When fruits and vegetables are organic, they taste great and are more rich in nutrients than the standard produce you’ll find at your grocery store. Organic produce is expensive in the stores, so you may want to grow your own, Read below to learn how to grow your very own organic garden.
Shoveling clay is very difficult and lots of work because the clay is hard and sticks to the shovel, making it tough to handle. To make your digging project easier, apply a coat of automobile wax to your shovel first and then buff it lightly. The shovel will glide through the clay and as a bonus, your shovel will be resistant to rust.
It is a good idea to pre-soak your seeds in a dark environment overnight. Place a small amount of seeds in a little container, while filling it to the brim with water. This will give your seeds a healthy head start in the growth process. This increases the chances of survival for the seeds.
Instead of leaving clumps of irises intact, divide them so that your flowers can grow in a more healthy manner. If you divide the overgrown clumps of flowers, you’ll find that your stock grows proportionally. Once the foliage has died off, lift out your bulbous irises. If you split the bulbs that you pull up, and replant them, they will bloom the following year. Rhizomes should be divided using a knife. From the outside cut the new pieces and then get rid of the old center. Every piece needs to have a minimum of one good offshoot. Replant your cuttings immediately for the best results.
To grow peas, try growing them indoors first, instead of outside. If you were to plant them inside first, the seeds should germinate better. You will also have hardy seedlings that will be able to resist disease and pests much better. When your plants are sturdy, move them outdoors.
Your garden can really benefit from evergreens featuring berries. These will help give your garden a burst of color, even in the winter months when most other vegetation has 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 is wise to limit the use of harsh chemicals, because the vegetables will be eaten. Remain alert in order to control garden pests. Natural pest control depends on the type of soil in your garden and the variety of plants growing there.
Pectrum Pesticides
Avoid using broad-spectrum pesticides in your garden. Broad-spectrum pesticides will kill insects that are helpful to your garden as well as the harmful ones. The beneficial insects, which kill the pests, are much more sensitive to pesticides than the pests. Using them will reduce your population of good bugs, and increase the bad. You will need even more pesticides to deal with the problem, and it will never really go away.
Water infused with aspirin is great for combating plant disease. An aspirin and a half, combined with a couple of gallons of water, will do amazing things for your plants. You can just spray this on them to fight disease. Spray them once about every three weeks.
If you cut your hand, you can use a glove to protect it from germs and chemicals until it heals. A cut or abrasion can become infected if it is not properly protected from dirt, pesticides and other irritants. Get the appropriate bandages to seal the cut completely.
Do not rush when planting seeds. Make sure the soil is wet before you begin. Spread the seeds, and leave them enough room to grow. Multiply the size of each seed by three and bury the seed that deep. It isn`t necessary to bury all seeds; some of them need light for growth to occur.
Flower Beds
Coat your flower beds with a few inches of an organic mulch. Mulching helps to hold moisture in the soil, enhance the soil quality, and slow down the growth of weeds. In addition, your flower beds will have a beautiful, finished appearance year round.
Pine can make for a great type of mulch. Many types of plants thrive in soil that has high acid levels. If that’s the case, the easiest thing to do is use pine needles for beds. Cover soil beds with a few inches of pine needles, and they will disperse acidity to the soil below as they decompose.
When it is harvest time, use a laundry basket. A benefit of using something like a laundry basket is that it can strain for you, as well as hold a large amount of produce. If you hose off your produce in the laundry basket, the water will leave the basket through the holes in the sides.
Use untreated wood, stone, or brick to build a raised bed. Choose a wood that is resistant to rot and does not contain any chemicals. The best varieties include cedar, locust and cypress wood. If you use treated wood in your vegetable garden, the chemicals in the wood can make their way into the soil, and in turn, to your crops. If you have already used lumber that is treated, you can line it with plastic or another type of barrier.
You don’t have to buy inferior produce. Use what you’ve read here to get started growing your very own high-quality produce.