Sunday, December 9, 2012

Advice On How To Properly Grow An Organic Garden

Organic gardening requires a lot of patience and talent. It's an enjoyable hobby where you can grow your own healthy food. It's easier than you may think. The advice in this article will give you all you need to start growing your own organic food.

If you want your children to enjoy your organic garden, plant some tasty strawberries. 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.

Add mulch to keep your soil healthy. A layer of mulch can protect the soil beneath. The roots of your garden are less likely to become overheated on hot days. It also keeps soil moist longer by preventing water evaporation. It also is helpful in keeping weeds under control.

Ward off certain diseases that plague plants with the use of aspirin. Three aspirins per four gallons of water will help keep your plants healthy. Spray the plants with the aspirin water to assist plants in battling disease. Your plants should be sprayed one time each three weeks.

A good way to garden is to get plants that complement each other. Some plants, when placed near other plants, actually help their neighbor plants grow. By repelling pests and making the soil healthier, they reduce the need for fertilizers or pesticides. Many aromatic herbs and flowers emit a strong natural odor that deters all types of common garden pests.

Drowning your plants with water can kill them! It will stop your plant's roots from being able to obtain any nutritional goodness out of its surrounding soil Before watering your organic garden, check weather forecasts to determine if it is likely to rain later that day. If rain is on its way, you are probably safe to skip watering duties for the day.

You should rotate your garden every year. Planting the same area with the same plants year after year will lead to disease and fungus. Harmful things may take root in the soil, preparing to take over your garden. Change the design of your garden regularly to prevent diseases from spreading.

Cover your muddy shoes with plastic bags. This way, you can maintain your momentum and head right back to your garden so that you can finish what you were doing.

The growth of organic garlic is simple. Plant single garlic cloves during the spring or fall seasons in soil that is moist and well-drained. Put them an inch or two down into the soil with the pointed end up placed about four inches apart. Green garlic can be cur directly from the plant and used in a pinch instead of scallions or chives. When the bulbs begin turning brown on top, they are ready for harvesting. After harvesting, leave the bulbs out in the sun until the skin hardens. This helps them dry out. Store the cloves in a cool area. They can be tied or left loose.

Be aware of spacing considerations when you are first planting your organic garden. Leave a little more space than you think your full grown plant will need to make up for overgrowth. Proper spacing is important not just to accommodate the plants' sizes but also for air circulation. Make sure your seeds have a good amount of space between each other for optimal growth.

The compost pile should include equal parts of dried material and green plant material. "Green" material refers to things like wilted flowers, weeds, leaves from your yard, and grass clippings. Dried plant materials are things like shredded newspaper, cardboard, sawdust, straw, and any cut up wood materials. However, stay away from meats, manure from carnivores, charcoal and other potentially harmful substances.

If you are mulching your plants, you should use a layer of approximately three inches deep. This is not only beneficial for the earth, but it also saves you water and money on the water bill. It is also visually appealing, creating a nice border around your plants.

After your seeds have sprouted, heat lamps are not needed. To ensure that your plants do not suffer shock, start eliminating the use of a heat source. Remove plastic films on containers to prevent warmth and humidity from penetrating them. Observe your seeds carefully so that you can make these changes as soon as they start sprouting.

While any kind of gardening can make you feel as though you're in tune with nature, organic gardening takes this to the next level. Any form of gardening gives a basic outline for all others; teaching you the general methodology behind sewing, planting, and harvesting properly.

You can stop mud from being tracked into your house by covering your dirty gardening shoes with plastic bags. This allows you to keep going, getting back to your garden quickly.

One way to create compost easily and cheaply is to mix up fruit peels and other refuse from fruit. These pieces will create an all natural compost that is well suited for your garden by providing nutrients at almost no cost.

An old laundry basket makes a great way to gather your harvest. The basket will make a great strainer when you wash your vegetables. 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 you are maintaining your organic garden, think about adding small trenches between the rows of plants. This helps water reach plants more effectively, which means it won't be necessary to water them as frequently as you would otherwise. Doing this will save water, which in turn will save you money.

Organic gardening may come across like a newer fad, but it existed before all the chemicals were made for the garden, so it's a trusted method. Native Americans taught the pilgrims how to plant crops by using a fish with the seeds in the ground. You can start a compost pile to create your own organic fertilizer for your organic garden. This is good for the environment, helps to reduce your overall trash output and helps with your organic garden.

Invite biodiversity into your garden. You will notice more wildlife if you have diverse plants. Plant various plant types to create a natural environment. A diverse garden is incredibly attractive. It's also very rewarding and relaxing.

As was stated previously, growing your own organic garden can have an unbelievably positive effect on your eating habits, especially when you understand the sheer number of varying plants it is possible to grow. Apply the tips you just read to start your garden to save money and eat healthier foods

Monday, December 3, 2012

Create A Beautiful Garden With These Great Tips

Gardening is a great hobby that can be very rewarding in many ways. Regardless of what you grow, cultivating and caring for plants brings a special kind of satisfaction. The information below provides a little advice and a few pointers when it comes to both your garden, and the act of growing.

Bees, like bumble bees, are very good assets to your garden. Keep in mind though that there are some bees that can harm your garden. Carpenter bees for example destroy the wood in trees to create their nests. Overall, bees are beneficial to your garden, and should be left to go about their merry way helping your garden grow.

