flower garden

Horticulture Is As Simple As It Is Fun

~ craigb

TIP! Start your plants in containers, and then transplant the seedlings into the garden later on. This raises the chances of the plants growing until adulthood.

There is no better time than right now. If you’d like more information on horticulture, this article can serve as a starting point for you. The tips mentioned in this article will help you as you get started!

TIP! If you’re planning on gardening, carefully watch for stink bugs! You should be particularly careful during Autumn. Stink bugs like to eat beans, peppers, tomatoes, and all sorts of fruit.

Many times when digging in clay soil the clay will adhere to the shovel, which will make it much harder to dig. Make your shoveling job easier by lightly coating a shovel with a layer of wax, then buffing the surface. Either car wax or floor wax will work just fine. This will keep the soil from sticking, and prevent rusting of the tool.

Flower Garden

TIP! It is a good idea to pre-soak your seeds in a dark environment overnight. Place your seeds in a container filled with water.

Plant a variety of flowers to keep your flower garden colorful and interesting. Annuals and biennials can add excitement and interest to your flower garden every season. Your flower beds will look different from one season to another. You can also use these flowers to fill gaps between shrubs or perennials. Notable collections include sunflower, marigold, hollyhock, rudbeckia, cosmos, and petunia.

TIP! Allow enough room between plants for air to circulate, so that plants do not stay too wet. Moisture on plants is sure to attract disease and parasites.

If you start to notice some powdery mildew growing on your plants, there is no need to waste money on expensive chemicals. A great home remedy is to mix baking soda with water and a little bit of liquid soap. This solution can be sprayed onto your plants once per week until the problem is resolved. Baking soda won’t harm your plants, and takes care of the mildew efficiently and gently.

TIP! Mint leaves are wonderful, but don’t you despise how quickly they can take over a garden due to rapid growth? You can control their growth by placing them into a pot or container. If you would like the mint leaves to still be in the ground, simply plant the container, and the leaves will stay within the boundaries of the pot.

When winter arrives, transfer some plants into the house to save them. This is especially useful if you have a particular plant that you love or was expensive. Dig around roots carefully before transferring to a pot.

TIP! Learn the ideal times for harvesting your vegetables. There is a specific time to pick every sort of vegetable in order to maximize its taste and cooking utility.

Before actually putting plants into your garden, check the type and compostion of your soil. An inexpensive soil report can be used to adjust soil nutrients to optimum levels, which will ensure your garden thrives. It is worth having this information so that crops do not get ruined. Most Cooperative Extension offices provide this service.

TIP! During the day, when the weather is hot, vegetables tend to be softer, which causes them to be damaged even if you gently pick them. You should also be sure to cut them off the vine and not twist them, as twisting can hurt the plant.

As you cut your grass, do not trim it too low to the ground. Higher grass has deeper roots, meaning a healthier lawn that will be less likely to dry out. The shorter the grass is, the shorter the roots are, which leads to a dry lawn.

TIP! After your seeds have sprouted, heat lamps are not needed. It’s important to move the plants away from any heat source as they grow larger.

One very good way to deal with weeds is to boil them away. This is a safe way to eliminate weeds, as this will not damage the soil. Carefully pour boiling water right on the weeds, but be careful not to pour it on the plants you want. The boiling water will damage the roots of the weeds and will usually prevent further growth.

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

Look for evergreen variants that produce berries. The berries will provide a boost of color to your backyard, even during the colder months when most of the other vegetation has been drained of their color. Plants which you can purchase that offer color during the winter are the Winterberry, the Common Snowberry, the American Holly, and the American Cranberrybush.

TIP! Get the most value from your property. Landscaping has one of the highest returns you can get from home improvement.

Before you start working in your garden, purchase a wheelbarrow and a good kneeling stool. Spending lots of time close to the ground while working tends to be hard on your knees, that is why it is important to have a portable and lightweight garden stool that you can use for comfort. There is also a lot of heavy lifting involved with horticulture, so a good wheelbarrow is a great tool to have around.

TIP! A beer trap is an effective way of of dealing with any slugs that invade your organic garden. Place a jar into the soil so that the top of it’s mouth rests parallel with the soil.

When horticulture, avoid the use of strong broad-spectrum pesticides. Broad spectrum pesticides don’t only kill the offending pests, but the beneficial ones also. Beneficial insects are more susceptible to toxic pesticides than their annoying counterparts, so a broad-spectrum pesticide could kill all of the good bugs first, allowing the population of bad pests to multiply. This might result in you having to use even more pesticides to get rid of the pests.

TIP! Organic fruits and vegetables grow without being exposed to pesticides and other chemicals. While this is great for your loved ones’ health, still check for pests and bugs.

Use gardening as a way to relax and recuperate. A plethora of paths to individual relaxation and inner peace exist. Working in the garden is among the simplest. There are numerous returns based on a very small monetary investment. You will feel great satisfaction by creating your own garden of tranquility.

TIP! Get to the root of the matter! When buying tomato seedlings, avoid the ones with a bad root system or green starts. The reason is because these particular starts will stay on the seedlings for weeks, which will not allow the seedlings to grow until these starts are gone.

Heather is a magnet for friendly insects. 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. Keep this in mind and always wear gloves when you prune your heather!

TIP! This tip greatly eases your organic gardening attempts. Make use of flowers, native grasses, and bushes in your landscaping.

Avoid getting an infection by not allowing dirt and other chemicals to get into open wounds. Cuts that are infiltrated by soil or other substances have the potential to breed serious infections. You can now purchase bandages to seal the cut completely.

TIP! If you’re preparing to add a new shrub or tree to your organic garden, it’s best that the hole you plant them in looks a bit off-balance. If the sides of the hole show glaze which was caused by the shovel, the root may be restricted from entering into the adjacent soil.

You will now feel more confident in your ability to transform your garden into a thing of glory. If you think that you were ready before, you should see yourself now. Hopefully, the strategies provided in this article have given you the confidence to develop your own garden and enjoy the bounty nature has to offer.

Live Chemical Free By Growing It Yourself

~ craigb

TIP! Trying to shovel through clay soil can be extremely difficult and tiresome. Rub a thin layer of floor or car wax over the surface of the shovel, and then buff the surface using a clean cloth.

More and more people are realizing the wonders of organic gardening. If you use the suggestions here, you’ll be able to create your own successful organic garden. Just put these tips to work for you and you will soon see great results.

TIP! Use perennials resistant to slugs and snails. Slugs and snails are voracious eaters that can destroy a plant literally overnight.

