Lots of people grow organically due to their concerns about the harmful effects of all the different pesticides and commercial fertilizers on the environment and their health. A lot of techniques for organic gardening actually don’t cost a lot of money. Keep reading for some useful tips on organic gardening.
Organic gardening is a safe hobby to share with your children. Gardens are a wonderful place for kids to learn, and working side by side with them can strengthen the bond that you have.
Ward off certain diseases that plague plants with the use of aspirin. Dissolve one aspirin and a half for 2 gallons of water. Spray this mixture onto your plants. Use this method every three weeks.
Keep your tools handy to work more efficiently. You could do this by using a big bucket, or just wear old pants that have some deep pockets. Have gloves, shears, a trowel and anything else you need handy for quick use.
Flower Beds
Use several inches of organic materials for mulch in your flower beds. Mulching helps to hold moisture in the soil, enhance the soil quality, and slow down the growth of weeds. Mulch will also improve the general appearance of your flower beds.
When you are planning on growing a garden, you should think about the space you will need to provide a healthy growing area for your plants. You can underestimate how much space you need when they are growing. You will need to provide this space to provide ample room and because you need air circulating to your garden. Make sure your seeds have a good amount of space between each other for optimal growth.
Try not to let the chores associated to your organic garden build up. No matter what your schedule is like, you should be able to fit in small things that will help you avoid having an overwhelming amount of work all at once. For example, if you have a dog, pull a few weeds while you are outdoors with the dog. Over time, you keep your garden weed free without adding any additional time on to your day.
Consider solving your weed problem without the use of toxic chemicals. Take layers of newspapers and use them for weed control. Without exposure to the sun, weeds cannot thrive. When you cover weeds with newspaper layers, they suffocate due to lack of light. Newspaper decompose quickly and integrate into the compost. Of course, you may wish to cover the paper with mulch to make it appear more attractive.
When planting seeds you should cover them with fine soil. Determine its depth by looking at the seed’s size and multiplying it by three. There are exceptions, however. Some types of seeds require more direct sunlight than others, and as such they should not be fully covered. Two of the common examples are petunias and ageratum. If you are unsure about your seed’s requirements for sunlight, the resources are often provided along with the seeds, or you can find out online.
Use alcohol to help control the slugs in your garden by fashioning a beer trap. Take a glass jar and bury it so that the soil is even with its mouth. Pour enough beer into the jar to fill it below an inch from the top. Slugs will crawl into the jar to get the beer and not be able to get out again.
More Gardening Ideas & Resources
If you follow these advice on organic gardening, you will be able to have a productive, toxic-free, healthy garden in the future. When your garden works with nature, you will also be able to notice an increase in the number of wildlife inhabiting your garden.
