Some homeowners put a great deal of care and detail into their yards. From ponds and stone walkways to rose beds and gazebos, people take landscaping seriously. Something that may look good in your yard this year is an organic garden. If you’re not sure about how to garden organically, here are some tips.
To be most efficient in your gardening, always keep your tools close at hand. You have several options including using a bucket to hold your tools or wearing pants with lots of sturdy pockets. Keep your trowel, pruning shears and gloves handy so you can do your garden work quickly and easily.
Use your own seeds for gardening in later seasons. This lets you ensure that your plants are organic from start to finish. Take an earlier season of plants and allow them to go to seed before you remove them. This means that not only are your plants growing without pesticides or chemical fertilizers, the seeds were grown without them either.
It is simple to prepare your garden for perennial flowers. 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.
Learn to water your garden efficiently. A soaker hose can be laid in the garden and left on with low water pressure. This frees you up from having to hand-water the plants, so you can do other gardening work. Take care with seedlings, though — they are still delicate and need to be watered by hand.
When watering plants use recycled water, but avoid re-using water from sources such as baths, washing machines, or dishwashing. These water sources may contain harmful chemicals that can be absorbed into your vegetables such as nitrates and phosphates. This water may even contain pathogens that could harm you or your plants.
Variety makes for a better compost pile. By using a wide variety of materials in your compost pile, you are providing a better pH balance, more nutrients and microbial organisms. Shred materials when possible, as smaller particles decompose much faster, but having a few larger materials in there helps to improve the aeration. For the best results, don’t add any more materials once the composting process has begun.
To conserve water and protect your plants, use a soaker hose instead of a sprinkler. A soaker hose is a hose with small holes that lies at the base of your plants and administers water directly to the soil. This deters evaporation and keeps water from touching the foliage, which can cause fungus and disease.
Coffee grounds are a great addition to soil. These coffee grounds have many nitrogenous nutrients that your plants could use. Using coffee grounds or any other source of nitrogen contributes to the growth of taller, fuller blooms.
Research plants before bringing them home. When you are trying to get the best plants for your organic landscape, you should take the time to get educated. Chose plants that are suited to growing conditions you already have, rather than trying to build an environment for a plant you didn’t properly plan for.
In your organic garden, try using floating row covers to prevent moths from laying eggs on your plants. Floating row covers, which are made from lightweight material that has been specially designed to allow light and water to penetrate it, can be used as an effective cover for your plants to stop moths from laying eggs. This helps to protect your plants from caterpillar damage later in the growing season.
The best time to water your organic garden is early in the morning. By watering at the start of the day, you are allowing any moisture that accumulates on the leaves to dissipate. This helps to discourage the growth of any mildew or fungus on the leaves that cold air and water would combine to create.
To prepare the ground for your organic perennial plants, simply cut the turf and turn it over a tree pruning cville few weeks before planting time. Spread wood chips a few inches deep on the freshly-turned soil, and within a couple of weeks the ground will be ideal for your organic perennials. These hardy plants need only a little bit of preparation.
Use rainwater for your organic garden. Water can be collected in barrels when rain fall is at high levels, and then used on your garden during drought periods. This will help to conserve water and provide your plants with all the hydration they need. Most rain barrels have a spicket so you can attach your soaker hose directly to the barrel.
A great tip for getting the most out of your organic garden is to use soaker hoses. These hoses can be left on for several hours on low pressure, which will save you time from having to stand with a regular hose or filling up a watering can. This will give you time to work in another area of your garden.
Keep kitties looking for a bathroom out of your garden with natural deterrents such as black pepper and orange peels. You can also cover the ground around your plants with chicken wire, or purchase a pack of inexpensive wooden chopsticks and poke them in the ground haphazardly. These ideas can protect your vegetables and herbs from being contaminated by toxoplasmosis, a parasite that can be especially harmful to pregnant women.
Keep kitties looking for a bathroom out of your garden with natural deterrents such as black pepper and orange peels. You can also cover the ground around your plants with chicken wire, or purchase a pack of inexpensive wooden http://www.hgtv.com/design/topics/organic chopsticks and poke them in the ground haphazardly. These ideas can protect your vegetables and herbs from being contaminated by toxoplasmosis, a parasite that can be especially harmful to pregnant women.
Not only will creating your own garden save you money and give you healthier fruits and vegetables, but it will also help your state of mind as you work in your garden and grow your very own food. Use these tips to become your own farmer, and reap the benefits!