Secrets To A Healthy And Plentiful Garden

~ craigb

TIP! Clay soil is hard and will also stick to a shovel, making it difficult to work with. Get better results in clay by rubbing car wax or floor wax onto the shovel, then buff off and dig.

To have the most success with your garden, you need to take care of it. Sound organic horticulture techniques can help you do just that. You have the ability to produce healthy, delicious produce on your own property. Continue on for some helpful organic gardening tips that stick out from the rest.

TIP! Plant perennials that are resistant to slug and snail infestations. A particularly vulnerable plant can be killed by snails and slugs overnight.

Plant perennials that are slug-proof. A plant can be completely demolished overnight by slugs and snails. These pests are particularly fond of young perennials and those varieties with leaves that are tender, smooth, and thin. Some perennials, however, leave a bad taste in slugs’ mouths or are difficult to chew through because their leaves aren’t tender. Some of these plants include achillea, campanula, euphorbia, hellaborus, and heuchera.

TIP! You can use natural materials or other plants in your garden to keep away pests. Plant marigolds or onions around other vegetables to keep slugs away from them.

Use the correct type of soil for best results. Depending on what type of plants you have, your soil may or may not be adapted. You can also make an artificial area using only one type of soil.

TIP! To give them a boost, pour out any leftover water from steaming or boiling vegetables on the plants or soil around them. If you grow rhododendrons, azaleas or gardenias, increase the acid in your your soil by working in coffee or tea grounds.

If you’re planning on gardening, carefully watch for stink bugs! You should be particularly careful during Autumn. These destructive pests enjoy many kinds of fruit, as well as beans, peppers and tomatoes. If left unattended, your garden could be ravaged by these bugs, so you need to proactively keep their population under control.

TIP! Vegetables get softer as the temperature goes up, so you could damage your vegetables if you pick them during the hottest hours. For vegetables growing on vines, cut them carefully rather than twisting them off to avoid damage to the plant.

Plant cool-weather edibles in the fall. This year, instead of using your regular clay pots to plant your kale and lettuce, use a pumpkin as the container instead! Clean out the pumpkin just like you would if you were making a jack o’lantern. Spray Wilt-Pruf inside the pumpkin and along its edges so that the pumpkin won’t rot. Finished? Now you’re all set for planting!

TIP! Grow heather so that you can attract useful insects. Bees are very attracted to heather.

Get some horticulture knee pads if you find yourself kneeling on the ground a lot to do your gardening. Without pads, you may have pain in your knees from spending too much time kneeling on the hard ground. Purchase a great pair of knee pads; they will provide a cushion for your knees while making gardening more comfortable.

TIP! If you are looking at creating an endurable organic garden, you should think about keeping some of your property vacant so that wildlife may flourish there. You will find that many of the supporting cast of insects and birds that aid in plant production and pollination will be present on your land and actually help your developed gardens to produce better.

You can use boiling water to get rid of weeds naturally. Water is cheaper than chemical herbicides, and less hazardous to humans and soil. Carefully pour boiling water right on the weeds, but be careful not to pour it on the plants you want. The extreme heat of the water will cause damage to the weeds’ roots, which will stop them from growing any more.

TIP! To be as efficient as possible in the garden, always have your tools handy. Large pockets or a sturdy bucket can be used to store tools.

Do you love fresh mint leaves but hate how they quickly grow to take over your garden? You should plant the mint in a rather large garden container or pot instead so you can monitor growth. Plant the container in the ground, but its walls will hold those roots captive, and will prevent the plant from engulfing your garden!

TIP! For your flower beds, organic material should be used as mulch. Two or three inches should be enough.

Peas have a better chance of survival when their seeds are started indoors as opposed to outside, exposed to the elements. Pea seeds germinate better indoors. It will create heartier seedlings, which means they will more easily resist the pests and diseases they will encounter in an outdoor environment. You will be able to transfer the seedlings outdoors after they become better established.

TIP! Have plastic bags on hand to put over dirty gardening shoes. This keeps your flow going, so you can get back out to the garden quickly and finish your work.

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. A few of the most vivid plants in winter are American Holly, Winterberry, Snowberry and Cranberrybush.

TIP! Get more value out of your property. One of the best things you can do to increase property value is to have proper landscaping.

The water that is leftover from the steamed vegetables is great to pour over them. You should also try using a bit of coffee grounds or tea to increase the acidity of the soil for your gardenias or your rhododendrons. If you find that you have a fungus problem, try sprinkling some chamomile tea on your plants.

TIP! Avoid allowing chores in your organic garden stack up. While you may not be able to spend time in the garden on a daily basis, there are still many things you can do to keep things from snowballing out of control.

Efficiently water your garden. Put down the watering can or garden hose, and spread out a time-saving soaker hose instead. Use low water pressure for your hose so that you do not cause harm to the tender members of your garden. This allows you to leave the hose running as you go about your business.

TIP! Use equal parts of green and dried plant material in your compost pile. Add grass clippings, waste from fruits and vegetables, leaves, and weeds for the green materials in your compost pile.

Include your kids in growing an 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.

TIP! In order to construct your raised beds, make use of untreated brick, stone, wood and other materials. If you are to use wood, you should make sure that the wood is not treated and is also naturally rot resistant.

If you want to get children in on the fun, plant a few strawberries, everbearing if possible. A lot of children not only love to pick out their own fruit but they also love to learn about it as well.

TIP! Every year, rotate your organic garden. When the same plants occupy a spot in your garden for many years in a row, it can lead to the development of fungi and disease.

Plant your seeds carefully, taking your time. Start by getting the soil good and moist. Next, you should evenly distribute the seeds ensuring that each one has enough room to grow. Look at how big the seeds are, multiply that by three, and plant them down into the earth accordingly. Some seeds you won’t have to bury because they need light in order to grow.

Pine Needles

TIP! Invite biodiversity into your garden. A larger variety of plants in your garden will attract more wildlife.

Pine can make surprisingly great mulch. There are many types of plants with a high acidity, which means they thrive in acidic soil. If you have these plants in your garden, keep them healthy by using pine needles as mulch. Spread a few inches of pine needles on your organic beds so that it will put the acid into your soil.

TIP! Want to make organic gardening less complicated? Make use of flowers, native grasses, and bushes in your landscaping. When you choose plants that can work with your soil type, climate and nearby plants, you can reduce the need of fertilizers and other aids.

Enhance your property value and beauty with gardening and landscaping. Out of any home improvement project, a beautifully landscaped garden will give you the best return. Certain plants could increase the value by 20%. Find plant materials for your landscape design that will thrive in your particular climate.

TIP! When you rake leaves, keep them to serve as compost for your soil. Leaves quickly turn into organic compost rich in nutrients your plants need.

Since you’ve reached the end of this article, you can see now that organic gardening makes a huge difference in the taste and healthiness of the product. Organic horticulture takes patience and manual labor, but it’s worth it when you start reaping the benefits of your labor.