that invade your organic garden. Dig a hole the size of a glass jar, and bury the jar with the top at ground level. Fill that with beer just under an inch from the top of your jar. The beer helps attract slugs and they end up trapped.
If you want to sell your crops, you should become a certified organic gardener. This will result in generating more sales and creating a loyal customer base.
One of the more rewarding hobbies is organic gardening. This kind of gardening keeps you more involved in planting, cultivating and harvesting, giving you a clearer picture of the entire life cycle of each plant.
Grow your plants in different areas of the garden every year. When the same plants occupy a spot in your garden for many years in a row, it can lead to the development of fungi and disease. The diseases and fungi are harbored in the soil and are ready to make a comeback each year. So, you want to make sure you mix it up and keep your garden on the move so that you avoid a problem like this.
An easy to grow plant to grow in your organic garden is garlic. Plant single garlic cloves during the spring or fall seasons in soil that is moist and well-drained. Place them about one to two inches deep in the soil, pointed end up, and four inches apart. As the garlic shoots grow, you can snip them and use them for cooking. The bulbs are ripe for harvesting when the tops area turns brown. Make sure you put the garlic in the direct sunlight for days so that the skin will harden. Garlic can be tied in bunches or left loose, and stored where it will be cool and dry.
Use a few inches of organic materials to mulch your flowerbed or garden. In addition to adding aesthetic beauty, the mulch will nourish your soil and help it retain water more easily while preventing weeds from growing.
Start using these tips right away, and you will be able to enjoy all of the benefits of a healthy, pollutant free organic garden in no time. You can also look forward to a boost in the volume of wildlife inhabiting your nature-loving garden.
