Starting and maintaining an organic garden requires a lot of patience, and an affinity for growing plants. It’s an enjoyable hobby where you can grow your own healthy food. It actually isn’t as hard as it sounds. Read the following tips to discover how to begin horticulture like a pro.
Clay Soil
Shoveling clay soil is tiresome since clay is hard, and it can also stick to your shovel for twice the difficulty. Take the hard work out of using a shovel in clay soil by rubbing a light coat of car or floor wax over the surface with a clean cloth and buff the surface. The wax will help keep dirt from sticking to the shovel, and will also keep the metal from rusting.
It is important to do your homework so you choose plants that produce higher yields. Normally, hybrid plants that are disease-resistant and cold-tolerant have a greater yield than traditional varieties.
The first thing you can do to ward off garden pests is to ensure you are using healthy soil in your garden. Healthy soil equals healthy plants and healthy plants can fight off diseases with ease. Starting with soil that is in good condition can yield the best plants.
Use biennials and annuals to add color to your flower beds. These types of flowers grow at high speed, which gives you more flexibility in changing the look of your flower beds as the seasons change. If there are gaps between the perennials and shrubs you have planted in a sunlit area, try filling those gaps with annuals and biennials. Some of these that you might consider are petunias, marigolds and sunflowers. If those are not flowers you like, you can also try cosmos, holyhocks or rudbeckias.
Your vegetable garden should get at least six hours of sun daily. Most members of the vegetable family need this minimum of light for proper growth. This is true for flowers as well.
Make sure that you divide your irises! If you split up clumps of them, you will eventually have more of this flower. After the foliage dies, pick up bulbous irises. The bulbs should split up normally in the hand, and should flower when replanted for the next year. Split rhizomes with a knife. Throw away the center after carefully cutting new sprouts from the exterior. Make sure that every cutting contains a viable offshoot. Replant each one immediately.
There are several all-natural ways to keep pests out of your garden, including certain plants. Plant marigolds or onions around other vegetables to keep slugs away from them. Insects can be deterred if you use wood ash instead of mulch around trees and shrub seedlings. You can avoid using pesticides that contain harsh chemicals if you employ these techniques.
To give them a boost, pour out any leftover water from steaming or boiling vegetables on the plants or soil around them. It is also possible to utilize coffee ground or tea to make the soil more acidic for gardenias, rhododendrons and other plants that prefer acidic soil. Chamomile tea is effective in combating a fungus problem within your garden.
Gardening can be very relaxing. Peace and relaxation can be found through several different avenues. Gardening is one of the easiest ways to attain this. You will not need to spend a lot of money to grow your garden, and it provides many benefits. Great satisfaction will come from raising produce and flowers in your own environment.
The hobby of organic gardening requires patience and effort, with a little help from Mother Nature. The rewards are healthy, delicious foods without the harsh chemicals of today’s corporate farming practices. Being a competent organic gardener can be achieved by simply putting in some effort, and learning a few helpful tips.