It may be helpful to let your plants begin their life in a pot and to transfer them to your garden when they’re seedlings. Doing this will increase the survival rate of all your outdoor plants. It also allows you to tighten up the time periods between plantings. As soon as the mature plants are removed, you can replace them with fresh seedlings.

TIP! Brighten your garden with biennials and annuals. Fast growing biennials and annuals can enliven a flower bed while letting you change up the look each season and year.

You can use the wooden handles of your tools as measurement sticks. Tools with long handles, such as rakes, hoes, and shovels can be converted into handy measuring sticks. After laying the handles on the floor, run the measuring tape along beside them. Have a marker handy, and mark the distance with it. Now you have easy access to a long ruler whenever you are gardening.

Flower Garden

TIP! Regular weeding is essential to the health of any garden. Weeds will cause your garden to become overgrown and cluttered.

Plant a variety of flowers to keep your flower garden colorful and interesting. Annuals and biennials can add excitement and interest to your flower garden every season. Fast-growing annuals and biennials can brighten up a flower bed, and allow you to change the look from season to season and year to year. Use them to fill gaps between shrubs and perennials in the sun. Notable varieties include cosmos, rudbeckia, petunia, hollyhock, marigold and sunflower.

TIP! Grow wheat or cat grass around the plants your cat likes nibbling. It may also work to add citrus peelings or mothballs to the soil of the plants, because the odor is unpleasant to cats.

For a garden that thrives, choose the right type of soil. The soil may have to be adapted, depending on what types of plants you’re planning for the garden. For special requirements, you can build separate areas with soil that is right for certain plants.

TIP! Do not cut your grass too short. If you leave some of the grass when you mow, the roots grow further into the ground, which makes the grass less prone to drying and other hazards.

Deciduous shrubs need protection from the cold. If the temperature drops below 50 degrees, you should consider protecting them, especially if they do best in warm environments. Try to tie the tops all together and cover them with a sheet, large piece of cloth, or blanket. This method is superior to covering plants in plastic, because air can freely circulate, which prevents rotting.

TIP! To help them out, try poring leftover water from steamed vegetables on them. In order to help acidify the soil for plants like gardenias and rhododendrons, you can use coffee and tea grounds.

If you want to effectively weed out young plants, you can try “boiling” away the weeds. The safest herbicide that you can probably find is a cup of boiling water. Douse boiling water on the weeds and avoid nearby plants carefully. If you pour the water near your plants, it will kill the roots.

TIP! If you plan to raise organic plants inside, you need to think about how much light they will get. The amount of light available can determine which type of organic plants you should grow.

Cooled water left over from steaming vegetables can be fed to them as a little snack. You can also acidify soil for rhododendrons, gardenias and more by using coffee or tea grounds. Chamomile tea is a good remedy against fungus.

TIP! When working in the garden, try to work as efficiently as possible. One of the biggest time wasters is not keeping track of your tools and having to look for them every time you need them.

When gardening, don’t use any broad-spectrum pesticides. These strong pesticides are non-selective, killing beneficial insects as well as pests. Since these pesticides often affect the good bugs more than the bad, using them can actually increase your pest problem. This might result in you having to use even more pesticides to get rid of the pests.

TIP! Coffee grounds are a great addition to soil. Plants can use the nitrogenous nutrients found in coffee grounds.

Choose a plant to use for a focal point. There should be a solid focal point for every good garden design. The best focal points are those plants that really stand out from those that are adjacent.

Involve your children in gardening. The benefits for your children will be a closer bond with nature and an understanding of where food comes from.

TIP! Over-watering your plants can be harmful, because roots that are drowning in water cannot effectively pull nutrients out of the soil. Prior to watering your outdoor plants, you should check with weather stations to see if it will be raining later in the day.

Sprouting seeds need less warmth than before. Take your plants out of the heat once they start to grow. Remove plastic films on containers to prevent warmth and humidity from penetrating them. Keep an eye on your seeds so you will know when this should be done.

TIP! Each year, you should rotate the plants in your garden. When similar plants are planted in pretty much the same spot every single year, this can cause fungal and disease growth.

Tuck away some plastic grocery bags and use them to slip over your muddy boots. You’ll be able to keep your momentum going without needing to take off your shoes, and stay on track with your horticulture project.

TIP! Spread three inches of organic material on your garden for mulch. Mulch adds nutrients to the soil, keeps the soil moist, reduces weed growth, and makes beds look tidier.

Pine mulch can be highly effective under the right conditions. A number of plants commonly grown in garden settings do best in an acidic soil. When you have plants like this, nothing is easier than to gather pine needles for your beds. Go ahead and cover the beds you have with needles a couple of inches and while they decompose, they actually disperse some acid into the soil.

TIP! When you garden, be aware of what you can use. Try using organic substitutes for the typical chemical fertilizers.

Looking for a natural way to kill weeds in your garden? To control the growth of weeds, all you need is last week’s Sunday paper. Weeds need sun for growth, just like any other plant. By covering them with a layer of newspaper, you are essentially suffocating the weeds due to a lack of light. It’s easy for newspapers to break down over an extended period of time, making them great for compost. If you want it to look better, just add a layer or two of much over top of the newspapers.

TIP! When planting trees and shrubs, dig irregular holes with rough sides. If you create holes that have “glazed” sides created by shovels, it’s possible that one of those holes will restrict any root from getting into the soil nearby.

For container planting, be sure to plant your seeds at a depth around three times the radius of the seed. Some seeds need to be in direct sunlight, though, so you need to know information about each type of seed. Some of these seeds are petunias and ageratum. If you do now know how to plant your seed, consult the information that came with the seed when you bought it or check online for helpful information.

TIP! Make sure your trees are in a location near your house so that they give you a lot of shade. Your energy bills will reflect this maneuver as your home will be naturally cooled by the shade from the tree.

As stated earlier, applying organic horticulture methods requires only a modest amount of time and effort. Apply the tips and techniques from this article to your efforts, and witness for yourself just how awesome your gardening can be. Regardless of which organic crops you choose to grow, these tips will help you enjoy a bountiful harvest.

Garden Tools That Save You Time

~ craigb

TIP! Use climbers for covering fences and walls. These types of plants can climb anything, which makes them perfect for covering up a wall or fence that needs to be hidden.

There’s a lot more to gardening than most people realize. If you want a natural garden, you will have to find out about things such as natural bug repellent or pH balances of a soil. It can be difficult to switch to organic horticulture methods for a beginner. Read on to find some tips to make gardening in a clean, organic fashion a little easier and more fun to do!

TIP! When winter arrives, transfer some plants into the house to save them. It’s a good idea to save any expensive plants or those that will thrive in indoor heat.

