The main reason people decide to go organic when gardening is that they think commercial chemicals, including pesticides and fertilizers, may degrade soil quality, harm the environment and cause long-term damage to their personal health. Also, most methods of organic gardening are fairly inexpensive. These tips will get you right into the swing of organic gardening and improve your skill in no time.
Get your kids to help you grow your organic garden. Gardens are terrific teaching tools for kids, and provide great opportunities for interaction, growth, and instruction on healthy living.
A mixture of aspirin and water can protect your plants from common diseases. Dissolve aspirin (1.5 pills per 2 gallons of water) in a bucket and administer to your plants. The solution can then be used to spray the entire plant, and will offer protection naturally. Be sure to repeat this process every two or three weeks.
Preparing a plot for planting a perennial garden can be done quickly and without difficulty. With a garden spade, slice under the dirt then flip it over. Next, spread out wood chips several inches deep. Let this sit for a couple weeks, next dig into it to plant your new plants.
Your seeds, once they begin sprouting, don’t need the same amount of warmth as they did before. As your plants grow, move them away from the source of heat. Take off any plastic that is on the containers to keep away from warmth and moisture. To know when it is time for this, keep a careful eye on your seeds.
The optimal amount of organic mulch to use in your flower beds is 2-3 inches. Mulch discourages weeds and helps retain moisture while adding nutrients to your flower bed. What’s more, your garden will look professional all year.
Pine Needles
Pine needles should not be overlooked as a great source for mulch. There are many common acidic plants that prefer acidic soil. If you are growing these types of plants, simply gather up fallen pine needles for use in your garden. Cover your beds with the needles, as they will decompose and disperse their acid throughout the soil.
When the time comes to harvest your produce, collect it using an old laundry basket. This type of basket can double as a large colander for the fruits and vegetables you pick. The produce can be rinsed off as it sits in the laundry basket, and extra water will drain out through the sides.
Use equal parts dried and green plant material for your own compost. Green plant material includes grass clippings, spent flowers, vegetable and fruit waste, weeds and leaves. Your dried material can be things such as sawdust, paper shreds, wood shavings, straw and cardboard. Avoid using ashes, charcoal, diseased plants and meat-eating animal manure.
A good thing to know when it comes to your organic garden, and running it, is to, a couple times a day, lightly ruffle the seedlings with cardboard or your hand. This may sound strange, but research has proven that doing this will help your plants grow bigger than if they were not petted at all.
If you have problem slugs in your organic garden, get rid of them naturally with a beer trap. Bury a canning jar so that the open mouth and the soil top are level. Fill the jar with beer within one inch of the top. The beer attracts these slugs, but traps them in the jar.
Treated Wood
Try using untreated stone, brick, or wood to create a raised bed. Any wood you use needs to be untreated and resistant to rot. Excellent choices are cedar, locust 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 you have placed treated wood in your garden, line it with a coat of plastic.
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. Organic gardens are also more attractive to a variety of wildlife, who appreciate the chemical free environment.