Solid Advice For Growing A Great Garden

~ craigb

TIP! Clay soil makes working with a shovel difficult. The clay is hard and sticks to the shovel.

In the world of organic horticulture, there are plenty of great resources available to both new and experienced organic gardeners alike. There are many e-guides, books, videos, and other resources available. This set of tips contains some of the best advice for helping a good organic gardener become a great organic gardener.

TIP! The handles of your tools can double as clever rulers. Tools with long handles, such as rakes, hoes, and shovels can be converted into handy measuring sticks.

Having healthy soil in your garden will help your plants avoid insect pests. Healthier plants are greater in strength and resistance to illness and insects. If you start with balanced soil, your garden will produce healthy plants with the best yield. Refrain from using chemicals since these will increase the salt content of the soil.

TIP! Climbing plants and vines are great for covering fences and wall structures. These types of plants can climb anything, which makes them perfect for covering up a wall or fence that needs to be hidden.

To get the best results in your garden, you need to use a good quality soil. Your soil may not be correct, but it depends on what sorts of plants you want to grow. You can designate one area of your garden to use one specific type of soil.

TIP! Peas have a better chance of survival when their seeds are started indoors as opposed to outside, exposed to the elements. When you plant them indoors first, the seeds will germinate better.

A garden needs the right type of soil to grow properly. Pay a small fee to have your soil analyzed, and you’ll be glad that you did when you understand what nutrients your soil is lacking. Many offices of Cooperative Extension will do a soil analysis, and it is important to know how to improve soil so that all crops can grow in it.

TIP! Plan your garden, and plant with fall colors in mind. That idea is actually far from the truth.

Boiling away unwanted weeds is an odd, but productive method used in many gardens. Boiling water can be considered as an herbicide, and it is a safe one. Pour hot water right on the weeds, but do not get any on your plants. Boiling water damages weed and plant roots, so be sure to avoid the plants you don’t want to eliminate.

TIP! Create a focal point in your garden with a unique plant. In a well designed garden you should have a focal point so that your eyes will stay there.

If you are gardening for the first time ever, read and follow all directions and instructions that come with your chemicals and tools. Otherwise, you are likely to have skin irritations flare up, which can be extremely painful and uncomfortable. Protect your plants and yourself by knowing how to correctly use all of your horticulture implements.

TIP! Make sure to water your garden properly. You can save time by using soaker hoses when watering plants.

Know when to harvest your vegetables at precisely the right time. Each type of produce has unique time frames for harvesting at the peak of flavor. Some vegetables, such as zucchini and baby peas, should be harvested when they are relatively young. Tomatoes, in contrast, taste better the longer they are allowed to ripen on the vine. It’s best to learn when the harvest time is for your vegetables.

Beneficial Bugs

TIP! Prior to working in the garden, make sure any cuts on your hands heal completely, or shield any cuts from contact with chemicals and dirt. If dirt and grime get into a cut while gardening, it may become infected.

Use only pesticides designed to kill the specific type of pest in your garden, and avoid the broad-spectrum kind. These pesticides will kill every type of pest in your garden, including beneficial bugs that eat garden pests. Beneficial bugs are more sensitive to these pesticides than the bugs that are detrimental to plants, so if the good bugs are eliminated, the bad pest population may grow. When this happens, you will spray another round of pesticides to get rid of the pests, thus creating a never-ending cycle for yourself.

TIP! Make sure you have your gardening tools near you, so you can maximize your gardening efficiency. You could do this by using a big bucket, or just wear old pants that have some deep pockets.

If you want your garden to be off-limits to your dog, spray a scented perimeter around it using things like old perfumes or aftershave. This covers up the smells that bring dogs to gardens in the first place, which means dogs are less likely to enter the garden.

TIP! When working in the garden, try to work as efficiently as possible. Wasting time finding tools is inefficient gardening.

Just as when outside, plants kept inside need varying degrees of sunlight, which can be harder to obtain from indoors. If you live in a home or apartment that does not get great sunlight you may want to consider growing plants that are designed to grow in low or medium-light environments. If you already have plants that need full light and the natural light provided is not sufficient, artificial lights can supplement their needs.

TIP! Add coffee grounds to your garden’s soil. Coffee grounds add many nitrogenous nutrients to the soil that will benefit your plants.

Plastic bags can be kept on hand and reused to slip over your dirty horticulture shoes. This keeps your flow going, so you can get back out to the garden quickly and finish your work.

Coffee Grounds

TIP! When planting seeds in containers, plant the seed roughly three times deeper than the seed’s size. You should know that certain seeds need not be covered, because they need the sunlight.

Coffee grounds are a great addition to soil. These coffee grounds have many nitrogenous nutrients that your plants could use. Your plants will really bloom if they get the nitrogen they need from coffee grounds or compost or diluted urea.

TIP! Construct raised flower beds of brick, stone, or wood. If you choose to use wood, make sure it is naturally rot resistant and untreated.

Would you like to kill those obnoxious weeds naturally? You should layer some newspaper to get weeds under control. Weeds can only grow when there is adequate sunlight. When you put newspaper over them, they suffocate from lack of sunlight. It’s easy for newspapers to break down over an extended period of time, making them great for compost. In order to improve its attractiveness, add one mulch layer.

TIP! Adjust your watering to the season and climate. The amount of water you need to give your plants depends on soil type, quality of water and time of day.

When planting seeds in containers, remember that the depth should be at least three times bigger than the seed. However, you should be aware that certain seeds should not be covered at all because they are required to be in the sunlight. Examples of these are petunias and ageratum. Always be sure to check online or with the company you’re purchasing the seeds from as to their sunlight needs.

TIP! Pay attention to which products you can use in your garden. Always look into natural solutions before turning to chemicals.

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. Some good choices you might consider are locust, cedar, and cypress. Treated wood can leach chemicals into any soil it rests against, so don’t use it in a garden with vegetables. If you’re using treated lumber, line it with a barrier, or some plastic.

TIP! You can use materials found in most homes to put up a tent in your organic garden during winter. Stick old bean poles into bed corners You then want to throw sheets over them, and keep the edges down with some bricks.

In conclusion, the tips that you have read above should have you well on the path towards becoming the best organic gardener you can be. Knowing how to make use of the wealth of information out there is important. If you remember these tips, you can make the most of organic horticulture methods.