Growing your own fruits and vegetables is an easy thing to do if you use proper techniques. Using these environmentally sound techniques means you care about your own health and that of your garden. This is a very good thing to do. Improvement to any skill can always be achieved, and this skill set is no different. Below are a collection of organic gardening tips that will help you to develop your talent.
If you are interested in sustainable organic gardening, consider keeping part of your property undeveloped so that wildlife can flourish there. The presence of native flowers, trees and grasses will attract birds and insects. You will be rewarded by an appealing and flourishing landscape.
Include your kids in growing an organic garden. The benefits for your children will be a closer bond with nature and an understanding of where food comes from.
Create a space perfect for any perennial garden with this easy method. All you need to do is use a garden spade to slice under the turf, flip it over, then spread wood chips over the area about three to four inches deep. Wait for a few weeks and plant new perennials in this area.
To make the most of your time in the garden, you should store all of your tools and implements in a close, accessible location. Carry your tools in a bucket, or keep them in the pockets of a pair of rugged pants. Tools you’ll need to garden efficiently include towels, gloves, pruning shears and other plant-specific tools.
After sprouting occurs, you will not need to keep seeds as warm. Remove plants from the heated environment once they begin growing. This also includes removing any plastic that you had covering the plant or container. Watch the seeds so you can know when you do this.
Organic material piled three inches deep is an effective mulch in your flower gardens. Using this much mulch retards weed growth, locks in moisture, and ensures that your plants are well-nourished. This will also make your flowers appear beautiful and finished all year long.
You should add a two to three inch layer of organic mulch to your flower bed. Doing this keeps weeds down, keeps the moisture in your plants, and gives more nutrients to the plants. It will also increase the visual appeal of the flower beds.
Spend your time working efficiently in your organic garden. It’s frustrating to search for a tool for a half hour. 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. Wear pants with several pockets or use a tool belt.
Pine can make a great mulch. A number of plants commonly grown in garden settings do best in an acidic soil. If you are growing these types of plants, simply gather up fallen pine needles for use in your garden. Cover up your beds with a few inches of needles. As they start to decompose, they’ll spread out acid onto the ground and soil.
To avoid tracking the mud and dirt that will get on your gardening shoes, use plastic bags. This helps the flow keep going so that you can get into the garden quickly to finish what you’re doing.
Coffee Grounds
Coffee grounds can benefit many types of soil. Your plants will thrive from the nitrogen contained in the grounds. Your plants will really bloom if they get the nitrogen they need from coffee grounds or compost or diluted urea.
Killing weeds the natural way? Put down old newspapers in several layers for controlling weeds. Weeds need sunlight to grow. If you put a thick layer of newspaper on them, weeds will not be able to get light or air, and they will die! Newspapers easily break down over a period of time, and eventually become a portion of the compost. If you want it to look better, just add a layer or two of much over top of the newspapers.
Is there a natural way to kill weeds? Use several layers of newspapers for weed control. Weeds cannot grow without light. When you put newspaper on top of weeds they will suffocate because they are not getting enough light. Because newspapers decompose well with the passage of time, they make great additions to compost. To improve the appearance of newspaper, simply spread a bit of mulch over it.
Use a beer trap to get rid of unwanted pests, like slugs. Bury a glass jar in your garden so that its open mouth is level with the top of the soil. Fill the jar with beer within one inch of the top. Slugs are attracted by the beer and won’t be able to exit the jar once they enter.
Try to use untreated wood, brick or stone and make a raised bed. If you choose wood, it needs to be naturally rot resistant and untreated. Some good choices you might consider are locust, cedar, and cypress. Do not use treated wood in your vegetable garden. You may have previously used treated lumber; if so, you should use a plastic liner to cover it.
You already have the products, the tools and the skills to get those organic gardens going. Good for you! The basic tips provided here will give you a good start in building your own body of knowledge as you work. Whether you are a newbie or a seasoned pro, you can always find a small bit of information you may not have previously known.