Having healthy soil in your garden is your number one defense against pests! Healthy plants are naturally more resilient against pests and disease. Use a high-quality organic soil and as few chemicals as possible.
Growing your own organic garden can really give you a nutritional boost to your diet, but knowing what it takes can be difficult. There are a variety of organic seeds available. This article contains tips that will ensure you have everything you need to start an organic garden.
Pre-soak your seeds to keep them healthy. Drop your seeds into a small jar that is filled with cold water. This will give your seeds a good start by making sure they have plenty of water, which they need to sprout. The seeds will most likely have a greater chance of maturing and surviving.
It can be very hard to shovel clay soil, especially when it sticks to your shovel as you are working. Make your shoveling job easier by lightly coating a shovel with a layer of wax, then buffing the surface. Either car wax or floor wax will work just fine. The clay will slide off of its surface and it will prevent rust.
Be vigilant about keeping moisture off your plants. Moisture on the surfaces of your plants is an invitation to pests and illness. Fungus infections are common in overly moist plants. Proactively treat fungi through the use of fungicidal sprays and treatments.
Choose plants that will give you the most yield at harvest time. A lot of times a hybrid that will tolerate cold weather or disease will give you a higher output than heirlooms.
Invest in a quality wheelbarrow and a kneeling stool if gardening work is going to happen often. Spending time on the ground is rough on the knees, a portable and light stool can help make gardening easier. Also having a garden usually requires moving heavy dirt and objects, so investing in a wheelbarrow is a very sound investment.
Transform your horticulture tool handles into clever measurement rulers. Large handled tools like rakes, hoes or shovels may be used like measuring sticks. Lay the tools down on the floor, then place a measuring tape along the handle. Then, transfer the measurements to the handle using a permanent marker. Now you have easy access to a long ruler whenever you are gardening.
When landscaping and gardening in autumn, choose plants and trees with vibrant colors. Fall, though, can still be an interesting time for trees. When it comes to brightly colored foliage, fall is an amazing time of year. Maple trees, Dogwood, and Beech trees exist in lots of Fall colors that range from deep crimson to yellow. Cotoneaster, barberry and hydrangea can provide vibrant color if you are considering shrubs for your garden.
Baking Soda
You must always take care of your knees when working in the garden. Most people can’t bend over while standing up for a long period of time. Kneeling is a good way to reach plants without causing back stress. You can buy a knee pad, put it on the ground and kneel on it so that you wont have to deal with knee pain.
If you see mildew that is powdery, stay away from expensive chemicals to treat it. A great home remedy is to mix baking soda with water and a little bit of liquid soap. Spray the mixture on the plants once every seven days or so until you no longer see the mildew. Baking soda is safe for use on your plants and is a gentle, but effective way to care for your plants.
Working in the garden doesn’t have to be grueling; learn to work more efficiently. Wasting time finding tools is inefficient gardening. Keep your tools well-maintained and stored away in a designated place. That way you always know where they are and they are ready to use when you need them. Get a tool belt if you need to, or a pair of pants with a lot of pockets.
The first thing you should do when planning a garden is test the soil. Many nurseries offer a soil analysis service, which will tell you what nutrients your soil is lacking and what you can do about it. Many Cooperative Extension offices will provide this service, and it is well worth knowing exactly what the soil needs to avoid ruining a crop or two.
In an organic garden, ruffle any seedlings with a piece of cardboard, or even your hand, a couple times each day. This will make your plants grow faster and they will get bigger than they would have without this practice.
Separate irises. You can divide those overgrown clumps and increase the amount of irises you have. When the foliage dies it’s time to lift the bulbous irises out of the ground. You will be able to split the bulb easily and replant it to get more flowers next year. Rhizomes should be divided using a knife. Cut several new pieces out of the outside and get rid of the old center. At the least, each piece will need to have one strong offshoot. For optimum viability, plant your new cuttings into the ground without delay.
Weeds are annoying to any garden, organic or otherwise. Fortunately, there are many organic products that can be used to kill weeds without harming the environment.
In order to start the best garden possible, remember that you should always start with the seeds and not pre-purchased plants. Starting with your own seeds is more environmentally friendly than buying plants from a nursery. Most nurseries use a lot of plastic that is not recycled. If you want to buy plants, find a nurseries that uses organic methods or grow your plants from seeds.
Leaves make for a good organic compost pile which you can mix in with soil. Leaves decompose, and this makes a healthy organic compost rich in nutrients for your plants. You will discover that this is a wonderful, no-cost solution of having organic compounds to help with your garden.
Acquiring a good understanding of organic gardening is necessary to grow all kinds of healthy fruits and vegetables. Using the information that has been provided is a great way to start an organic garden of your own.
Use a mix of ammonia with water to keep the snails away. The ammonia will not hurt your precious plants, and it will later convert to beneficial nitrogen. However, it’s lethal to snails, which can ravage your plantings. For the best possible results, do this every day.