require sunlight

Excellent Advice For The Beginning Organic Gardener

~ craigb

TIP! If you have a wall or fence that you do not like, plant climbers to mask its appearance. Climbing plants can cover a wall after one growing season only.

When you garden, you can grow delicious vegetables and fruits in your backyard; this gives you plenty of dietary options for the future. There’s nothing quite like going outside and grabbing some toppings for your salad, or better yet the whole salad. This article will give you some great gardening tips to help you make the most of your garden.

TIP! Bring some plants into your home to protect them against winter weather. You may want to save the most beautiful or expensive ones.

Try using annuals and biennials to add color to your flower beds, and brighten them up. These fast growth plants make flower beds vibrant, and they let you alter the appearance seasonally and annually. You can use them between the gaps in shrubs and perennials where there is plenty of sun. Some plants to get you started include petunia, marigold, sunflower, rudbekcia, and cosmos.

TIP! Make sure your soil is healthy enough before you start planting anything. Consider getting a soil analysis and working on enrichment techniques for giving your garden a vibrant and healthy environment.

Seeds should be soaked in a dark area overnight. 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. That way, the seeds will have sufficient hydration and will have the best start possible. Your seeds will then have the best chance possible to survive to maturity.

TIP! Plants all need a good supply of C02 to grow properly! Plants are more likely to thrive in environments where high levels of CO2 are present. Greenhouses provide the best levels of CO2 for plants.

You can use natural materials or other plants in your garden to keep away pests. Forming a border around your vegetable garden with marigolds or onions are ideal for repelling slugs. Insects also avoid shrubs and trees that are mulched with wood ash. When done naturally, there is no need for pesticides with harsh, and sometimes dangerous, chemicals

Kneeling Stool

TIP! Fill your garden with bulbs if you want to enjoy beautiful flowers through the spring and into summer. Bulbs are hardy, easy to grow into flowers, and will blossom for several years.

Invest in a kneeling stool, and a wheelbarrow to work in the garden. Horticulture can be very tough on your knees, so a kneeling stool that is ergonomic and lightweight can make things much more comfortable and enjoyable. There is also a lot of heavy lifting involved with gardening, so a good wheelbarrow is a great tool to have around.

TIP! Fertilize your garden. Manure is a great garden additive, but it is important that you choose a manure that has been composted commercially so that there is less of a risk of pathogens.

Plan your garden, and plant with fall colors in mind. That doesn’t have to be way it is though! When it comes to vivid foliage, autumn offers the best opportunity to view it. 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. Also, when considering shrubs, try using cotoneaster, hydrangea, or barberry.

TIP! Broad-spectrum pesticide is not a good garden choice. Broad-spectrum pesticides not only kill pests, but also “good” bugs like ground beetles that eat pests.

If you know that you’ll be in the garden for an extended period of time, protect yourself from the sun with proper attire. Sunglasses, a nice shady hat, and sunscreen are very helpful. When you keep your eyes and skin properly protected, you are less likely to get a sunburn. You also lower your risk in developing cancer of the skin.

TIP! Take advantage of gardening as a means to unwind. You can relax and be at peace in many different ways.

To make an interesting English garden, mix various plants and plant heights in the same bed. Plants that grow to be the same height end up uniform and flat looking.

TIP! One particular plant should be the focal point of your garden. To create an attractive garden design, arrange a focal point to draw attention.

Strawberries are a good organic garden choice for families with strawberries, particularly everbearing strawberries. Little ones will be more likely to help when they can enjoy the fun of harvesting their own fruit.

TIP! Allow your children to assist with the work to be done in your organic garden. A garden can teach your children about the joy of rewarding work and nutrition while bonding.

Organic indoor plants may need additional light sources to make up for the light they miss out on by being indoors. This needs to be considered. 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. Otherwise, you could simply use your own lights.

TIP! There should be no rush when you are planting a seed. You should start by moisturizing the soil.

Before planting any perennials, you have to make the ground ready. Use your spade to slice chunks of turf up, then flip each piece over, and spread wood chips on top to a depth of four inches. Let the area sit for a couple weeks, then begin digging into it and planting your new perennials.

TIP! Make sure you work in your garden every day. Keep all of your tools together; do not waste time looking for them! Before you make a trip to your garden, you should gather all tools and items in advance.

When you sow seeds in your garden, try not to rush the process. You need to start by adding moisture to the soil. You should then spread the seeds evenly, and make sure they have room to grow. Look at how big the seeds are, multiply that by three, and plant them down into the earth accordingly. There are some varieties of seed that are not planted underground since they require light to grow.

Laundry Basket

TIP! Use an aged laundry basket when you want to collect your produce. 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.

Use an old laundry basket to bring your fresh produce in from the garden. The laundry basket can be used as a colander for your produce. Rinse the produce while it sits in the basket, the extra water will go through the holes in the basket.

