The main reason people decide to go organic when gardening is that they think commercial chemicals, including pesticides and fertilizers, may degrade soil quality, harm the environment and cause long-term damage to their personal health. Organic gardening methods are extremely cheap for the most part. Below are some great tips to assist you grow to be the organic gardener that you hope to be.
If you have an organic garden and children, plant some everbearing strawberries for them. Strawberries are a favorite of children due to their sweetness. And since they’re so easy and fun to pick, it’s also a healthy, productive, safe activity that children can assist adults with.
Asprin will actually help your plants out by killing diseases. One and one half aspirin crushed and added to a two gallon container of water will be a great help for your plants. You can easily spray the plans with this concoction to help them fight of disease. Plants should be sprayed once every two to three weeks.
Learn to work efficiently. By having your tools in one location, you will not spend hours looking for them. Prepare all the tools you need before you go out to work on your garden, and put them away nicely when you are done. A good way to keep your tools at hand is to buy a tool belt or utility pants with many large pockets.
Have plastic bags on hand so that you may cover your muddy gardening shoes. This allows you to maintain your flow so you can rapidly get back to your gardening.
Paying attention to spacing is important. Many people underestimate the space needed for plants to grow to their full size. Proper spacing is important not just to accommodate the plants’ sizes but also for air circulation. Think ahead and give each plant room for expansion, by properly spacing the seeds.
If you are starting your seedlings out in small containers, you should use a layer of potting soil that is three times as deep as the size of a single seed. However, you should always know that some seeds cannot be covered, even the slightest bit, because they need to be in direct sunlight. Some common examples include ageratum and petunias. If you are not sure whether your seeds need to be exposed to sunlight, resources are usually provided with the seeds or can be found online.
Lightly ruffle your seeds by hand or with cardboard, twice daily in your organic garden. You may think it odd, but studies show that this action results in plant growth that is more substantial than would otherwise be achieved.
Treated Wood
Use untreated wood, stone, or brick to build a raised bed. If you choose to use wood, make sure it is naturally rot resistant and untreated. Excellent choices are cedar, locust and cypress. 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 must use treated wood, consider using a liner to keep chemicals out of the soil.
Regulate the amount and timing of watering, to the specific climate and its seasonal variations. The amount of water a plant needs depends on the soil type, time of day and the water’s quality. For instance, if you live in a humid climate where it never goes below 30 degrees Celsius, refrain from watering the leaves, as this will inevitably invite leaf fungus. Make sure that your root system is well-watered.
One of the benefits of organic produce over commercial produce is that it is not spayed with any toxic pesticides. Although this is better for your health, you do need to check organic produce for infestation of bugs before eating it.
Rotate your garden at least once a year. When similar plants are planted in pretty much the same spot every single year, this can cause fungal and disease growth. The fungus and bacteria will stay in the ground a whole year and attack your plants when the time is right. Moving the plants to different areas will prevent these invaders from growing on your plants.
Plant your own garlic with organic methods. Plant single garlic cloves during the spring or fall seasons in soil that is moist and well-drained. Put them an inch or two down into the soil with the pointed end up placed about four inches apart. You can cut the shoots of green garlic as they are growing and use them as an alternative to scallions and chives. When the tops of the bulbs become brown, it is time to harvest them. The bulbs should be left outside in the sunshine for a few days to dry and harden the skin. Store the cloves in a cool area. They can be tied or left loose.
Once you start to actually apply what you learned from this article you can start growing a prosperous and healthy organic garden in your own back yard for the future. Planting a natural garden also encourages wildlife to enjoy your garden, and this even benefits the plants growing within.
