Useful Organic Horticulture Tips, Tricks And Pointers

~ craigb

TIP! Use pots to start your plants, then transfer them to a garden when they become seedlings. Your plants will be more likely to survive if you do this.

Horticulture is a great way to grow delicious fruits and vegetables right in your own backyard. You can make things like salads with freshly picked tomatoes right from your garden, or if you are advanced enough you can even make salads that are completely from your own garden. A wide variety of information is available online, in magazines and in horticulture books to help you grow a healthy, luscious garden.

TIP! Soil needs to be rich in certain nutrients to grow healthy plants. The soil that is already in your garden might need amending, depending on the particular plants that you want to grow.

If you want flowers in spring and summer, plant bulbs in the garden. Most bulbs are hardy and require little to no care in order to develop into beautiful perennials that will reappear each and every year. Different varieties of bulbs flower at varied times and if you make the right choices you can have blossoms from early spring through late summer.

Coffee Grounds

TIP! Consider planting evergreens in your garden that produce berries. These plants will look good year-round, even during the winter, when your other plants have lost their bloom.

If your soil is highly alkaline, try mixing used coffee grounds into the soil. Coffee grounds are an inexpensive way to increase the acid level in your soil. The right soil will make your vegetables taste better and make your flowers more vibrant and aromatic.

TIP! You should purchase a wheelbarrow, as well as a kneeling stool to help you garden. In order to relieve stress on your knees when gardening, always use a small garden stool to be more comfortable.

To help young plants, try pouring boiling water on top of nearby weeds. A pot full of boiling water is an effective herbicide, yet it is, chemically speaking, completely harmless. One simple layer across the weeds with a pot of boiling water will take care of the problem, but you have to remember the same applies to your plants, as well. Boiling water damages weed and plant roots, so be sure to avoid the plants you don’t want to eliminate.

TIP! Plant with fall season color in mind. That need not be the case though! The foliage in the fall probably exudes more color than any other season.

Give peas a head start by sprouting them indoors. If you were to plant them inside first, the seeds should germinate better. Give the seeds enough time to get stronger: growing indoors will make it easier for your plants to resist diseases and the pesky bugs. You could transplant the seedlings outdoors once they are able to survive and thrive.

TIP! Consider planting strawberries, especially ones that are everbearing, for your garden if you have small children. You will find that they enjoy participating in gardening if they are allowed to pluck the fresh berries and eat them straight from the earth.

If you are just getting into gardening, make sure you heed all of the directions on fertilizer and chemical labels. If you use your horticulture chemicals wrong, you can abrade or even burn your skin. Protect yourself and follow all instructions.

TIP! Asprin will actually help your plants out by killing diseases. An aspirin and a half, combined with a couple of gallons of water, will do amazing things for your plants.

Buy a wheelbarrow and kneeling stool to work with in the garden. Working in the garden means you’ll be down on the ground a lot. This can cause knee pain, so if you have a stool, you’ll have an easier time. It is also normal to move heavy objects and dirt around the garden, so a wheelbarrow is something you should have.

TIP! For in-home organic gardeners, you are looking for an ideal temperature of around 60-75 degrees for your plants. This level of heat is required in order for plants to grow.

If you are growing a vegetable garden, you may find that pests can be difficult to control. You can’t use chemicals as they’re the last thing you want to be eating when you enjoy the fruits of your labor. One way to control gardening pests is to be vigilant. In many cases, you can simply remove the pests from your plants by picking them off.

TIP! Pay attention to how much light your indoor plants are getting. If your house or apartment doesn’t get a lot of natural light, one option is to grow something that only requires medium or low light.

Spray fragrances such as old perfume or aftershave on grass around your garden to help keep your dog away from the plants. This will work to mask any scent that is attracting dogs, and will make the garden a much less interesting place to for dogs to be.

TIP! Put coffee grounds in your soil. Coffee grounds will add nitrogen to your soil which will make them helpful for some of your plants.

You can attract the insects you need by planting heather. Bees like it because it gives them nectar in the springtime. Since a heather bed is normally left undisturbed, ground beetles, spiders and other beneficial insects tend to live inside it. Always remember this, and wear your horticulture gloves if you prune your heather!

Your children can help you with your garden. Gardens are terrific teaching tools for kids, and provide great opportunities for interaction, growth, and instruction on healthy living.

TIP! Lightly ruffle your seeds by hand or with cardboard, twice daily in your organic garden. This will sound a bit strange.

Plant ever-bearing strawberries for your children in the organic garden. Kids are quite eager to pick fruit from a garden, and will help with the planting if they get a nice snack out of it at the end.

TIP! If slugs are an issue in your garden, a beer trap can make them go away. Take a glass jar and bury it so that the soil is even with its mouth.

As you are working in your garden, you must take care to protect both knees. Bending over from a standing position is something many people cannot do. You can get to your plants without straining your back if you kneel in your working area. For extra comfort, purchase a knee pad for use as a cushion between your knees and the ground.

TIP! You can make a raised bed with untreated wood, brick, or stone. If you choose to use wood to construct your bed, choose a species that is naturally resistant to rot and avoid treated wood entirely.

If you’re planning on horticulture inside, the first thing you should consider is an adequate light source. If your windows are small or receive little light due to their positioning, a plant that requires little sunlight will be more comfortable and healthy. If you simply must have a plant that has higher requirements for sunlight, you can use indoor UV lamps.

TIP! Organic fruits and vegetables grow without being exposed to pesticides and other chemicals. This is healthier than other alternatives, but you need to still check for diseases and bugs regularly.

Use about two to three inches of organic material as mulch in all of your flower beds. Not only will you be adding nutrients, but weeds will be less likely to grow and moisture will be retained more easily. What’s more, your garden will look professional all year.

Pine Needles

TIP! Be sure you know how you should buy plants that you want to add in your organic garden. This holds very true when you are buying perennials and annuals.

Do not underestimate pine as great mulch. Some plants are more acidic, and prefer soil that contains higher acidic levels. If you have some of these plants, then pine needles are an easy way to add acid to their bed. Cover the plots with pine needles. As the pine needles decay, they’ll raise the soil’s acidity.

TIP! You should know how to water your plants. Consider buying a soaker hose.

As the above article stated, horticulture is an excellent method of growing your own fresh, delicious fruits and veggies in your backyard. You can be proud that you used fruits and veggies that you grew in your meals. Apply these tips to make your garden the best it can be.