The flesh of vegetables gets soft in the heat of the day, making them especially vulnerable to inadvertent damage with even the gentlest picking. Also ensure that you use a tool to cut the vegetables off at the vine. If you just yank or twist the whole plant, it may become damaged.

Mix ammonia with water and spray on snails to kill them. You won't hurt your plants with ammonia, and it will actually be converted into nitrogen that is beneficial later. It does kill snails in your garden, which will stop them from damaging your beds. Add this mixture to your everyday horticulture routine, and you will see amazing results in no time.

Add some powerful fertilizer to your future garden plot with the use of a chicken tractor. A chicken tractor means a moveable chicken coop that has an open floor, as well as a sheltered area. A chicken tractor protects your poultry and allows them to graze specific areas of your garden while also naturally fertilizing it. After fertilizing one spot, the tractor is moved to another.

Sometimes the soil you want to use for your garden has a high alkaline content. Combine coffee grounds with the soil to reduce this. Using coffee grounds is a less expensive way to make your soil more acidic than trying to replace your topsoil. Balanced soil will produce more flavorful, crisp vegetables and greens.

Turn the handles of your garden tools into measuring rulers. Tools that have long handles such as rakes, hoes and shovels can be used in place of a measuring stick. Place the handles on the ground and measure them. Use a bright permanent marker and label the distances. This will allow you to have a ruler at your fingertips when you are working out in the garden.

A handy trick is to turn the handle on a tool that you use often into a makeshift ruler. Tools that can be used for more than one task are quite handy to own. Lay the handles onto the floor and place a measuring tape beside them. Use a permanent marker to label distances. Now you will always possess a large ruler ready for your use in the garden.

Transplanting plants and bringing them indoors can protect them from harsh winters. Maybe you'd like to save the most expensive plants you have or the most resistant. Carefully loosen the dirt around the roots, then transfer the plant into a pot filled with the same soil.

A green garden needs to begin with seeds, not plants. Once the plant is healthy enough, replant it in your garden with the appropriate type of soil. The planters used to hold nursery plants are generally not made from eco-friendly materials, and thus get thrown into landfills. Starting from seeds, or buying from one of the few nurseries that use biodegradable planters, prevents this.

Get more profits from your property. Landscaping your yard will bring you a big return on your investment. A few select plants can raise your property value dramatically. You should purchase plants that are well-suited to your landscape and environmental conditions.

A great gardening tip: to remove salty deposits from pots made of clay, use rubbing alcohol and vinegar. You want to do this, because sometimes salt deposits can actually build up outside and on the clay pot over time. Use equal amounts of rubbing alcohol, water and white vinegar to spray on the pot. After you have completed the previous step, begin scrubbing the inside with a fairly common cleaning brush. Just rinse the pot out after this and you should be on your way.

Gardening can actually increase the value of your property! One of the best things you can do to increase property value is to have proper landscaping. Some plant investments can raise your resale value by 20% or more. Seek out plants and shrubbery that require limited maintenance and will adapt well to the natural climate that you live in.

Take the proper approach to laying sod. Start by preparing your soil with care. Eradicate any weeds and work the soil until it is very fine. Make sure your soil is flat and compacted. Dampen the soil completely. You want the sod laid down in staggered rows, and the joints to be offset from each other. Even out the surface of the sod by firming it down flat, filling any available gaps with a handful of dirt. After two weeks of daily watering, the sod should be rooted; at this time, it is now safe to walk on it.

Learn how to properly lay sod. Your soil should be prepared before you lay the sod. Get rid of weeds and tilth the soil finely. Using a light but firm touch, compact the soil until it is flat. Moisten the soil thoroughly. Sod should be staggered in rows, the joints offsetting from each other. The sod should form a flat and firm surface. Fill in gaps with soil. Water the sod each day for two weeks so it will become well-rooted and ready for foot traffic.

If you are going to be doing some gardening, watch out for stink bugs, especially in the fall! They enjoy tomatoes, peppers, beans, and many different varieties of fruits. If left unattended, your garden could be ravaged by these bugs, so you need to proactively keep their population under control.

Pest control is one of the hardest things about growing a vegetable garden. Avoid spraying harsh chemicals on fruits and vegetables destined for your table. Instead of resorting to these harmful chemicals, you can keep garden pests at bay simply by paying close attention. If you catch pests early, you can remove them by hand effectively.

Use a chicken tractor for fertilizing your garden project. When it comes to a chicken tractor, it is basically a chicken coop that is moveable with a sheltered area and an open floor. Your chickens can therefore eat foods found in nature, such as bugs or plants, rather than chicken feed, if you use a chicken tractor. When they eliminate waste after eating, it'll fertilize your soil. Since the area is portable, it can be moved around in different areas.

Vegetables should be planted in an area where they will get a minimum of six hours of daily sunlight. Almost all vegetables need this much sunlight, so that they can grow correctly and in a shorter amount of time. This also rings true for some of the flowers.

With these tips, you're better equipped to grow the most beautiful garden you can imagine. In learning how to create your dream garden, you'll also be growing as a person. That's because learning how to nurture your plants will not only help you reach the goal of having a great garden, but it will help you learn to nurture yourself.