There are so many natural alternatives available to you if you want to turn your garden organic. All that is needed from you to have a great organic garden is to learn what they are, and to put them into practice.
Allow your children to actively participate in planting your organic garden. Gardening helps your children learn about biological processes and serves as a social activity that helps the family grow closer while eating healthier.
Consider planting strawberries, especially ones that are everbearing, for your garden if you have small children. Children enjoy picking fresh fruit, especially if they can eat it right away.
If you are growing plants organically indoors, you have to consider the light that they are getting. Almost every type of plant you grow requires ample sunlight, so think about how much natural light you home receives or if you perhaps need to supplement with UV lamps. If you still are unable to get enough light to your plants, consider purchasing grow-lights.
If you want to start a small organic garden indoors, evaluate the amount of natural light that is present. If your windows are small or receive little light due to their positioning, a plant that requires little sunlight will be more comfortable and healthy. If you do and this does not help, consider investing in some grow-lights.
Preparing a plot for planting a perennial garden can be done quickly and without difficulty. Simply slice into the ground with a spade, flip the top layer of soil, and then cover it with several inches of wood chips. Let this sit for a couple weeks, next dig into it to plant your new plants.
Work efficiently in your garden. You do not have the time to spend an hour looking for each tool you need. Before you make a trip to your garden, you should gather all tools and items in advance. Afterwards, be sure to return them to their original storage place. If you need to use a tool belt, try using some pants with pockets in them.
Seeds that have sprouted don’t require the extra warmth that was needed before they sprouted. Your seedlings should be moved away from any heat source. Plastic films should be removed on the containers, as that helps to keep out humidity and warmth. Keep an eye on your seeds so you will know when this should be done.
You can stop mud from being tracked into your house by covering your dirty gardening shoes with plastic bags. Doing this prevents lengthy work interruptions, and allows you to finish the job quickly.
Use an aged laundry basket when you want to collect your produce. A laundry basket will act as a strainer for your produce. If you hose off your produce in the laundry basket, the water will leave the basket through the holes in the sides.
Make sure you consider adequate spacing when planting your garden, so that each plant is given room enough to grow and flourish. It is easy to underestimate the amount of space that the plants will take up once they start to grow. Space is vital for your plants not only due to their literal physical size requirements but also because of how much room your garden needs for air circulation. Make sure your seeds have a good amount of space between each other for optimal growth.
Your compost pile should contain green plants and dried ones in equal amounts. Green plant material consists of spent flowers, veggie and fruit waste, leaves, weeds, and grass clippings. Dried plant material consists of sawdust, shredded paper, cardboard, straw, and cut-up and dried wood material. Don’t include ashes, diseased plants, charcoal meat, or carnivorous animal waste.
Dried Plant Material
When planting seeds in containers, plant the seed roughly three times deeper than the seed’s size. There are exceptions to this rule, however. Some seeds should remain uncovered because they thrive in direct sunlight. Some examples are petunias and ageratum. 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.
Use equal parts of green and dried plant material in your compost pile. Green plant mulches include everything from fresh grass clippings, to unwanted vegetables, to recently pulled weeds. Examples of dried plant material are sawdust, shredded paper, straw, cut-up woody material, and cardboard. Avoid ashes, meat, charcoal and diseased plants in your compost.
One unusual tip in organic gardening, is to “pet” your seedlings often. Use your hands or a piece of cardboard and lightly ruffle the seedling about one or two times a day. While it seems a little odd, it has been reported that this can encourage plant growth.
As a good general practice, you should make sure to plant your seeds three seed-widths deep into their containers. 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’re not sure if your seeds need sunlight, you can find out online or through the seeds’ package.
Use untreated stone, brick or wood to build raised beds. If you choose to use wood, see to it that it’s untreated and that it can resist rotting. Several species of trees yield suitable wood. Locust, cypress, and cedar are among the more commonly used rot resitent woods. Don’t use treated wood in a garden for vegetables because the chemicals contained in them can leak into the ground. If you have built a bed with treated lumber already, use a barrier such as plastic to line the bed.
Keep slugs out of your organic garden naturally, using a beer trap. Take a glass jar and bury it in your garden so that the top of it is level with the soil. Fill this jar up with beer almost entirely. The beer attracts these slugs, but traps them in the jar.
Be aware of the location you are in, and the seasonal and climate changes that occur. Make sure that you adjust your watering cycles to match these changes. There are many variables of how much water your plants need including soil, light, and outdoor temperatures. For example, if your climate is humid and warm, you should not water the leaves because it will encourage leaf fungus. Rather, see to it that you water the root system well.
A garden can be planted by anybody. However, those who have taken time to do research will gain the most from their crops. You need to make sure you are utilizing this advice about organic gardening.
Take care not to overwater your plants, as this can prevent the roots from drawing the proper amount of nutrients out of the soil. Always be sure to check the weather and keep a tight watering schedule. It’s important that your plants do not take on too much water. After reviewing the weather forecast, you can decide whether or not to spend the time and resources watering the garden.