A good way to ensure that your seeds sprout effectively is to start them in smaller pots and then transplant them once they reach the seedling stage. They are then more likely to survive and to become thriving, mature plants. In addition, it offers you a smaller time frame between plantings. Once you remove the most recent mature plants from your garden, the seedlings are immediately ready to be planted.

Measuring Sticks

TIP! Let your new seeds soak in a dark spot overnight. Use a small container filled with water to nearly the top and place several seeds in it.

Your tool handles can double as measuring sticks. Tools with long handles, such as rakes, shovels or hoes can work as great measuring sticks. Just run some measuring tape right on the floor next to the handles. Next, use a Sharpie to accurately label the distance between each one. Now when you go to work in the garden, you will have a ruler that is large at your fingertips!

TIP! Try growing wheat grass or cat grass in the area of the plants your cat wants to eat. You can also put something on top of the soil around the plants that has an offensive smell to cats, such as mothballs or citrus peel.

Plant a variety of flowers to keep your flower garden colorful and interesting. Annuals and biennials can add excitement and interest to your flower garden every season. You can use biennial and annual flowers to brighten the bed, and let you change how it looks. In addition, you might need something to fill empty spaces in your flower garden. Fill gaps with annuals or biennials. Just make sure the flowers will get enough sun to thrive. Notable collections include sunflower, marigold, hollyhock, rudbeckia, cosmos, and petunia.

TIP! Don’t mow your grass too short. If you leave a bit more height, the grass roots will get deeper, making your lawn stronger.

The first thing you should do when planning a garden is test the soil. You can get a soil analysis, and if you find your soil needs a supplement, do it! A lot of extension offices will offer this service and it is worth it so you know what your soil needs.

TIP! Don’t plant a garden without planning it. This way, when the sprouts start shooting up, you can recall where you planted each plant.

Fall edibles are a wonderful addition to your garden. 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 top of your pumpkin, scoop out the inside, and spray the entire thing with Wilt-Proof. This will prevent rotting. When this is finished, you are now ready to plant.

TIP! Your garden can really benefit from evergreens featuring berries. They will provide a splash of color in the drab and dreary winter months when a lot of other plants have lost their colors.

Grow some wheat grass or catnip for your cat to eat instead. Alternatively, you can try putting mothballs, citrus peel or anything else with an odor that cats find distasteful in the soil surrounding the plants.

TIP! When it comes to harvesting your vegetables, know when the optimal time is to do so. For the optimum flavor, be sure to follow the guidelines for planting and picking.

If you have many low-growing plants in your garden, get yourself a pair of horticulture knee pads. The amount of time that you spend gardening on your knees can make your knees hurt by the time you are done. Purchase a great pair of knee pads; they will provide a cushion for your knees while making gardening more comfortable.

TIP! Scent the grass around your garden with old perfume or discarded aftershave to prevent your dog from wandering into your garden. This kind of scent is going to mask the scents your dog is attracted to.

A touch of organic mulch will boost the potential of the vegetable plants in your garden. The mulch will help keep the dirt around the plants more moist. An added benefit is that it also inhibits weed growth. This will save you tons of time from pulling out tons of weeds.

TIP! Any time that you are gardening in direct sunlight, dress appropriately to prevent skin damage. Clothing should keep your skin covered, and don’t forget to wear a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen.

It can be tough to keep insects and other plant-ruining crawlies from infesting your garden. You can’t use chemicals as they’re the last thing you want to be eating when you enjoy the fruits of your labor. You can prevent pests from appearing in the garden by adopting a vigilant attitude. If you happen to notice them early on, you can control them just by physically removing them from your plants with your hands.

TIP! You can create a great English garden by mixing types and sizes in one bed. Using plants that all grow the same height result in a flat and uniform looking bed.

If you want to keep dogs our of your garden, take some aftershave, old perfume, or any other scented item and spray the grass around the area. This will help mask the scents that attract your dog, and will make your garden a less interesting place for your pet to be.

TIP! Cover your muddy shoes with plastic bags. This way, you can get in and out quickly, and get back to work in the garden.

A mixture of aspirin and water can protect your plants from common diseases. One and one half aspirin crushed and added to a two gallon container of water will be a great help for your plants. The solution can then be used to spray the entire plant, and will offer protection naturally. Spraying should be one time every three weeks.

TIP! Leave plenty of growing space when you plant your garden. It’s common to not think about how much space a plant will need once it’s full grown, and you don’t want to crowd your garden.

You must always take care of your knees when working in the garden. It is not good to bend from a standing position for a long period of time. You can kneel instead to help keep your back relaxed while tending to your plants. You can kneel on a knee pad so that your knees are more comfortable.

TIP! Organic gardening is harder than relying on chemicals, but the results are worth it. While chemicals offer an easy solution to many common gardening problems, the organic method is far healthier for you and everyone you share your food with.

If you’re working to build a sustainable organic garden, try leaving a portion of your garden untouched so that the wildlife will be able to thrive. As the natural wildlife begins to flourish, the various insects, birds, and other natural life around will all blend together and actually assist your garden as it begins to grow.

TIP! Each year, you should rotate the plants in your 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.

Now, you shouldn’t get your hopes up and believe that a few tips are going to turn you into an instant professional gardener. However, these tips are a great starting point if you do plan to grow organically. As you implement these tips and hone your skills, you’ll be a professional green-thumb-holder in no time.

Grow Organic Produce For Your Family With These Tips

~ craigb

TIP! Clay is naturally hard, and can can stick to a shovel making it frustrating to work with. Use a thin coat of floor or car wax on your shovel, then buff it with a nice clean cloth to make dealing with clay soil easier.

As the organic movement gains momentum, increasing numbers of people are being attracted to holistic lifestyles. Many people who appreciate the benefits of this lifestyle enjoy growing their own foods using safe, organic horticulture methods. Check out fantastic organic gardening tips here in this article.

Flower Garden

TIP! If you’re planning on gardening, carefully watch for stink bugs! You should be particularly careful during Autumn. They like beans, peppers, tomatoes and many fruits.

Plant a variety of flowers to keep your flower garden colorful and interesting. Annuals and biennials can add excitement and interest to your flower garden every season. Fast-growing annuals and biennials can brighten up a flower bed, and allow you to change the look from season to season and year to year. Use them to fill gaps between shrubs and perennials in the sun. Notable biennials and annuals include marigold, sunflowers, hollyhock, petunia, and cosmos.

TIP! If you are looking for an all-natural, organic way to weed your garden, consider “boiling off” the weeds. Boiling water is an excellent, organic substance for use against weeds.

