The processes involved in successfully gardening can be complicated. You will need to research techniques for chemical-free pest control and healthy ways to make sure your plants continue to thrive. Growing organic can be a little on the difficult side for a rookie. By reading the tricks in this article, you will find yourself better prepared to grow your food organically.
One way to ensure efficiency while gardening is to keep your tools close by. For example, you could use an over-sized tote bag or an apron with multiple pockets. Have shears, a trowel, gloves and other commonly used garden tools portable and easy to access.
Be sure you plant strawberries in your garden for your children, you want to make sure you especially plant everbearing strawberries as well. Kids are quite eager to pick fruit from a garden, and will help with the planting if they get a nice snack out of it at the end.
If you want a sustainable garden, leave part of it undisturbed as a home for the wildlife in the area. You will find that many of the supporting cast of insects and birds that aid in plant production and pollination will be present on your land and actually help your developed gardens to produce better.
When mulching your flower beds, aim for anywhere between two or three inches of mulch. This practice is an easy way to discourage weeds, retain moisture, and add valuable nutrients to your garden. Mulch will also improve the general appearance of your flower beds.
Indoor Plants
Indoor plants have been bred over time to thrive in temperatures that are characteristic of a home. Most indoor plants like to be in about 70 degree temperatures, plus or minus 5 degrees. Plants require a warmer climate to grow. If you aren’t wanting your house to be this warm in the winter, you can use a heat lamp on the plants.
When the time comes to harvest your produce, collect it using an old laundry basket. The basket strains the produce as well as stores it while you are going through your garden. The basket won’t be affected by the water and it will drain right off as though it were poured into a large sieve.
When a seed actually sprouts, it doesn’t need to be in as warm an environment. Move your plants further away from your heat source as they grow. If you have plastic films on your containers, remove them. Watch your seeds closely to find the right time to do this.
When planting seeds in containers, remember that the planting depth should be around three times bigger than the seed size. There are exceptions, however. Some types of seeds require more direct sunlight than others, and as such they should not be fully covered. Some examples are petunias and ageratum. If you do now know how to plant your seed, consult the information that came with the seed when you bought it or check online for helpful information.
If you want to sell your crops as organic, you should look into obtaining a certification proving that you are an organic garden. This can boost sales and tell loyal customers that you’re providing the best to them.
Lightly ruffle your seeds by hand or with cardboard, twice daily in your organic garden. While this appears strange, research shows it can help plants grow larger, versus not petting them at all.
Use a beer trap to get rid of unwanted pests, like slugs. Bury a jar in the garden with it’s mouth open and level to the ground. Keep the jar filled with beer, up to about an inch from the top. The slugs will be drawn to the beer and then drown in the jar.
Add mulch to keep your soil healthy. The soil will be efficiently protected. This protective effect is especially important during the summer, as it protects the roots from the effects of the heat. It also keeps soil moist longer by preventing water evaporation. It can also help alleviate any weed issues.
Treated Wood
Use untreated stone, brick or wood to build raised beds. If using wood, make sure it’s naturally rot resistant and untreated. Good choices are cedar, locust and cypress. Consider the chemicals that will leach out of the wood before choosing anything that has been treated. Remember the affect that such chemicals will have on your plants and soil. In the event your vegetable garden already has treated wood as part of its enclosure, consider replacing it, or painting it, or wrapping the treated wood in some protective covering. Keep in mind that if any of the untreated wood is below the ground, you should dig it up to make sure that you completely protect your vegetable garden from the chemicals in the treated wood.
Look up local botanical insecticides; they can be very useful in keeping the pest population at bay. These natural insecticides can often be more effective than synthetically engineered pesticides. Natural insecticide are more environmentally friendly, in part, because they decay quickly and become harmless.
Add mulch to your garden to improve the vitality of the soil. A layer of mulch can protect the soil beneath. Mulch will ensure your soil is kept cool on hot days and protect your roots. This helps soil keep its moisture by reducing the rate of evaporation. It also is helpful in keeping weeds under control.
Now, you shouldn’t get your hopes up and believe that a few tips are going to turn you into an instant professional gardener. However, these tips are a great starting point if you do plan to grow organically. As you implement these tips and hone your skills, you’ll be a professional green-thumb-holder in no time.
In order to start a garden, you are going to need to know how to make beds. One way to achieve this is to use a garden tool to carve out a small slice of earth. Once that is done, turn it over and cover with about three to four inches of mulch. Give it a few weeks and you can start to plant your plants.