Most likely, you have seen organic foods in your local grocery store or read about them in a newspaper. Organic items are easy to spot on the shelves. They have special packaging and cost a fortune. Look at the following advice to learn how to start an organic garden.
Do not spend your money on chemicals to fight mildew. Rather, you should mix a bit of baking soda with a small quantity of liquid soap in water. Once a week, spray this on plants to eliminate the mildew. This solution is perfectly safe for your plants and gently treats mildew in a short amount of time.
When fall arrives, it’s time to plant your autumn vegetables. Rather than putting standard clay vessels into use when planting crops of lettuce and kale, think about using pumpkins instead. Cut an opening in the pumpkin and scoop the insides out. Then spray the edges and empty inside of the pumpkin with Wilt-Pruf so the pumpkin doesn’t rot. You are prepared to plant after this is done.
When mowing the lawn, don’t mow the grass all the way down to the root. If you leave your grass kind of high, your roots will be deeper and your lawn will be stronger and not dry out. When you cut the grass too short, the roots are often not deep enough, which causes your lawn to have dry patches of brown, discolored grass.
Coffee Grounds
If your soil has high alkaline amounts, mix some coffee grounds into it. Coffee grounds are an inexpensive way to increase the acid level in your soil. This solution will make the vegetables you grow healthier and more flavorful.
Keep your plants dry and aerated daily. Excess moisture creates an appealing environment for disease and parasites. Fungi are parasites that are common in the plant world. You can rid your garden of fungi with fungicidal sprays. However, it is best to treat your garden before there are problems.
A quality garden must be grown from seeds. When planting a garden, the best way is to initially start with seeds. The plastics used in nurseries are rarely recycled and ends up in landfills, so it is best to start with the seeds or buy from nurseries who use organic materials in packaging their plants.
Read instructions on new gardening chemicals and tools before you use them. It may seem simple enough, but not following it could lead to chemical burns and skin irritations. Keep yourself safe and always follow instructions.
Cooled water left over from steaming vegetables can be fed to them as a little snack. To add acidity to the soil of your rhododendrons and gardenias, use coffee or tea grounds. If you are having problems with fungus, you may find that sprinkling Chamomile tea on the plant is effective.
To attract insects that will benefit your garden, plant heather. Heather is very attractive to bees, and when bees first emerge in the spring, it is an early source of nectar. Because it is usually left alone, heather beds can become a home for spiders, beetles and other insects. Because of this, you might want to invest in a good pair of gardening gloves for the times when you need to prune it.
Perennial gardens should be prepared easily and quickly in the ground. Simply use a spade or small shovel to get under the grass or turf and flip it over. Then, using wood chips, cover the area to a depth of three or four inches. Let this sit for a couple weeks, next dig into it to plant your new plants.
When mulching your flower beds, aim for anywhere between two or three inches of mulch. This will prevent weeds from growing, retain humidity, and feed your plants with the nutrients they need. This will also give a nice, professional appearance to your garden all year.
Plant Materials
Your compost pile should contain green plant materials and dry plant materials. Examples of green plant material are spent flowers, fruit and vegetable waste, grass clippings, weeds, and leaves. Your dried material can be things such as sawdust, paper shreds, wood shavings, straw and cardboard. Certain substances will undermine your composting efforts and cancel out any benefits; these include meat, charcoal, ash or plants that have diseases or fungal growths.
When planting seeds, you should bury them three times as deep as their actual size. There are exceptions, however. Some types of seeds require more direct sunlight than others, and as such they should not be fully covered. Among the seeds meeting this definition are ageratum and petunias. If you are unsure as to whether or not your seeds should be covered or not, try to read the package or find the answer online.
Creating a new bed for your perennials is easy. Simply use a spade to cut under the ground where you want to place your garden, flip it over and cover with wood chips. Wait a couple of weeks, then you can easily dig into it with a trowel and then plant your favorite perennials.
If you are wanting to start your own organic garden, it is crucial that you know how to properly make beds. Begin by slicing beneath the turf using a spade. Flip it over and cover it with a three inch layer of wood chips. Let it set a few weeks and then cut in it, then you plant.
Growing your garden at home might not be the most convenient thing for you, but you will save a lot of money and always have the confidence that what you’re eating and feeding your family is as fresh and as healthy as possible. Use the tips you’ve learned here and get started on your garden today.