Young children will love it if you plant strawberries that bear continually, and organic gardens are the perfect place to do it. For kids, there are few things as fun as picking fruit fresh from the garden. Your children will be much more interesting in helping out if they know they’ll get to enjoy some tasty strawberries.
Many people think of starting an organic garden, but few actually go out and do it. Many people mistakenly believe that they lack the ability to cultivate their own flowers, vegetables and houseplants. However, if you keep reading, you’ll find suggestions that can help simplify organic gardening and even make it fun.
One way to help your organic garden thrive is to leave an undeveloped area that is conducive to the wildlife around your 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.
To be more efficient when working in your organic garden, have your tools close at hand. Use a large bucket, or wear rugged pants with several pockets. Keep your gloves, pruning shears, a hand spade and your other tools handy to quickly and easily do your garden maintenance.
Spend your time working efficiently in your organic garden. One of the biggest time wasters is not keeping track of your tools and having to look for them every time you need them. Before you make a trip to your garden, you should gather all tools and items in advance. Afterwards, be sure to return them to their original storage place. A good way to keep your tools at hand is to buy a tool belt or utility pants with many large pockets.
Flower Beds
Coffee grounds are a good addition to your soil. Coffee beans are loaded with nitrogen, which offers nourishment for plants. A strong nitrogen source in your garden area is a wonderful way to have healthy and strong plants.
Put an organic material, such as mulch two or three inches deep, in your flower beds. This will discourage weeds from growing, add nutrients, and retain the moisture in your garden. By adding mulch, you can give your flower beds a finished appearance.
Use an old laundry basket to gather your vegetables and fruits. The laundry basket can be used as a colander for your produce. While your freshly harvested fruits and vegetables are still in the basket, rinse them off and any excess water will run off through the laundry basket holes.
Do not underestimate pine as great mulch. Some garden plants have a high acidity, and prefer acidic soil. Pine needles are an excellent form of mulch for these types of plants. Using several inches of needles to cover your beds provides acid for the soil as they begin to decompose.
Avoid over-watering your plants. Excess water may hinder the plant’s roots from getting nutrition from the soil. Check the weather for the next couple of days to see if you actually need to water your plants. You can skip watering for an entire day if rain is on the way.
Procrastination leads to problems in a variety of areas, including organic gardening. Even if you can’t tend to your garden daily, you can do little things to help so that there is not a huge amount of work to be done when you are ready to get back to it. For example, while your canine is outside going to the toilet, take the time to pull out a few weeds.
Rotate your garden annually. Planting your garden in the same area every year will allow fungus to grow there as well. The fungus and bacteria will stay in the ground a whole year and attack your plants when the time is right. Moving the plants to different areas will prevent these invaders from growing on your plants.
Include both green and dry plant refuse in your compost. Green means plant cuttings including grass, produce and weeds. For the dry end of the spectrum, think of things like paper and cardboard, sawdust, hay, etc. Avoid using animal manure, charcoal or diseased plants in your compost.
Using a soaker hose to water your organic garden is the best method. As the water slowly seeps out of the hose, it is directed right to the plant roots so the leaves do not get wet. Soaker hoses don’t use as much water as sprinklers, and make it easy to water plants.
Kill Weeds
When gardening, know what is available for you to use. Rather than dousing your garden with chemical fertilizers, use an organic alternative. One way to naturally feed your plants is through the use of compost. One advantage to using organic gardening methods as opposed to non-organic methods is that non-organic methods have a small chance of reducing soil quality or poisoning the water table.
Do you want to kill weeds naturally? Pile newspapers on top of each other to kill weeds. Weeds require sunlight to grow. When you put newspaper on top of weeds they will suffocate because they are not getting enough light. Newspaper decompose quickly and integrate into the compost. Add visual appeal by placing some mulch over the top.
You have heard a lot about the uses of compost, but you may not know how it is produced. Compost includes natural ingredients and by-products, such as grass clippings, small branches, plant materials and even leftover veggies from the dinner table. Use compost instead of fertilizer that you buy at the store.
Once you know more about organic gardening, getting started should not be so intimidating. Apply these tips and you will quickly be eating luscious and wholesome foods, that you grew yourself!
Rainwater should be saved. Trap rainwater in rain barrels, buckets or anything else that you have to use to water your garden. This saves you from paying for extra water to do your watering. One of the few things in life that is both free and plentiful is rainwater! The natural beneficial relationship between plants and rainwater is also worth noting.