Tired Of Chemicals? Grow An Organic Garden With These Tips

TIP! Use your tool handles as rulers in the garden. Tools with long handles, such as a shovel or rake, are absolutely perfect for this job, and make your workload a little bit smaller.

Taking the time to use good gardening practices really shows in the end. It shows that you care about taking care of your plants and that you want them to grow up healthy. This is an admirable thing. However, you can always find new things to learn about, and improve your skills. Read this article to become a better gardener.

TIP! Plant perennials that are slug-proof. These creatures can wreak havoc on a garden in a short time.

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. By allowing them to sprout first, you are increasing the odds of a seedling reaching maturity. This also helps tighten time between plantings. The seedlings are ready to go, once you remove the mature plants.

TIP! Having healthy soil in your garden will help your plants avoid insect pests. Healthy soil encourages vigorous plant growth and makes your garden more resistant to common diseases and insects.

Get a slug-proof variety of perennials. Slugs and snails are voracious eaters that can destroy a plant literally overnight. They’re particularly fond of perennials with smooth and thin leaves, especially if the plants are young. Some perennials are not preferred meals for snails and slugs, especially if their foliage is hairy and tough, or tastes bad. Some of the best varieties of these include achillea, campanula, euphorbia, and heuchera.

Knee Pads

TIP! Let your new seeds soak in a dark spot overnight. Drop your seeds into a small jar that is filled with cold water.

If many of the plants in your garden grow close to the ground, some horticulture knee pads will prevent pain and knee injuries. You will end up spending a good deal of time on your knees and this can cause a lot of pain by the end of the day. Having a pair of excellent knee pads for gardening can help cushion the knees to provide additional comfort.

TIP! In order to rid your garden of pests, take advantage of plant materials and other organic matter. A border of marigolds or onions around your veggies can prevent slugs.

You could try to boil weeds if you are trying to remain organic. One of the safest “herbicides” you can find is a pot of boiling water. Just pour boiling water directly on top of the weeds cautiously to avoid damaging your plants. Boiling water is not good for the weed roots and will stunt further growth.

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

Think about using evergreens in your yard that produce berries during the year. 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. Some examples include Holly, Snowberry trees, Winterberry and similar plants.

TIP! Keeping pests out of a vegetable garden can be difficult. The vegetables are intended to be eaten, thus you should refrain from using harsh pesticides and chemicals.

To keep your dog out of your garden, spray old perfume, aftershave, or other scented items in the grass around it. 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! Plant items with fall color. That doesn’t have to be it though.

Any time that you are gardening in direct sunlight, dress appropriately to prevent skin damage. Wear sunglasses, wide-brimmed hats, and sunblock. Wearing sun protection is important to help ward off the unnecessary pain of sunburn, and it will help lessen your skin cancer risk, too.

TIP! Be careful how you water your garden. Soaker hoses save time by watering all of your plants at once, rather than individually with a standard hose or watering can.

Heather is a magnet for friendly insects. Heather attracts bees, and when they come out in the spring, this provides an early nectar source. It is common to find all types of insects inside of an undisturbed heather bed. Protect yourself from being surprised by these bugs by donning gardening gloves before disturbing your heather beds.

TIP! Always dress appropriately when gardening in order to protect yourself from the harmful effects of the sun. Make sure you wear a wide brimmed hat along with sunglasses and plenty of sunscreen.

Your children will enjoy the experience of working with you in the organic garden. Growing a garden offers a unique learning experience, and you and your child can grow closer while growing healthy food for your family.

TIP! Grow heather so that you can attract useful insects. Heather is great for getting bees to stop by at the beginning of spring, as heather plants have nectar available early in the season.

Plants growing in your home need a constant temperature of no less than 65 degrees. Indoor plants grow best at these warm temperatures. You can also buy a heat lamp to maintain ideal conditions for your inside plants during the winter.

TIP! If you have a cut on your hand, take the time to make sure it is either healed or completely covered before you put your hands in the soil. A cut will likely become infected if it is exposed to dirt when gardening.

When you are working in your garden, you will want to have all of your tools in a convenient location. Don’t spend 30 minutes searching for a tool. Have all of your tools gathered and prepared for use before you work in the garden, and make sure to put them away neatly. Even something like a carpenter’s tool belt or some cargo jeans work well to keep tools organized.

Pine Needles

TIP! A good way to plant seeds is in containers. Plant them three times as deep as their overall size.

Do not overlook the benefits of pine mulch for your garden. Many types of plants thrive in soil that has high acid levels. If you have some of these plants, then pine needles are an easy way to add acid to their bed. Cover the plots with pine needles. As the pine needles decay, they’ll raise the soil’s acidity.

TIP! Every year, you should plant different things and in different places. If you keep planting the same thing in a particular area every year, it can cause a buildup of disease in the soil.

A good general rule when planting your seeds into containers is that the depth of the planting should be about three times the size of the seed. However, it is important to understand that some seeds require sunlight and should never be covered. Among the seeds meeting this definition are ageratum and petunias. If you don’t know whether your seeds require sun exposure, check the seed package or search online for the information.

Treated Wood

TIP! When deciding which plants you want to focus your organic gardening efforts on, you should be as specific as possible. You will need to cultivate specific environments for various vegetables and plants.

Use untreated stone, brick or wood to build raised beds. If you choose wood, ensure that it has not been treated with a sealant or other chemicals. Some good woods are locust, cedar and cypress. In order to avoid toxic substances from getting into the ground and perhaps into your vegetables, avoid using treated wood to enclose or demarcate different sections of your vegetable garden. If your existing garden structure contains treated wood, at least take the time to make a plastic lining beneath the soil.

TIP! Plant your landscaping trees in places that will provide shade for your home. You can get more savings on energy bills because the shade you get from the trees will cool your home naturally.

You have the tools, the products, and the skill set to apply those tips to your organic garden. This is a positive thing. Learning is a constant process, so use the insights gained here to enhance your skills in organic gardening. Hopefully, you’ve learned things that will help make your organic garden beautiful.