Transplanting plants and bringing them indoors can protect them from harsh winters. Choose the plants that are most likely to survive. Use caution when digging around the roots of your plant. You need to keep the root structure intact for it to thrive after being potted.

TIP! You can prevent pests from invading your garden with certain plants and natural materials. Slugs are repelled by bordering your vegetable garden with either onions or marigolds.

A set of knee pads are a life saver if you’re an avid gardener and a lot of your plants sit close to the ground. Long hours spent in the garden will wreak havoc on your knees. Purchase a great pair of knee pads; they will provide a cushion for your knees while making horticulture more comfortable.

TIP! Read instructions before using any gardening tool you aren’t familiar with, including pesticides or other chemicals. Use the tools only as directed in the instructions.

Aerate and dry your plants each day. Moisture not only attracts parasites, but also makes it easier for your plants to contract diseases. A commonplace plant parasite is fungi. Sprays and liquids exist that are perfect for killing the fungi, but be sure you use it on the area before the fungi actually appear.

TIP! Consider planting evergreens in your garden that produce berries. The berries will provide a boost of color to your backyard, even during the colder months when most of the other vegetation has been drained of their color.

The best gardens will evolve from original seeds rather than transplanted items. Starting with your own seeds is more environmentally friendly than buying plants from a nursery. Plastics from nurseries aren’t recycled often, which causes them to go into landfills; so try starting with seeds, or buying from organic nurseries.

TIP! Have one plant be the most interesting eye-grabber in your garden. To create an attractive garden design, arrange a focal point to draw attention.

Always fertilize your garden. While a lot of people use manure, it is better to choose fertilizer from a reputable company, as this will reduce the risk of any pathogens getting into your soil. There are many fertilization methods out there; the type is not quite as important as actually using something.

TIP! Get your kids to help you grow your organic garden. Children will benefit from the fresh air while bonding with you in your efforts to provide healthier food alternatives for them.

Consider planting evergreens that produce berries in your yard. Your yard will then have bright spots of color all year round, which is especially cheerful in the winter when all of your other flora is bare or colorless. Some evergreens that will add life to your yard in the wintertime are the American Cranberrybush, Common Snowberry, Winterberry, and American holly.

TIP! Asprin will actually help your plants out by killing diseases. Try dissolving around one and one half aspirins into around 2 gallons of water for your plants.

Aspirin water will strengthen your plants against diseases. One and one half aspirin crushed and added to a two gallon container of water will be a great help for your plants. Then spray your plants with this mixture to stave off diseases. Use this method every three weeks.

TIP! Protecting your knees while you are gardening is very important. Bending over while gardening can be painful and unhealthy for your back.

You need to avoid chores in your organic garden stacking up. If you can’t get out in your garden every day, there are still a number of things you can do to keep things from falling into disarray during your absence. For example, if you have a dog, pull a few weeds while you are outdoors with the dog. Over time, you keep your garden weed free without adding any additional time on to your day.

TIP! One way to create a great organic garden is to allow for a portion of your yard to be undeveloped for wildlife. This is a great natural way to allow the insects and animals found in nature to assist with the growth of your garden.

Consider solving your weed problem without the use of toxic chemicals. Take layers of newspapers and use them for weed control. Weeds must have sunlight in order to grow. When you put newspaper over them, they suffocate from lack of sunlight. Newspapers tend to break down into compost nicely. In order to improve its attractiveness, add one mulch layer.

TIP! The ambient temperate of a room with live plants should be kept between sixty-five and seventy-five degrees throughout the day. Plants need to be in an environment that is neither too warm nor too cool for them to grow.

Be careful with the amount of water that you’re giving your plants when horticulture. Roots need to draw in nutrients via the soil, and they cannot do this if they’re flooded with water. Check the weather for the next couple of days to see if you actually need to water your plants. Make your decision about watering dependent on the weather.

TIP! It’s simple to lay a new perennial bed. Simple slice into the soil with a spade, flip the turf, and mulch the area with 3 to 4 inches of wood chips.

To get a good start, look below the surface! For instance, if you buy tomato seedlings for an organic plot, be cautious if you find green, lush-looking starts that have underdeveloped root systems. These starts will stick to the seedlings for quite some time, which prevents the seedlings from growing until the starts are gone.

TIP! Make sure you work in your garden every day. Don’t waste thirty minutes looking around for a tool.

This is organic gardening made easier! Plan your landscaping with primarily native grasses, flowers, and bushes! Plants that are naturally suited to your environmental parameters are unlikely to require the degree of fertilization and chemical pest protection that would have to be expended on other plants. Native plants will thrive if you encourage growth with organically made compost.

TIP! Make sure you have some plastic bags around so that you can cover any muddy gardening shoes you have. This helps the flow keep going so that you can get into the garden quickly to finish what you’re doing.

Incorporate shade elements into any organic garden area. These gardens are low maintenance, which will make many happy. This type of garden requires only a small amount of water, which makes it especially easy to maintain. While this may mean slower growth to an extent, there will be much less weeds to deal with.

TIP! When you are planning on growing a garden, you should think about the space you will need to provide a healthy growing area for your plants. Amateur gardeners often make the mistake of failing to leave enough space for fully matured plants.

There are all sorts of plants that you can plant in your garden. Mulch is a must-have for plants that require acidic conditions. You can mulch these plants with pine needles in the fall. As the needles begin to decompose, they’ll start depositing natural acid to the soil.

TIP! Use an old laundry basket to bring your fresh produce in from the garden. It makes a great strainer for your vegetables.

The healthier the soil the healthier your plants are, and when they are healthy they become that much more resistant to insects and disease. You won’t be killing off large amounts of insects, but good practices can help avoid the damage they can cause.

TIP! Invite biodiversity into your garden. Packing your garden with multiple species and varieties helps ensure you attract wildlife.

You are aware of how helpful compost is in growing your organic garden, but do you have any idea what is actually in it? Compost is a mixture of scraps, grass clippings and leaves that have been allowed to break down which results in new rich soil. Making your own compost is much safer than using commercial fertilizer.

TIP! Pay attention to which products you can use in your garden. Instead of using chemical fertilizers, try organic and natural fertilizers.

Use these tips and think about some ideas of your own. Organic horticulture can become a part of your life. Keep in mind that this advice is the beginning of your organic gardening knowledge.

Use These Tips To Become Skilled At Organic Gardening

~ craigb

You want to have a fresh and organic garden. Well your timing could not be more perfect! The following tips can help you realize your plans for your garden.

TIP! If you want to keep your garden free of pests, start with healthy soil! Healthy and well-nourished plants will be hardier and therefore better able to prevent pests from taking hold. Starting with soil that is in good condition can yield the best plants.

