When it comes to gardening the green way, every organic garden needs extra TLC. A little extra gardening know-how doesn’t hurt either. Your goal should be to grow healthy, happy and delicious organic products. Use the advice that follows in order to cultivate a truly impressive organic garden.
Your children will enjoy the experience of working with you in the organic garden. Helping a garden grow is an excellent learning experience for kids, and it allows your family to spend time together while creating healthy, nutritious foods.
Try to put an aspirin in the water to get rid of plant diseases. You will need 2 gallons of water and one and one half aspirin mixed together for a wonderful add-on to your plants. Spray the plants with the aspirin water to assist plants in battling disease. You should spray your plants about once every three weeks.
If you are planning to grow plants within the house, the temperature should be maintained between 65 and 75 degrees within the daylight hours. Plants need to be in an environment that is neither too warm nor too cool for them to grow. If you aren’t wanting your house to be this warm in the winter, you can use a heat lamp on the plants.
It can be extremely fast and easy to plant perennials into your garden. Take your spade and work up a thin layer of soil. Turn that soil over, then spread a few inches of wood chips on the newly turned area. Let the area sit for a couple weeks, then begin digging into it and planting your new perennials.
To be more efficient when working in your organic garden, have your tools close at hand. You have several options including using a bucket to hold your tools or wearing pants with lots of sturdy pockets. You should always have your gloves, pruning shears and a trowel close to you.
When your plants begin to sprout, they can survive in somewhat cooler temperatures. To ensure that your plants do not suffer shock, start eliminating the use of a heat source. Also take any plastic films off of your containers, so you can keep the warmth and humidity out. Watch your seeds closely to know how to go about this.
Make the most of the time spent in your garden. You do not have the time to spend an hour looking for each tool you need. Before you make a trip to your garden, you should gather all tools and items in advance. Afterwards, be sure to return them to their original storage place. It may be necessary to don a tool belt or cargo pants with extra pockets.
Laundry Basket
Use an old laundry basket to gather your vegetables and fruits. You can also use a laundry basket as a strainer. When you put your produce in a basket, you can then rinse it off and let it strain any excess water through the laundry basket holes.
To get the most from your composting efforts, aim for a 1:1 ratio of dried materials and green plant products. When you pull weeds from your garden, throw them in the compost. The same goes for vegetable trimmings and grass clippings. These are considered green materials. You can add dried plants by throwing straw, shredded paper, woody materials and cardboard on your pile. Diseased plants, meat and fire-waste like charcoal or ashes should not be placed in your compost pile.
One odd but apparently useful tip for growing organic plants, is to lightly brush your plants with your fingers or a piece of cardboard 1-2 times a day. While this appears strange, research shows it can help plants grow larger, versus not petting them at all.
Adjust your watering to the season and climate. You should consider water quality and soil type when watering your plants. Try to water your plants at the same time every day, as time of day also affects how much water they need. For instance, if you are in a warm and humid climate, avoid getting any water on the leaves because this will cause leaf fungus. Make sure that your root system is well-watered.
Add mulch for healthy soil. The soil will be efficiently protected. It helps keep your soil cooler on warmer days, which protects the roots underneath. It also keeps soil moist longer by preventing water evaporation. Mulch is also great for controlling weed growth.
By having an organic garden, you will be providing yourself with much fresher and more nutritious produce. Although organic gardening isn’t easy since you have to put in time and effort and wait for results, the health benefits make it worth it.
