Want To Know About Gardening? Read On

~ craigb

TIP! Turn the handles of your garden tools into measuring rulers. Larger handled tools like rakes, hoes, and shovels make great measuring sticks.

If you want to embrace a healthier lifestyle that includes a nutritious diet, organic gardening is the way to go. It does require some effort, in order to grow, though. Are you wondering where to start?

TIP! If you want to keep your garden free of pests, start with healthy soil! If you are producing healthy plants, they will be stronger and better able to resist bugs and diseases. For the most vigorous and healthy plants, start with high-quality soil, and stay away from chemicals.

Use the handles of your tools as a handy ruler when doing your outdoor chores. You can use shovels or rakes as measuring sticks. Simply lay the handles out on the floor and run a measuring tape next to them. Mark your distances with a permanent marker. You will never find yourself looking for a ruler thanks to this simple tip.

TIP! You don’t need expensive chemicals to treat powdery mildew on plants. Combine baking soda with a small dollop of liquid soap and add it to water.

Use annuals and biennials to brighten your flower garden. 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 useful for filling gaps in between shrubs and perennials in sunny areas. Attention-getting options exist such as sunflowers and petunias.

TIP! Cover fences and walls with lots of climbers. Climbing plants are extremely versatile, helping to hide an ugly fence or wall, often within one growing season.

Pre-soak seeds overnight in a dark place. Place a small amount of seeds in a little container, while filling it to the brim with water. The water will hydrate the sends, giving them a head start once you plant them. The seeds will be better able to survive and grow up.

TIP! If you are going to be doing some gardening, watch out for stink bugs, especially in the fall! These destructive pests enjoy many kinds of fruit, as well as beans, peppers and tomatoes. If left unattended, your garden could be ravaged by these bugs, so you need to proactively keep their population under control.

As you cut your grass, do not trim it too low to the ground. If you leave a bit more height, the grass roots will get deeper, making your lawn stronger. Short grass is more prone to getting dried out and turning brown.

TIP! Make a plan for your garden. It will be easy to remember where each plant is when sprouts start to shoot up the following spring.

Garden vegetables should be planted in areas of the ground that receive a minimum of six hours of daily sunlight. Most vegetables that can be grown need that much sun to grow well and quickly. This is true for flowers as well.

TIP! Try planting berry-bearing evergreens in your yard. The evergreens will add some color to your garden or yard, especially during the winter, when other plants have died or lost color.

Aerate and dry your plants each day. Parasites and pests are attracted to excess moisture on the plants. In fact, fungi love a wet plant and can cause a great deal of damage. You can control fungi with the application of fungicide sprays. However, the area should be treated before you see the onset of any problems.

TIP! Make a plant you love the focal point of your garden. There should be a solid focal point for every good garden design.

Do you ever wish that your fresh mint leaves would not grow as quickly and overcome your garden? Contain their growth with a garden container or large pot instead. This container can be placed in the soil if you prefer the look of mint in your garden, and it will continue to contain the roots of your mint and prevent it from taking over.

TIP! Heat softens vegetables, so you can damage them immensely by pulling them out of the ground or cutting them off vines when it is too hot outside. Be certain that you cut picked vegetables straight off from the vine itself and not by twisting them off, because you don’t want to harm the plant.

Place at least an inch of mulch that is organic in with your veggies! The mulch help keeps the soil that is around the plants much more moist for much longer. It can also prevent weeds from growing. You’ll save a ton of time if you don’t have to constantly pull out weeds.

TIP! Mix various plant heights and plants in the exact same bed for a unique English garden. You should avoid using plants of the same height so that your flower bed doesn’t look flat and uniform.

If you are just getting into horticulture, make sure you heed all of the directions on fertilizer and chemical labels. Failure to follow instructions can be dangerous or painful. For example, some chemicals will irritate your skin if you don’t follow safety rules. Stick to the rules and safeguard your health.

TIP! Protecting your knees while you are gardening is very important. Bending from a standing position for excessive amounts of time can be difficult for many people.

There is always a best time to pick your garden’s vegetables, and you should know them. There is a specific time to pick every sort of vegetable in order to maximize its taste and cooking utility. For example, zucchini and baby peas are best picked young. Contrarily, tomatoes should be left on the vine until maximum ripeness has occurred. To get the most out of your horticulture efforts, find out when to harvest your crops.

TIP! Prepare the ground for a perennial garden quickly and easily. Use a spade to dig up some soil, flip the soil over, and finally, sprinkle around 3-4 inches of wood chips on the soil.

If you cut your hand, you can use a glove to protect it from germs and chemicals until it heals. Cuts that are infiltrated by soil or other substances have the potential to breed serious infections. It is possible now to get bandages that will completely seal the cut.

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

Perennial gardens should be prepared easily and quickly in the ground. Using a garden spade, dig underneath the turf and flip it. Then, create a layer of wood chips at least three inches deep over the area you just flipped. Wait two weeks, then dig in and plant the new perennials.

Pine Needles

TIP! The simple beer trap is still one of the best methods of ridding your organic garden of slugs. Dig a hole just deep enough for a glass jar to be placed in it while the jar still has its rim in line with the surface of the ground.

Believe it or not, pine makes great mulch. A number of plants commonly grown in garden settings do best in an acidic soil. Pine needles are an excellent form of mulch for these types of plants. Spread a few inches of pine needles on your organic beds so that it will put the acid into your soil.

TIP! Keep the soil healthy by adding mulch. Mulch can give your soil some additional protection and nourishment.

Coffee grounds are a good addition to your soil. Coffee grounds contain many of the essential nitrogenous nutrients that plants are able to use. Usually, nitrogen is limited with a plant, but using coffee grounds, diluted urea, or compost can make your plants grow faster and taller.

TIP! To become a great organic gardener, you need to look under the surface! When buying tomato seedlings for the garden, keep an eye on lush green starts with root systems that are bad. The first start remains attached to the developing seedlings for many weeks.

A successful organic garden is the result of hard work and a good understanding of the principles involved. It is also important to understand that positive results require continued work; your efforts will not be a one time only thing. Incorporate the insights you’ve learned here to get your organic garden growing this year.