Healthy soil will also assist in your battle against pests. Healthier plants are stronger, which in turn can help the plants you grow to become more resistant to disease and bugs that can harm them. Begin with a high-quality soil with less chemicals to avoid salt accumulation, and you give your garden an excellent chance of growing healthy plants.

Flower Garden

TIP! When the fall season approaches, you must prepare to plant your favorite fall veggies and other edibles. Instead of a clay pot, show some fall spirit by using a hollow pumpkin to plant your lettuce or kale in.

Plant a variety of flowers to keep your flower garden colorful and interesting. Annuals and biennials can add excitement and interest to your flower garden every season. These usually grow quickly, and provide an easy-to-change solution to making your flower beds bright and beautiful. They allow you to select different flowers from one year or season to the next. They are very helpful when trying to fill in gaps between shrubs and perennials in an area that is sunny. Notable biennials and annuals include marigold, sunflowers, hollyhock, petunia, and cosmos.

TIP! Prepare your seeds by soaking them in a dark environment. Take 3-4 seeds, put them in a small jar or container, and cover them with water.

The kind of soil you use will influence the results. The type of plants you’re planning to grow will determine the type of soil you need, and whether the soil will or will not be adapted. For special requirements, you can build separate areas with soil that is right for certain plants.

TIP! Keep your fragile shrubs protected from the winter weather. Shrubs that are planted in containers are especially susceptible to frost and must be carefully protected.

Make sure your soil is healthy enough before you start planting anything. An inexpensive soil report can be used to adjust soil nutrients to optimum levels, which will ensure your garden thrives. A Cooperative Extension office can provide you with this service, saving you learning on your own by trial and error.

TIP! If you want an organic way to weed your garden, try “boiling” them. Boiling water is a very safe alternative to other potent herbicides.

In order for plants to grow, they must have enough CO2. Most plants grow better in higher levels of CO2. The best way to get a high level is to plant them in a greenhouse. CO2 levels are usually kept high to get the best growing situation for your plants.

TIP! Irises can be easily divided. Splitting up overgrown groups of irises will allow you to easily increase the number of irises in your garden.

When you’re out and about in the garden, particularly in the fall, keep an eye out for sink bugs. They thrive on fruits, citrus, peppers and various beans. If they are left in the garden, they can do great damage to your plants, so you should do whatever you can to eliminate them.

TIP! You can keep your dog away from your garden by spraying perfume or aftershave in the grass. This will mask the garden smell that is attracting your dog, and it will make it a less appealing place for your dog to visit.

Grow wheat or cat grass in the area around the plants that your cat is eating. Alternatively, you can try putting mothballs, citrus peel or anything else with an odor that cats find distasteful in the soil surrounding the plants.

TIP! Involve your children in gardening. 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.

Do not cut your grass too short. Higher grass has deeper roots, meaning a healthier lawn that will be less likely to dry out. If the grass is too short, it produces shallow roots and that leads to a lawn with brown spots and dried-out patches.

TIP! Make sure you have your gardening tools near you, so you can maximize your gardening efficiency. You can do this by using a bucket, or you can wear rugged pants or a gardening apron that has several pockets.

When you grow veggies in a garden, you need to ensure they get at least six hours of good sunlight each day. Many of the vegetables need a lot of sun, so they can grow right and at a faster pace. This is true for flowers as well.

Coffee Grounds

TIP! Get every last drop of value from your land. If you are looking for high returns, landscaping gets you a lot of your money back.

Coffee grounds can be used to amend soils that are high in alkaline. The coffee grounds are an inexpensive way to give some acid back to the dirt. By amending your soils, you will help your plants grow and flourish.

TIP! One way to help maintain healthy soil is to incorporate mulch into your landscape. Mulch can protect the ground it sits upon.

Prior to planting your garden, devise a plan. This will help you to remember where you planted the different plants when sprouts begin to shoot up from the ground. This can also help prevent you from losing smaller plants or smaller groups of plants within a larger garden area.

TIP! Buy a soaker hose if you plan to plant an organic garden. The water slowly seeps from these hoses and is positioned so the roots get the water, and the leaves remain dry.

For an unusual, but effective, organic solution to weeding young plants, try “boiling” the weeds away. Considering that boiling water is rather safe, you don’t have to worry about toxins in your soil or at your dinner table. Pour hot water right on the weeds, but do not get any on your plants. This can cause enough damage to the roots of any plant to kill it.

TIP! Plant trees so they can shade your home. Your home will benefit from natural shade and so will your utility bill.

The best way to start a garden is from first principles: seeds. Not only is this more of an effective method for gardening, but it’s also more environmentally-friendly. The plastic used in nurseries often end up in landfills, that is why it is advised to use seeds or purchase from nurseries that make use of organic materials when packaging their plants.

TIP! You should know how to water your plants. Purchasing a soaker hose would be a worthwhile expenditure.

Fertilize your garden. Manure is an excellent fertilizer, but it needs to be combined with a synthetic compost to stop diseases from infecting your plants. You must be sure to use some kind of fertilizer. There are many different combinations available for different uses.

TIP! You can mix raked leaves with the soil in your garden to make a great organic compost. Leaves decompose, therefore creating an organic compost that is very healthy and nutrient rich for your plants.

Make the most of the time spent in your garden. Don’t waste your time looking for missing tools. By keeping your tools in a certain area, they will always be ready whenever you are. Get yourself a tool belt, or wear pants with many pockets.

TIP! Make use of rainwater. Trap rainwater in rain barrels, buckets or anything else that you have to use to water your garden.

Don’t underestimate pine as a great mulch. Some garden plants have a higher acidity, and prefer a more acidic soil. If you have acid loving plants, use pine needles as a mulch. Cover up your beds with a few inches of needles. As they start to decompose, they’ll spread out acid onto the ground and soil.

Laundry Basket

TIP! Mulching may be one of the best things that you can do for your garden. It also lessens the rate of evaporation of the water in the soil and helps keep the weeds at bay.

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. When you put your produce in a basket, you can then rinse it off and let it strain any excess water through the laundry basket holes.

TIP! You can use a mix of water and ammonia and spray them on snails. You won’t hurt your plants with ammonia, and it will actually be converted into nitrogen that is beneficial later.

Every year, you should plant different things and in different places. When similar plants are planted in pretty much the same spot every single year, this can cause fungal and disease growth. The problems leech into the soil, staying there for the next year’s crop. Changing your planting layout will allow you to avoid costly problems and have large, bountiful plants.

