In the green horticulture world, it is important to take the best care of your organic garden that you can. This can be achieved by using smart, eco-savvy gardening techniques. While the garden itself is important, your real goal is to grow great tasting produce that is healthy and does no harm to the environment or the consumer. Continue on for some helpful organic gardening tips that stick out from the rest.
Think about starting plants in pots, and then placing the seedlings in the garden later. This increases the chance that your plants will survive to adulthood. This is also a good way to tighten up your planting schedule. Once you remove the most recent mature plants from your garden, the seedlings are immediately ready to be planted.
If beautiful flowers throughout the warmer months are important to you, make sure you put bulbs into the ground. Most bulbs are hardy and require little to no care in order to develop into beautiful perennials that will reappear each and every year. You can select bulbs that bloom at many different times, so with a little work, you could have flowers popping up all the way from the start of spring to the end of summer.
When you mow your lawn, do not mow it close to the ground. Higher grass sends roots further down, increasing lawn strength and viability. When grass is cut too low the roots will not grow as deep, and your lawn may suffer from brown patches.
Make sure to protect your tender shrubs from the elements. Shrubs in pots especially need special care in the colder weather. Pull the canes together at the top and securely tie them. Next, using a sheet or perhaps even a blanket, cover the structure. This will work better than wrapping your plant with plastic, because air can still circulate, which will help to prevent rotting.
Aerate and dry your plants each day. Moisture on your plants is a sure way to attract parasites and disease. In fact, fungi love a wet plant and can cause a great deal of damage. Fungi can be controlled with fungicide sprays, but it is important to treat your area with the spray, before you see any problems.
Don’t you hate it how fresh mint leaves take over all of your garden, even though you love them? Rein in their growth by planting the mint in a large pot or garden container instead. You have the option of planting the container with the plant to keep the roots from taking the garden over.
Know the ideal times to harvest each of the vegetables you plant. Each kind of vegetable should be picked at a specific point for maximum flavor. Some vegetables are best when fully ripe and others taste better when harvested early in their development. However, you get better taste out of tomatoes that have been allowed to ripen as much as practical while still on their vine. Thus, you ought to familiarize yourself with the best times to pick the produce from your garden.
Using a solution of aspirin and water can prevent certain 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. All you need to do is spray the plants with the solution in order to battle common ailments. Spraying should be one time every three weeks.
If you can’t wait for a cut to heal before digging in the dirt, then at least protect your cuts from exposure. The dirt and grime you come into contact with while horticulture can cause even a small cut to become seriously infected. However, there are bandages available that will seal the cut completely. Using these should protect the cut from any infection while horticulture.
Make sure you have your gardening tools near you, so you can maximize your gardening efficiency. You should use a large pail and wear sturdy pants that have several pockets. You should always have your gloves, pruning shears and a trowel close to you.
Coat your flower beds with a few inches of an organic mulch. This is a simple method of discouraging weeds, retaining moisture, and adding excellent nutrients into the garden. What’s more, your garden will look professional all year.
If slugs are problematic in your garden, you can use an all-natural beer trap to do away with them. Dig a hole just deep enough for a glass jar to be placed in it while the jar still has its rim in line with the surface of the ground. Fill it with beer to about one inch below the top of the jar. Slugs will be attracted by the beer and fall into the jar.
Water your plants appropriately for the climate. The watering depth and temperature depends mainly on the time you water them and the soil they are planted in. In warm climates with high humidity, for instance, plants often develop fungal infections when water is applied to the leaves. Instead, the roots should be thoroughly watered.
Grow garlic. Wait until early spring or the fall to plant cloves in a moist soil. The cloves should be planted four inches apart from one another and about one to two inches deep, with their ends pointed up. Green garlic shoots can be cut as they grow, and used in place of chives or scallions. You know your bulbs are ready when they turn brown on their tops. The bulbs should be allowed to dry in the sunshine for a few days; the heat will harden the skin. Store them somewhere cool, in tied bunches or loose.
As you’ve read from the above tips, proper organic horticulture may really affect the nutrients and freshness of your produce. An organic garden is a ton of work to make successful but well worth the effort.