TIP! Your compost pile should contain green plant materials and dry plant materials. Green plant material includes grass clippings, spent flowers, vegetable and fruit waste, weeds and leaves.

Do you want to kill weeds in a natural way? A good thick layer of newspaper can be laid down to control weeds. Weeds require sunlight to grow. With layers of newspaper on them, the weeds are not going to have light, and therefore will not grow. Newspapers also decompose fairly quickly, and mix with your garden soil. Cover the newspaper with a thick layer of mulch for a more attractive look.

TIP! Take care not to overwater your plants, as this can prevent the roots from drawing the proper amount of nutrients out of the soil. Check the weather for the next couple of days to see if you actually need to water your plants.

A rule of thumb followed by many planters is to bury the seeds in soil to a depth of around three times the diameter of the actual seed. There are some seeds, however, that you should not cover at all, since they need sunlight to germinate. Petunias and ageratum are two examples of seeds that require sunlight. Read the instructions that came with the seeds, and do some research on the Internet to find out the sunlight that your seeds need.

TIP! Water your organic garden using a soaker hose. This will allow the water to seep slowly into the soil straight to the plant’s roots.

As mentioned earlier, the art of horticulture means that your dining table can have fresh and tasty vegetables and fruits, that you grow in your own garden. The vegetables and fruits that you pick will add your own unique flavor to the dishes in which they are used. Gardening should be a fun, relaxing and enjoyable hobby that you can share with others.

Tips And Tricks On How To Achieve A Good Organic Garden

~ craigb

TIP! Put sod down the right way. Before you use sod, you need to prepare the soil.

Do your research in order to be better informed about gardening. You could use all of your time to find useful horticulture information, but then you wouldn’t get much gardening done. Fortunately, in this article, you will get all the smart tips you need in order to begin. Read these tips, and pay close attention.

TIP! Shoveling clay soil is tiresome since clay is hard, and it can also stick to your shovel for twice the difficulty. Take the hard work out of using a shovel in clay soil by rubbing a light coat of car or floor wax over the surface with a clean cloth and buff the surface.

Make sure to lay the sod properly. Before laying sod, you have to make sure the soil is accurately prepared. Pull all the weeds and loosen the soil so the new roots can take easily. Next, you want to make the soil compacted by applying light but firm pressure. Make sure the soil creates a flat surface. Thoroughly moisten the soil. Then lay the sod in staggered rows so the joints are offset. You want the sod to end up as a flat and even surface. If there are any gaps in between the sod pieces, then you can fill these in with some soil. Sod must be watered every day for about two weeks, and then it will have rooted and be completely ready to be walked on.

TIP! Climbing plants and vines are great for covering fences and wall structures. Plants that grow as climbers are quite versatile, helping you hide ugly walls or fences, many times within only one season of growth.

Shoveling clay soil is tiresome since clay is hard, and it can also stick to your shovel for twice the difficulty. To ease the digging, apply some car wax or floor wax to the head of the shovel and buff. The wax prevents the clay from sticking to the shovel, and stops rust from forming.

TIP! Make sure your soil is healthy enough before you start planting anything. You can obtain a soil analysis for a nominal fee.

Climbing plants make a strong addition to walls, fences or other free-standing structures. Climbers have many different uses and spread quickly. They also have been known to grow through existing trees or shrubs, or can be easily taught to cover any size arbor. Some must be tied to supports, but some climbers use twining stems or tendrils and attach themselves to those surfaces. Trusted variations of climbers are honeysuckle, jasmine, clematis, wisteria and climbing roses.

TIP! Make sure to pre-soak seeds, preferably in a dark location. Put a few seeds in a small container and fill it near to the top with water.

CO2 is essential for growth. Most plants grow better in higher levels of CO2. A greenhouse has the best levels available. Here the CO2 can be increased, as it cannot be outdoors, and can give your plants the best conditions for rapid growth.

TIP! It is a good idea to invest in a good pair of knee pads, made specifically for gardening. They can be very helpful when working close to the ground on low-growth plants.

When you mow your lawn, do not mow it close to the ground. If you leave more height to your grass, the roots will grow deeper into the soil, making the lawn stronger and more resistant to drying out. The shorter the grass, the shallower the roots, which makes the lawn more likely to develop brown patches.

Coffee Grounds

TIP! You should think about adding evergreen plants that yield berries into your yard space. These types of trees can offer your garden a splash of color, especially during the winter when all other plants and trees have lost their hues.

One way to correct your soil’s alkalinity is by amending your soil with used coffee grounds. Coffee grounds are an inexpensive way to increase the acid level in your soil. This can help your veggies and greens look more vibrant and taste better!

TIP! Learn the best harvesting time for each kind of vegetable you plant. Different vegetables and fruits have their ideal seasons and months where they flourish, survive, and are harvested at the highest quality.