Organic Garden

TIP! Certain annual plants are more suitable for growing in colder months than others are. These types of pants can tend to get leggy, so always check to see if they need pruning.

Now you know a bit more about what you are doing in starting an organic garden. You should be well on your way to be an expert in organic gardening. You can grow an organic garden, now that you have the right tips and information.

Tips To Make Your Garden More Beautiful

~ craigb

Organic gardening can either be a major headache, or a very relaxing hobby. Use the tips presented here to make the most out of your earth friendly organic garden.

TIP! Apply organic mulch generously around your vegetable plants. Mulch helps the soil surrounding the plants remain moister for a longer time.

Plant a variety of flowers to keep your flower garden colorful and interesting. Annuals and biennials can add excitement and interest to your flower garden every season. These biennials and annuals are fast-growing, and they allow you to brighten up your flower bed with a change for each season. They are very helpful when trying to fill in gaps between shrubs and perennials in an area that is sunny. Some flowers you can use are rudbekia, petunias, cosmos, marigolds, or sunflowers.

TIP! Think about berry-producing trees that are green year round for your garden. These plants will look good year-round, even during the winter, when your other plants have lost their bloom.

For the right results, get the right type of soil. Your soil may not be correct, but it depends on what sorts of plants you want to grow. You could also isolate a certain area, and fill it with just one kind of soil.

TIP! If you are growing a vegetable garden, you may find that pests can be difficult to control. It is important not to use harmful chemical agents, because you are growing produce that is intended to be eaten.

Before actually putting plants into your garden, check the type and compostion of your soil. A soil analysis is inexpensive and can be used to figure out which nutrients should be added to provide a healthy garden environment. It is worth having this information so that crops do not get ruined. Most Cooperative Extension offices provide this service.

TIP! Gardening is an excellent relaxation tactic. Many hobbies can help you to relax and attain inner peace.

Both cat grass and wheat grass are good for giving your errant feline pause. You could also place something that will cause your cat to go away from your plants, such as citrus peels or mothballs.

TIP! Get your kids to help you grow your organic garden. Gardening is a great way for children to learn, and it gives you two a chance to spend some quality time together and produce healthy food.

Protect your deciduous shrubs which are tender. Any potted shrubs should be sheltered in the winter from cold weather. Tie together the tops. Once the canes are snugly together, put a sheet over the wigwam. This method is much better than wrapping the plant in plastic, as it allows air to circulate, which can prevent rotting.

TIP! Cover your muddy shoes with plastic bags. Doing this prevents lengthy work interruptions, and allows you to finish the job quickly.

To help young plants, try pouring boiling water on top of nearby weeds. The safest herbicide that you can probably find is a cup of boiling water. Just douse the weeds directly with boiling water, taking care to avoid damaging nearby plants. Boiling water damages the weed roots and will inhibit future growth.

TIP! Put coffee ground into your soil. Coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen, an essential nutrient for plant growth.

Learn the proper way to handle chemicals, and the right way to use garden tools. If you fail to follow the directions, you expose yourself to safety hazards or a risk of experiencing adverse reactions. Keep yourself safe by carefully following all instructions.

TIP! Don’t let your organic gardening tasks stack up for very long. Even if you end up being too busy to do garden chores every day, do small tasks that will help you avoid having to do large tasks when you finally do have time.

Aid them by dumping any leftover water from steaming vegetables over them. Try adding used coffee grounds to the soil around plants that grow in acidic soil. If your garden has a fungus problem, a highly effective treatment method is to sprinkle it with chamomile tea.

TIP! Try to avoid over-watering your plants. Too much water will make it more difficult for the plants to absorb the nutrients they need from the soil.

When planting anything, think about planting for color so that you have something to enjoy in the fall. That doesn’t have to be, however. When it comes to brightly colored foliage, fall is an amazing time of year. There are many variations in leaf color with different varieties of Maple, Beech and Dogwood trees that can give you lively yellows and deep crimsons. Shrubs such as cotoneaster, hydrangea, and barberry will also provide a splash of color in the fall.

TIP! Using organic produce from organic gardens which are free of pesticides is a great benefit. This is great for the health of your family, but you will still have to regularly check your plants for bugs and pests.

You can create a great English garden by mixing types and sizes in one bed. If you use plants of similar heights, the result will be pretty boring and uniform.

TIP! Garlic is an excellent choice to grow organically. Garlic cloves may be planted in soil with good drainage in either the spring or fall.

Try to put an aspirin in the water to get rid of plant diseases. An aspirin and a half, combined with a couple of gallons of water, will do amazing things for your plants. You simply have to spray the solution on your plants to assist them in warding off diseases. The process can be repeated every three weeks or so.

TIP! Try using botanical insecticides to help rid your garden of pests, without using chemicals. In some cases, natural solutions are much more efficient than the chemicals you can buy.

To make the most of your time in the garden, you should store all of your tools and implements in a close, accessible location. Carry your tools in a bucket, or keep them in the pockets of a pair of rugged pants. You should be able to do your garden work quickly if you keep a trowel, gloves, small pruning shears, and other handy devices close to you.

Coffee Grounds

TIP! Want to make organic gardening less complicated? Select native specimens for your landscape design. Native plants will thrive in your soil type and climate, without the need for inorganic fertilizers or pesticides.

Coffee grounds are good for your soil. Coffee grounds have a lot of nutrients that plants can use. A strong nitrogen source in your garden area is a wonderful way to have healthy and strong plants.

TIP! Turn your organic garden into a shade garden. Shade gardens do not require a lot of maintenance, which is very appealing to most people.

When the time has come to gather up the produce, you need to use an old laundry basket. This will be like a strainer for all your produce. You can rinse your produce off while it is in the basket, and the excess water will strain through the holes of your laundry basket.

TIP! Be specific about what you would like to grow in your organic garden. There are certain types of vegetables and flowers that may not do well in a particular environment, whereas others will flourish.

Would you like to kill those obnoxious weeds naturally? Use a lot of layers of newspaper in order to achieve weed control. Weeds must have sunlight in order to grow. They will suffocate and die if you cover them with newpapers. Newsprint also breaks down well, incorporating itself into the compost. Use mulch on the top in order to make everything look attractive.

TIP! 3″ or more of organic material is recommended for mulching trees and flowers. This method will save you money by conserving water and is good for the environment, too.

As this article has demonstrated, organic horticulture is more complex than some may think. Getting your organic garden to produce rich results requires much effort and patience, but you will find the end results quite worth it. The next time you are working in your garden, use the advice from this article to grow things without the use of harsh chemicals.

