The popularity of holistic living is increasing in the wake of the growth of organic trends. Many people who choose to live this lifestyle grow their own plants and herbs, so they can benefit from them. Focus on the fantastic organic gardening tips laid out below.
Allow your children to assist with the work to be done in your organic garden. Toiling together in the garden brings your family closer together and offers many different opportunities to learn new things and instill green values.
When you are organic gardening, ask your children to lend a hand. Toiling together in the garden brings your family closer together and offers many different opportunities to learn new things and instill green values.
If you want your children to enjoy your organic garden, plant some tasty strawberries. Kids delight in the idea of growing things and seeing how things change over time. Explain every step to your child and he or she will hang on to your every word.
If you are a fan of organic, sustainable gardening methods, consider leaving part of your backyard untouched so that natural plants and wildlife can flourish in the area. You will see many of the birds and insects that are present will assist in pollination and plant production, helping to create a much better garden.
If you have a high priority for sustainability in your organic gardening, try leaving a corner of the property undeveloped as a mini wildlife refuge. One side effect of this is that where animals thrive, so do birds and insects that help nurture and pollinate plants, which will increase the quality of your garden.
To be as efficient as possible in the garden, always have your tools handy. You have several options including using a bucket to hold your tools or wearing pants with lots of sturdy pockets. Have gloves, shears, a trowel and anything else you need handy for quick use.
Put an organic material, such as mulch two or three inches deep, in your flower beds. This will prevent weeds from growing, retain humidity, and feed your plants with the nutrients they need. You will also have a gorgeous and finished organic flower bed.
Coat your flower beds with a few inches of an organic mulch. This will help to inhibit weed growth, helps to lock in moisture, and adds needed nutrients to your organic garden. A layer of mulch also creates a more attractive appearance.
Don’t underestimate pine as a great mulch. Some garden plants are high in acidity, and do better with acidic soil. If that’s the case, the easiest thing to do is use pine needles for beds. Cover your beds with two inches of needles; acid will be dispersed into the soil as they decompose.
Coffee grounds are a great addition to soil. The grounds contain essential nitrogen, which will benefit your plants in many ways. Generally, nitrogen is the limiting nutrient with any plant and having a good nitrogen source either by coffee grounds, compost, or even diluted urea, will make your plants bloom faster and grow taller.
Using coffee grounds as part of your soil mixture in your garden is often advised for healthy plants. Your plants will thrive from the nitrogen contained in the grounds. The more nitrogen you have in the soil, the greater the growth of your plants will be, so adding grounds or compost will ensure your plants grow large very quickly.
Laundry Basket
Tend your organic garden on a regular schedule. You may not have a lot of time to exclusively devote to your gardening hobby, but you can make the most of the time you do have. For example, snatch out a weed or two whenever you pass by the garden, such as when you take your dog out for a potty break.
When the time comes to harvest your produce, collect it using an old laundry basket. The laundry basket can be used as a colander for your produce. Doing this allows you to both rinse and drain your fresh produce.
When developing your compost pile, use equal measures of dried and green material. Examples of green plant material are spent flowers, fruit and vegetable waste, grass clippings, weeds, and leaves. Examples of dried plant material are sawdust, shredded paper, straw, cut-up woody material, and cardboard. Charcoal, meat, ashes or other diseased plants should not be included in a compost pile.
When you are growing seedlings in your organic garden, lightly brush over them using your hand up to twice a day. While it might sound strange, research has shown that this method can increase the size of your plants.
If you are building a raised bed utilize stone, brick or wood that is untreated. If you choose wood, ensure that it has not been treated with a sealant or other chemicals. Some good woods are locust, cedar and cypress. In a vegetable garden, never use treated wood, as the chemicals can leach out into the soil and food crops. If you have used treated lumber, line your beds with plastic.
Organic Gardening
An organic garden is a benefit to you and everyone else who consumes the food that grows there. While chemical pesticides and fertilizers may claim to do great things for your garden, organic methods will give you the best crops possible.
The more information you have on the subject of organic gardening, the more proficient you will become. Keep in mind that this advice is the beginning of your organic gardening knowledge.