What You Have Always Wondered About Gardening

~ craigb

TIP! So that you don’t shock your plants, try gradually accustoming them to conditions and temperature. Put them outdoors in the sun for no more than two hours the first day.

Organic gardening is the alternative to using toxic products such as fertilizers or pesticides on the food you are going to eat and the environment you live in. There is also the fact that maintaining an organic garden is inexpensive. The following tips will help turn you into a successful organic gardener in no time at all.

TIP! Use biennials and annuals to beautify your flower beds. 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.

When laying sod, it is important that you do it correctly. Get your soil ready before you lay the sod. Weed the soil well, and till the entire lawn area. Gently compact the soil until it is flattened. Be sure the soil is thoroughly moist. Then lay the sod in staggered rows so the joints are offset. After the sod is in place, go over the surface to ensure everything is level. Use loose soil to fill in any gaps between seams. According to your climate, you will likely need to water the new sod daily over a period of a couple of weeks. This will insure proper root formation and establishment.

TIP! Cover the fences and walls with climbers. Climbing foliage is a great way to disguise unsightly features on your property, sometimes in the span of just one season.

So you don’t shock the plants, you should gradually get them use to a change in the temperature and conditions. When starting the transition, leave the plants in the sun for just 1-2 hours. Over one week, gradually build up the amount of hours you leave the plants outside. At the end of a week, they should be accustomed to the outdoors and ready to transition to outside safely.

TIP! In the cold winter months, you can salvage certain plants by bringing them into the house. This is especially useful if you have a particular plant that you love or was expensive.

Digging in clay soil with a shovel can be very difficult. The clay isn’t easy to work with and will adhere to the shovel, which only makes the problem worse. One way to get around this problem is to coat the shovel with wax. Use a clean cloth to spread the wax evenly. The wax will prevent any rusting, and the shovel will cut through the soil with great ease.

TIP! When gardening, be watchful of stink bugs, particularly in the fall. These bugs like to eat beans, peppers, tomatoes, and many kinds of fruits.

Turn the handles of tools you have on hand into rulers to make measurements in your garden. It is possible to utilize tools with long handles, such as rakes, hoes and shovels, as measuring sticks. On the floor, simply lay out the handles, then take a tape measure and run it next to them. A permanent marker can be used to label distances. When the need arises to measure something while in your garden, the measuring tool you need will literally be “on hand,” sketched into the handles of your tools.

TIP! Plant bulbs in your garden if you want flowers through spring and summer. Bulbs are hearty and will continue to grow every year.

Use annuals and biennials to enliven your flower beds. Fast growing biennials and annuals will brighten a garden and permit you to change looks from one season to another. In addition, they work well as gap fillers between other areas, as long as those areas receive plenty of sunlight. Some plants to get you started include petunia, marigold, sunflower, rudbekcia, and cosmos.

Baking Soda

TIP! Try growing wheat grass or cat grass in the area of the plants your cat wants to eat. Alternatively, you can try putting mothballs, citrus peel or anything else with an odor that cats find distasteful in the soil surrounding the plants.

If mildew is forming on your plants, you should not purchase an expensive chemical. Combine a bit of liquid soap and some baking soda with water. Spray this on the plants once per week until that mildew goes away. Baking soda will bring no damage to your plants, and will treat the mildew in a gentle and efficient manner.

TIP! Do not mow your lawn close to the bottom. By leaving your grass a little taller, you are allowing it to become stronger, as the roots grow stronger and deeper.

Keep an eye open for stink bugs in your garden, especially during the fall months. They like to feast on all kinds of fruits, as well as peppers, tomatoes, and beans. If you don’t treat them, they can do a lot of damage in your garden.

TIP! If you have a vegetable garden, it is crucial they are kept in a spot with at least six hours of sun each day. Most vegetables require this amount of sun in order to grow properly and at a quicker pace.

Start your garden off right with seeds, not plants. It’s better for the environment to begin from seed. Seeds eliminate the waste of plastic containers from nurseries which rarely get recycled. There are some nurseries, however, that send their plants out in organic potting materials.

TIP! Deciduous shrubs need protection from the cold. Fragile shrubs, that are planted in pots, should be covered to protect them during the cold season.

If you are just starting out, follow all the guidelines and rules on your chemicals and tools. Garden chemicals can cause skin irritation and eye injury. Stick to the rules and safeguard your health.

TIP! Try placing evergreens that grow berries around your garden. 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.

Take advantage of gardening as a means to unwind. There are a wide variety of things you can do to release stress and relax. Of these, horticulture is by far one of the most enjoyable and easiest to start. It doesn’t require a lot of cash up front, but pays major dividends. Growing your own garden brings a feeling of tranquility and joy to you.

TIP! If you are growing plants inside of your home, you need to keep the thermostat set to 65 to 75 degrees during the day. In order to encourage proper growth, they will need that warmth.

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. Cut vegetables to remove them from vines rather than twisting and pulling them. Twisting vegetables off vines damages them.

TIP! When you plant a seed, take your time. A key first step is to add moisture to your soil.

To create a unique English garden, use a variety of plant types and lengths in the same flower bed. Using plants that all grow the same height result in a flat and uniform looking bed.

TIP! After seeds have sprouted, they require less warmth than they did prior to sprouting. Locate your plants further from your heat source as they mature.

Gardening can be hard on your knees. Bending over from a standing position is something many people cannot do. Concentrate on kneeling. This will still make it easy to reach plants as well as minimize back stress. You can pick up a knee pad for you to rest on so that your knees are at ease on the ground.

TIP! Organize your gardening so that you can work efficiently. Don’t waste your time by looking all over for your tools.

By implementing the advice that is in this article, you can expect to have a healthy, toxic free, productive garden in the very near future. You can also look forward to a boost in the volume of wildlife inhabiting your nature-loving garden.