If you are planning on growing peas, begin the plantings inside instead of outside. Pea seeds tend to germinate much better when planted indoors, before being moved to an outside garden. This method also results in hardier seedlings that can better resist insects and disease. When your plants are sturdy, move them outdoors.

TIP! To defend your garden from errant dogs, spray something with a strong scent, including aftershave or old perfume around the perimeter of the garden. By masking the smells he may be attracted to, he should take less interest in the garden plants.

If you are horticulture 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. Directions, especially safety rules, are there for your own good, so make sure you follow instructions on your tools and chemicals to the letter.

TIP! If you are gardening with a cut, make sure that you adequately protect it from dirt and chemicals. A cut will likely become infected if it is exposed to dirt when gardening.

If you have a vegetable garden, one of your main enemies is garden pests. Do not spray harsh chemicals on the vegetables you are going to eat. Instead of resorting to these harmful chemicals, you can keep garden pests at bay simply by paying close attention. By noticing them at an early stage, you can simply pluck them away from your plants with your fingers.

TIP! Make sure you have your gardening tools near you, so you can maximize your gardening efficiency. You can make use of a bucket, or wear pants that have plenty of pockets.

Is there a natural way to kill weeds? You should layer some newspaper to get weeds under control. Weeds can’t grow without sunlight. They will suffocate and die if you cover them with newpapers. It’s easy for newspapers to break down over an extended period of time, making them great for compost. Covering the newspaper with mulch will help your garden to be more pleasing to the eye.

Require Sunlight

TIP! When it is harvest time, use a laundry basket. The basket strains the produce as well as stores it while you are going through your garden.

When planting seeds you should cover them with fine soil. Determine its depth by looking at the seed’s size and multiplying it by three. Certain seeds are an exception to that rule, since they require sunlight to germinate, so they should be barely covered or not at all. Petunias and ageratum are two examples of seeds that require sunlight. If you don’t know whether your seeds require sun exposure, check the seed package or search online for the information.

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

Slugs are a nuisance that can be easily remedied with the use of an organic beer tramp. Bury a single glass jar with the open mouth level with your soil in the garden. Fill that with beer just under an inch from the top of your jar. Slugs are attracted to the beer and become trapped in the container.

TIP! Mulch your garden to keep the soil nourished. The right amount of mulch in a garden also works to protect the soil underneath.

Plant your own garlic with organic methods. Wait until early spring or the fall to plant cloves in a moist soil. Plant your garlic cloves around 1-2 inches into the ground, making sure the end is pointed up and they are four inches from each other. Green garlic shoots can be cut as they grow, and used in place of chives or scallions. When your garlic tops are turning brown in color, they are ready to be dug. Dry the bulbs well in the sun for several days to harden the skin. They can be stored in a cool area, either loose or tied in bunches.

TIP! Rotating plots of garden has been done for centuries, and there is good reason for that! 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. The fungus and bacteria will stay in the ground a whole year and attack your plants when the time is right.

Gardening can be a very rewarding experience. Your horticulture skills can improve if you have the right advice. Use all the information available to you. Use this article’s tips and you’ll get a great garden.

Horticulture Hints For People Who Are Intimidated By It

~ craigb

TIP! Properly lay your sod. Be sure to get your soil prepared before you start laying the new sod.

Most individuals think that gardening is tough. This is untrue if you know the right things to do. Having the right information could help anyone and everyone become the master of gardening. These tips will enable you to be more proficient at gardening.

TIP! Give your flower beds a boost by introducing annuals and biennials. These fast growing flowers let you change how your flower bed looks season to season.

Clay is difficult to dig through with a shovel, as it is sticky and compact. Get better results in clay by rubbing car wax or floor wax onto the shovel, then buff off and dig. The clay easily slides off the surface while keeping the end from getting rusty.

TIP! When fall has arrived, it is time to plant the edibles for the autumn. A hollowed out pumpkin can become a festive container for kale and lettuce.

Your tool handles can easily be used as handy rulers. You can use larger tools, like rakes, as measuring sticks. Lay the tools down on the floor, then place a measuring tape along the handle. Mark your distances with a permanent marker. Now you will always possess a large ruler ready for your use in the garden.

TIP! Plan your garden before you plant it. Use this to remind you where certain things were planted, later when they start sprouting.

Bulbs planted in the spring can flower all the way into summer. Most bulbs are extremely hearty and grow easily. They also come back year after year. Different bulbs bloom at various times, so choosing appropriately, you may have blooms early spring to later summer.

Coffee Grounds

TIP! Don’t use pesticides that aren’t meant to kill specific types of garden pests. If your pesticide has too wide a range of targets, it can kill off useful insects that fight off other pests.

