Organic gardening is the alternative to using toxic products such as fertilizers or pesticides on the food you are going to eat and the environment you live in. Additionally, most organic horticulture techniques cost very little money. Read on to learn a few tips if you are thinking about growing your own organic garden.
Clay soil makes working with a shovel difficult. The clay is hard and sticks to the shovel. To ease the digging, apply some car wax or floor wax to the head of the shovel and buff. The clay won’t stick to it, and the end will not rust as an added bonus.
During winter, you should take your favorite plants inside. It’s a good idea to save any expensive plants or those that will thrive in indoor heat. Use caution when digging around the roots of your plant. You need to keep the root structure intact for it to thrive after being potted.
To get the best results, you must use the right soil. You should choose your soil depending on the plants that you are going to plant. It is also possible to set aside a portion of your garden to include just one type of soil.
Before actually putting plants into your garden, check the type and compostion of your soil. You can get a soil analysis, and if you find your soil needs a supplement, do it! There are numerous places to find this service, such as your local Cooperative Extension office. The cost is well worth it to avoid a potentially ruined crop.
Take the time to remove weeds. If you’re not careful, weeds can take over your beautiful garden, ruining it. A simple tool that is useful in removing weeds is white vinegar. White vinegar can kill weeds! A spray solution is much easier to apply than to rid your garden of weeds by hand.
Grow some plants that cats like to eat – try catnip or wheat grass. Another option is to place offensively smelling objects on the topsoil near and around the plants you want to protect. Citrus peels or mothballs are a couple of examples.
If you want to grow peas, consider starting them indoors instead of planting them outside. If you give them a chance to grow indoors where they are protected, they will germinate better. Seeds grown indoors are much more resistant to diseases and damage done by pests. After the seedlings have grown strong indoors, it will be time for you to transplant them to outdoor beds.
Think about adding some berry-producing evergreens to your landscaping. This will aid in giving your garden great color, even during the winter when other plants have lost their colors. The American Holly, American Cranberrybush, the Winterberry, and the Common Snowberry help provide color during the winter.
If you are growing a vegetable garden, you may find that pests can be difficult to control. It’s likely you don’t want to spray pesticides around the vegetables you intend to eat. One way to control gardening pests is to be vigilant. If you catch the pests early, the best removal technique is just to take them off your plants by hand.
Create a focal point in your garden with a unique plant. A focal point, in a strong garden design, will attract eyes and hold them there. Usually this is a big plant that is somewhat different from the other plants in the garden.
Avoid damage from the sun by dressing correctly when you garden. Wear sunscreen, wide-brimmed hats and sunglasses. When using the right protection in the sun, you will lower your chance of getting a sunburn and decrease your risk of getting skin cancer.
Vegetables get softer as the temperature goes up, so you could damage your vegetables if you pick them during the hottest hours. Be certain that you cut picked vegetables straight off from the vine itself and not by twisting them off, because you don’t want to harm the plant.
Water infused with aspirin is great for combating plant disease. Dissolve one aspirin and a half for 2 gallons of water. Next, coat the plant with the aspirin mixture by spraying it on the leaves. Try spraying your plants with this around every three weeks.
Keep your plants in a warm, moist environment, if possible. The temperature needs to remain warm so they may grow. If you are not willing to keep your house that warm during winter, you could always get the organic plants a heat lamp.
Have all of your tools available to you as you garden to increase efficiency. You can do this by using a bucket, or you can wear rugged pants or a gardening apron that has several pockets. Have shears, a trowel, gloves and other commonly used garden tools portable and easy to access.
If you follow these advice on organic gardening, you will be able to have a productive, toxic-free, healthy garden in the future. When your garden is working with nature, you can also expect to see an increase in the amount of wildlife that inhabits your garden.