An organic garden can be an essential part of a healthy diet, but understanding it and buying the right equipment can be tricky. There is a diversity of seeds that are suitable for organic horticulture as well. With the following steps, you can make sure that you get exactly what you need for your organic garden to grow properly.
It can be very hard to shovel clay soil, especially when it sticks to your shovel as you are working. Get better results in clay by rubbing car wax or floor wax onto the shovel, then buff off and dig. The wax will prevent any rusting, and the shovel will cut through the soil with great ease.
When winter comes around, save some plants by putting them in the house. You might want to transplant your most valuable varieties. Carefully dig near the roots and transfer those plants into a flower pot.
Make a landscaping plan before you dig your first hole. Doing so means you can remember where each particular plant is when you start seeing sprouts arise from the earth. This can also help prevent you from losing smaller plants or smaller groups of plants within a larger garden area.
Knee Pads
A set of comfortable knee pads makes a great investment if your garden is full of plant material that stays low to the ground. You will spend a lot of time on your knees while gardening, which can result in knee pain. Wear knee pads meant for gardeners so that you’ll be more comfortable when kneeling in your garden.
Do you enjoy fresh mint, but don’t like how they engulf your garden in their growth? Keep your mint growth under control by planting them in pots and/or garden containers. The container can be planted in the ground, and it will still prevent the plant from dominating the garden.
Give peas a head start by sprouting them indoors. Planting them inside helps the seeds germinate better. The seedlings tend to be healthier, which would help them resist diseases and pests more easily. Once they are suitably strong, transplant them outside.
When it comes to harvesting your vegetables, know when the optimal time is to do so. Different vegetables and fruits have their ideal seasons and months where they flourish, survive, and are harvested at the highest quality. For instance, zucchini and baby peas will taste a lot better if you pick them when they are young. However, tomatoes should be as ripe as they can be when pulled from the vine to ensure the best taste. To get the most out of your gardening efforts, find out when to harvest your crops.
Beneficial Insects
When gardening, try not to use broad-spectrum pesticides. These strong pesticides are non-selective, killing beneficial insects as well as pests. Beneficial insects are more susceptible to toxic pesticides than their annoying counterparts, so a broad-spectrum pesticide could kill all of the good bugs first, allowing the population of bad pests to multiply. You will need even more pesticides to deal with the problem, and it will never really go away.
More Gardening Ideas & Resources
Acquiring a good understanding of organic horticulture is necessary to grow all kinds of healthy fruits and vegetables. Use what you learned above to help your whole family prosper with great nutritional food that you grow in your very own organic garden.