Meticulous attention to your garden is one of the primary tenets of the green gardening movement. To do so, your smart organic gardening skills are going to come in handy. The tastiest and healthiest of produce can be produced from your own organic garden. The tips in this article should start you on the road to doing just that with a successful organic garden.
When choosing plants, pick those that produce a high yield. In most circumstances, a cold-tolerant or disease-resistant hybrid will have a higher yield when compared to a more traditional variety.
Utilize your garden tool handles as convenient makeshift rulers. Tools with long handles, such as a shovel or rake, are absolutely perfect for this job, and make your workload a little bit smaller. All you have to do is lay them on the floor then use a measuring tape to measure their length. Next, use a Sharpie to accurately label the distance between each one. You will never find yourself looking for a ruler thanks to this simple tip.
Fertilizer is important when you garden. Use commercially composted products in your garden to help your plants grow. This will reduce the chance of pathogens. There are numerous types of fertilizers available. What type you select is less of a concern; any kind of fertilizer is better than none.
There is always a best time to pick your garden’s vegetables, and you should know them. Each kind of vegetable should be picked at a specific point for maximum flavor. Some vegetables, such as zucchini and baby peas, should be harvested when they are relatively young. At the opposite end of the spectrum, tomatoes are at their best when mature. So, be aware of the best harvest time to pick your veggies.
Aid them by dumping any leftover water from steaming vegetables over them. It is also possible to utilize coffee ground or tea to make the soil more acidic for gardenias, rhododendrons and other plants that prefer acidic soil. If your garden has a fungus problem, a highly effective treatment method is to sprinkle it with chamomile tea.
Avoid using broad-spectrum pesticides in your garden. These kinds of pesticides kill the helpful insects that destroy the pests. The bugs you need are often more fragile than the ones you don’t: a pesticide could actually kill the beneficial insects while leaving the pests unaffected. This ends up becoming a vicious cycle of increasing pesticide use.
Plant things that will give you color for the fall. That doesn’t have to be, however. If you plan properly, you can make your fall garden the most colorful time of the year. Maple, beech trees or dogwood take on some amazing colors. There are practically as many types of shrubs chosen for their fall colors are there are gardeners! Barberry, hydrangea and cotoneaster are particularly popular choices.
Heather can bring you beneficial insects. Bees like it because it gives them nectar in the springtime. Because it is usually left alone, heather beds can become a home for spiders, beetles and other insects. Always remember this, and wear your gardening gloves if you prune your heather!
Get your kids to help you grow your organic garden. Toiling together in the garden brings your family closer together and offers many different opportunities to learn new things and instill green values.
When you are doing work in your garden, be efficient. Do not spend half an hour looking everywhere for a tool. Get all of your tools together before you go into your garden, then place them in a safe spot when you are finished with them. One way to keep your tools handy is to use a belt especially designed to hold them. An alternative is to wear a garment with multiple pockets that are big enough to hold your more commonly used tools.
An old laundry basket works great for gathering produce from your garden. Laundry baskets which have holes in them act as giant strainers for your home grown produce. The basket won’t be affected by the water and it will drain right off as though it were poured into a large sieve.
Be aware of seasons and climates when you are watering, and change accordingly. The amount of water you need to give your plants depends on soil type, quality of water and time of day. As an example, do not water your plant’s leaves if you live in a humid climate since this will most likely result in leaf fungus. Make sure you give the roots plenty of water.
A great thing about organic foods produced by organic gardens is their lack of pesticides. However, although this is a much healthier alternative, it is important to check surfaces of organic fruits and vegetables thoroughly to be sure that no unwanted pests are living in or on them.
Horticulture of any type can be a great hobby that helps you to feel more at one with the earth, but organic horticulture is especially good at this. This kind of horticulture shows you the entire progression of planting from beginning to end.
Organic gardening makes a huge difference in the taste and freshness of your produce. It does take some effort and not a little patience. In the end, though, it is a rewarding and healthy hobby that can offer you benefits that last a lifetime.