A Must Read If You Are You Ready To Garden

~ craigb

TIP! Gradually acclimate plants to temperature changes and conditions, if you want to avoid shocking them. Start by placing your plants outside for a few hours only.

Horticulture lets you grow beautiful flowers and fresh vegetables just outside your door. Nothing is better than fresh tomatoes on your salad or a salad that is totally comprised of what you’ve grown. A wide variety of information is available online, in magazines and in gardening books to help you grow a healthy, luscious garden.

TIP! Make garden tools do double duty as handy makeshift rulers. Larger handled tools like rakes, hoes, and shovels make great measuring sticks.

To prevent shocking your plants, you must gradually introduce new temperatures and other conditions to them. Leave them outside in sunlight for a couple of hours on the initial day. Gradually increase the the time they spend outside over a one week period. By the time the week ends, your plants will be ready for their big move and should have no problems!

Choose plants that will give you the most yield at harvest time. In many cases, a disease-resistant or cold-tolerant hybrid will produce a higher yield than a traditional variety.

Flower Bed

TIP! Keep your plants dry and aerated daily. Moisture on the surfaces of your plants is an invitation to pests and illness.

Plant a variety of flowers to keep your flower garden colorful and interesting. Annuals and biennials can add excitement and interest to your flower garden every season. Biennials and annuals that grow quickly can add color to a flower bed, plus they permit you to modify the way the flower bed looks each season and each year. Use them to fill gaps between shrubs and perennials in the sun. Some excellent choices include rudbeckia, hollyhock, sunflower, cosmos, petunia and marigold.

TIP! Mint is a very tasty herb that has a tendency to run wild in the garden if not kept in check. Stunt their growth a little by planting your mint into a garden container or large pot instead.

Before planting seeds, soak them overnight. Place them in a cupboard or other place where they won’t be exposed to light. Put some seeds (a small amount) in a container that isn’t too large for the plant you’ll be growing. Fill that container with water, almost to the top. This will allow seeds to be watered and they will get a kick start when growing. This gives the seeds a better chance of flourishing.

TIP! All of your vegetable plants should have approximately two inches, just outside the stem, of organic mulch placed around them. Mulch helps the soil surrounding the plants remain moister for a longer time.

Plant some wheat grass or cat grass near where you car tends to nibble in your garden. You can put something over the soil which surrounds the plants which has a bad smell to cats to deter them.

Knee Pads

TIP! Try to pour a bit of leftover water from your steamed veggies on them. Add coffee grounds or tea leaves to the soil of acid-loving plants like rhododendron and gardenia.

If your plants do not grown very tall, try buying some knee pads used for gardening. Long hours spent in the garden will wreak havoc on your knees. Pick up a good pair of horticulture knee pads to help cushion your knees.

TIP! Don’t count the fall season out. That doesn’t have to be way it is though! The fall season is probably the most colorful of the year in terms of foliage.

Apply organic mulch generously around your vegetable plants. When you place mulch around your plants, it keeps the ground more moist. This is also efficient in preventing weeds from growing. Time and effort will be saved pulling out all the weeds.

Garden Pests

TIP! Organic gardening is a safe hobby to share with your children. Gardens are terrific teaching tools for kids, and provide great opportunities for interaction, growth, and instruction on healthy living.

Don’t use pesticides that aren’t meant to kill specific types of garden pests. These pesticides will kill every type of pest in your garden, including beneficial bugs that eat garden pests. Good bugs are often more sensitive to pesticides than their bad counterparts, so if the population of good bugs goes down, the pest problem can grow. This can lead to needing even more pesticides to eliminate the problem insects.

TIP! When growing plants inside of the house, you should ensure the thermostat is set at around 65-75 degrees in the daytime. It is important for them to be kept in this temperature range if they are to grow properly.

In order to bring in good insects to your garden, you need to plant heather. Heather is great for getting bees to stop by at the beginning of spring, as heather plants have nectar available early in the season. If your heather bed is undisturbed, as it would be in nature, many beneficial insects will make it their home. With this knowledge at hand, it is in your best interest to wear gloves when tending the heather.

TIP! Think about using all-natural botanical insecticides in your organic garden; they are very handy when it comes to getting rid of harmful pests. Oftentimes, natural insecticides work better than synthetically produced pesticides.

Asprin will actually help your plants out by killing diseases. Your plants can benefit from a solution you can make by dissolving one and one-half aspirins into a couple of gallons of water. You can just spray this on them to fight disease. Try to apply the mixture to the plants at least once in each three week period.

TIP! For the best results when mulching, you should aim to create a bed of mulch two to three inches thick. Doing this will nourish the soil in your garden and improve its ability to retain moisture.

Try not to let the chores associated to your organic garden build up. Sometimes it might prove difficult to get in a little horticulture time every day. However, you shouldn’t fret, as there are a few things you can do that can minimize the time you spend gardening when you do manage to get to it. For example, if your family is cooking out on the grill, you could clear a few bunches of weeds between checking on the burgers.

Laundry Basket

TIP! You have heard a lot about the uses of compost, but you may not know how it is produced. It is made of things such as wood chips, lawn cuttings, fallen leaves, bits of produce, straw and other yard waste that has started to decompose.

An old laundry basket works great for gathering produce from your garden. An old basket will act like a strainer does. The produce can be rinsed off as it sits in the laundry basket, and extra water will drain out through the sides.

TIP! Be sure to know when and how to water the plants in your organic garden. Utilizing a soaker hose can provide much needed help.

As a good general practice, you should make sure to plant your seeds three seed-widths deep into their containers. However, some seeds do not need to be covered, they need the sunlight. These seeds include petunias and ageratum. If you are not sure whether your seeds need to be exposed to sunlight, resources are usually provided with the seeds or can be found online.

TIP! Adequate mulch in your garden does a lot to cut down on water use. A thick layer of mulch will mean you have to water the plants less often.

The simple beer trap is still one of the best methods of ridding your organic garden of slugs. Dig a hole the size of a glass jar, and bury the jar with the top at ground level. Pour beer into the jar until it is an inch from the top. The slugs will be attracted to the beer and will end up being trapped within the confines of the jar.

TIP! Start brand new plants by using cuttings from existing plant roots. Cut the roots in winter, as this is when they are usually dormant.

Gardening is a relaxing hobby that will produce delicious vegetables and sweet fruit. Preparing fresh, healthy meals using what you have grown can be a very satisfying experience. Apply these guidelines in order to get the most out of gardening.

Spruce Up Your Garden With These Helpful Tips.

~ craigb

TIP! Insects and various garden pests can be avoided by making your soil healthy. If you have healthy looking plants, they are stronger and more resistant to diseases and bugs.