Sometimes the soil you want to use for your garden has a high alkaline content. Combine coffee grounds with the soil to reduce this. Coffee grounds are an affordable means of adding acid to the soil so that it is pH-balanced. You will notice that your vegetables and greens will have a stronger taste.

TIP! Include your children in your efforts to organic gardening. A garden can teach your children about the joy of rewarding work and nutrition while bonding.

If you are looking for an all-natural, organic way to weed your garden, consider “boiling off” the weeds. A pot full of boiling water is an effective herbicide, yet it is, chemically speaking, completely harmless. Just pour out the water on the weeds being careful to avoid any nearby plants. What this does it essentially kill the weeds by damaging their roots. The result is that those weeds are unlikely to regrow.

TIP! To be more efficient when working in your organic garden, have your tools close at hand. Put them into a basket you carry with you, or use an apron with many pockets and hanging loops.

Keep your plants dry and aerated daily. Many diseases, as well as most parasites, prefer moisture. Fungus is a common problem when plants are allowed to remain damp. It is possible to control fungi with sprays, but the key is to treat your garden before any problems arise.

TIP! For some plants, pine needles makes an ideal mulch. Some plants like acidic soil because they have high acidity.

To grow peas, try growing them indoors first, instead of outside. Seeds will always germinate much better when you first plant them indoors initially. Seedlings raised indoors are hardier, too; they can stand up better to diseases and insects. Once the seedlings are sturdy enough, they can be transplanted to their rightful place in the garden.

TIP! 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.

To ensure a healthy garden, make sure you surround your plants with a few inches of good organic mulch. Mulch helps the soil surrounding the plants remain moister for a longer time. It will also dramatically decrease weed growth. This will save you time, money, and effort in your lovely garden.

TIP! If you need to prove to customers that your produce is legitimately organic, you can become certified as an organic grower. This will increase sales and shows your customers they’ve been buying from the best.

Vegetables tend to soften during the hottest part of the day, which means they are easily damaged, even when handled with care. You can also protect both your vegetables and the plant they grow on by cutting them off instead of twisting them off.

TIP! Any type of gardening can be a fun hobby because it brings you closer to the earth, but creating an organic garden is really good at this. Organic gardening is an excellent lesson in the plant life cycle and how to get the most from the planting process.

An English garden mixes plants of various kinds and sizes close together, which helps to give it a more multi-dimensional feel. If plants have the same growth height, the bed will appear flat and not have much interest.

TIP! Get to the root of the matter! Tomato seedlings with green starts and poor root systems are something to watch out for. Look carefully at these before purchasing them for your garden.

Plant your seeds carefully, taking your time. First, add moisture to the soil where you will be planting. Then, distribute the seeds evenly, and see to it that they have space to grow. Bury them 3 times as deep in relation to the seed’s size. There are some varieties of seed that are not planted underground since they require light to grow.

Flower Beds

TIP! Plant your organic garden in the shade. Shade gardens do not take a lot of work, people love to hear this! Because they are shaded, they require less watering, saving you a lot of time and labor.

Cover your flower beds with two or three inches of compost or organic mulch. This will discourage weeds from growing, add nutrients, and retain the moisture in your garden. This also gives your flower beds a more aesthetic aspect.

TIP! Dig a large hole in the organic garden when you want to plant a shrub or tree. If the hole has surfaces smoothed by the shovel, it may prove difficult for the roots to penetrate through the soil.

For container planting, be sure to plant your seeds at a depth around three times the radius of the seed. Certain seeds are an exception to that rule, since they require sunlight to germinate, so they should be barely covered or not at all. Petunias and ageratum are two examples of seeds that require sunlight. If you are unsure about your seed’s requirements for sunlight, the resources are often provided along with the seeds, or you can find out online.

TIP! Before planting anything in the organic garden, decide exactly what you want to grow. Different varieties of plants call for different environments and climates.

Organic horticulture is more difficult than horticulture with chemicals, but you will reap a greater reward. While chemical companies may make astounding claims about their products, growing organically is the most rewarding option for you and those who consume your crops.

TIP! Weeds are very hard to get rid of in a regular garden as well as an organic garden. Fortunately, there are many organic products that can be used to kill weeds without harming the environment.

Change your garden beds every year. Planting the same type of plant in the same area of your garden each year can cause disease or encourage fungus growth. These things can get into the ground, and attack plants the next year. By mixing things up and planting in various spots, you will be able to keep disease and fungus at bay.

TIP! You have probably heard that compost is an effective fertilizer for organic gardens, but are you aware of what goes into compost? Compost is actually a mixture of grass clippings, wood-chips, leaves, produce scraps, twigs, and straw which all breaks down to “psuedo-soil”. It is much better to use this in place of chemicals and fertilizers.

As was mentioned previously, all you really need is a bit of understanding the basics to see that gardening is not as hard as it seems. Creating a beautiful garden will be a cinch for you after reading this article and following the tips provided.