A lot of people feel gardening is difficult to do, but it can be easy if you are aware of what to do. With the right advice, anybody can become an award-winning gardener. This article will present you with all the advice you’ll need to become an expert gardener.

TIP! Let your new seeds soak in a dark spot overnight. Put some seeds in a container and fill the container to the brim with water.

Plant a variety of flowers to keep your flower garden colorful and interesting. Annuals and biennials can add excitement and interest to your flower garden every season. You can use biennial and annual flowers to brighten the bed, and let you change how it looks. You can fill any spaces between shrubs and perennials when they are in the sun. Some of these that you might consider are petunias, marigolds and sunflowers. If those are not flowers you like, you can also try cosmos, holyhocks or rudbeckias.

TIP! Make sure you protect any tender deciduous shrubs. If you have some tender shrubs that are in planters, you need to protect them from cold weather.

Transfer your favorite plants indoors to rescue them from the winter frosts. This is especially useful if you have a particular plant that you love or was expensive. Carefully dig up the plants, using caution not to disturb the roots, then transfer into a pot.

TIP! Keep your garden fertilized. Manure is very effective in helping plants grow, although it is important to use a commercially composted product to minimize the risk of pathogens.

Try to have a plan with your garden. That way, if you see your plants beginning to bud but can’t recall what they are, you can refer back to your plan to refresh your memory. In addition, some plants are so small you might forget you planted them once all your plants sprout. Planning stops these plants from getting lost in the crowd.

Knee Pads

TIP! Two items you need to invest in when working in a garden are a wheelbarrow, and a kneeling stool. Spending too much time on the ground working can be quite hard on your knees, and a gardening stool can help alleviate this, plus make things more comfortable for you.

If your plants do not grown very tall, try buying some knee pads used for gardening. Spending lots of time on your knees while horticulture can injure them and create lasting pain. Using a pair of quality knee pads designed for horticulture can provide your knees with cushioning and support, preventing any discomfort.

TIP! During the hotter parts of the day, vegetables are softer, which means even picking them gently can cause them damage. You should also be sure to cut them off the vine and not twist them, as twisting can hurt the plant.

Think about using evergreens in your yard that produce berries during the year. These will help give your garden a burst of color, even in the winter months when most other vegetation has lost their colors. Some examples include Holly, Snowberry trees, Winterberry and similar plants.

TIP! Water containing some aspirin helps your plants fight illness. One and one half aspirin crushed and added to a two gallon container of water will be a great help for your plants.

For visual interest, make one plant a focal point of your garden. Any great garden design involves using a focal point to grab someone’s attention and keep it there. Mostly it is a distinctive plant that sets it apart from the neighboring plants and flowers.

TIP! If you have a cut, be careful about exposing it to soil or gardening chemicals. It is possible for a cut to become extremely infected if it comes into contact with dirt and grime while gardening.

Using aspirin water will help your plants fight diseases. Your plants can benefit from a solution you can make by dissolving one and one-half aspirins into a couple of gallons of water. You can simply spray them with the mixture to help aid them in fighting off diseases. Your plants should be sprayed one time each three weeks.

TIP! To keep your houseplants happy during the day, your thermostat should be set anywhere between 65 and 75 degrees. Your plants will not grow well if it is too cold.

Make sure you have your gardening tools near you, so you can maximize your gardening efficiency. Use a large bucket, or wear rugged pants with several pockets. Have gloves, small shears, a trowel and any other tools you may need on hand to make it simpler to maintain your garden.

TIP! Make sure you have some plastic bags around so that you can cover any muddy gardening shoes you have. This allows you to maintain your flow so you can rapidly get back to your gardening.

You should utilize around three inches of mulch that is organic in your flower beds. Doing this keeps weeds down, keeps the moisture in your plants, and gives more nutrients to the plants. A layer of mulch also creates a more attractive appearance.

Pine Needles

TIP! If you have recently planted seeds in your organic garden, you should regularly aerate the soil by using your hands to gently sift it. Even though it sounds strange, it will help plants get bigger.

Pine needles make a great organic mulch. There are many types of plants with a high acidity, which means they thrive in acidic soil. Use pine needles to increase the acid level in your soil if you have plants that require higher acid. Go ahead and cover the beds you have with needles a couple of inches and while they decompose, they actually disperse some acid into the soil.

TIP! You should use wood that is untreated, brick or stone when building the raised bed. If you choose to use wood, see to it that it’s untreated and that it can resist rotting.

When planting your organic garden, spacing is an important thing to keep in mind. Many people don’t realize exactly how much space a plant needs when it grows. Plants need room for physical growth and for the air to circulate within the soil. Because of this, you should always take the time to ensure that there’s enough distance between all your seeds.

TIP! Over-watering your plants is not healthy because too much water may inhibit the roots from getting nutrients out of the soil. Check the weather for the next couple of days to see if you actually need to water your plants.

When maintaining your organic garden, try lightly petting your seedlings — either with the palm of your hand or something like a sheet of cardboard — once or twice each day. Believe it or not, aerating the soil in this manner can actually make your seedlings grow larger.

TIP! Organic material that is a minimum of three inches deep should be used as mulch within your garden. You will ensure your garden will be nourished by keeping moisture inside the soil, thus creating a neater appearance of your garden, and repelling weed growth.

Add mulch to keep your soil healthy. Mulch will protect and nourish the soil. It keeps the soil cool on very hot days, thus protecting the roots in the ground. This retains moisture for extended periods by reducing the rate at which water evaporates. As an added bonus, weed growth will be stunted.

TIP! Before you start your garden, learn how to properly construct garden beds. Start off by getting under the grass using a spade.

The mulch in your organic flowerbeds should be made of organic material and be no shallower than three inches. The mulch retains moisture, enriches the soil, and prevents weeds from growing. Mulch also makes your garden appear neat and well cared for.

TIP! When it’s time to dig a hole for a shrub or a tree in an organic garden, make the hole super ugly-looking. If you see that the sides of the hole appear shiny, you’ve probably packed the dirt to tight, which can interfere with the roots.

Know what you can and cannot use in your organic garden. Instead of fertilizers with caustic ingredients and potentially harmful chemicals, opt for all-natural or organically grown products. One easy method is to use compost. If you choose to go organic, you have less of a chance that there will be chemical, toxic buildups in your soil and water.

TIP! Go ahead and make your own compost so you have access to your own fertilizer in your garden. One entertaining method of doing this is to start a worm composting bin.

As you read before, becoming a great gardener is not as difficult as it seems. If you apply the tips from this article you’ll be able to be confident in knowing that you’ve got all the information you need to guarantee your garden will grow!