Anyone can enjoy the relaxing activity of organic gardening. A beginning organic gardener may find the prospect of getting started to be rather daunting. How can you become a better organic gardener? The best way to start is to continue reading this article!
If you have an organic garden and children, plant some everbearing strawberries for them. Strawberries are a favorite of children due to their sweetness. And since they’re so easy and fun to pick, it’s also a healthy, productive, safe activity that children can assist adults with.
It is easy to quickly prepare your perennial garden ground. Simply slice into the ground with a spade, flip the top layer of soil, and then cover it with several inches of wood chips. Let the area sit for a fortnight, then turn the earth and set up your new perennial bed.
Have your gardening tools near you to minimize the time spent searching for them. Large pockets or a sturdy bucket can be used to store tools. Make sure your trowel, pruning shears, gloves and other important tools are always handy. This will allow you to make easy work of your gardening up-keep!
When working in the garden, try to work as efficiently as possible. Do not spend half an hour looking everywhere for a tool. Keep your tools well-maintained and stored away in a designated place. That way you always know where they are and they are ready to use when you need them. You may also wish to invest in a tool belt to keep all of your tools within reach while gardening.
Laundry Basket
When you want to harvest the produce in your organic garden, always have an old laundry basket to hand. The laundry basket is a perfect strainer for any produce run off. Rinse the produce while it sits in the basket, the extra water will go through the holes in the basket.
Apply equal portions of dried plant material and green into your compost pile. Add grass clippings, waste from fruits and vegetables, leaves, and weeds for the green materials in your compost pile. Your dried material can be things such as sawdust, paper shreds, wood shavings, straw and cardboard. Never put meat in your compost or even the waste from your family pets. These can harbor diseases that won’t be killed by the composting process.
A beer trap can help to eradicate slugs. Start by burying a wide-mouth jar in the soil, ensuring that the rim of the jar is just at the soil’s surface. Next, fill up the jar with beer until there is around one inch between the liquid level and the jar top. The scent of the beer will bait the slugs into the jar and they will become trapped.
A diversity of materials can be used to construct raised beds. These include brick, stone, and wood. When selecting wood, make certain you pick untreated products that have a natural resistance to rot. Cypress, locust and cedar usually work best. Consider the chemicals that will leach out of the wood before choosing anything that has been treated. Remember the affect that such chemicals will have on your plants and soil. Treated wood can be lined with plastic to create a barrier.
More Gardening Ideas & Resources
Now you have the groundwork of knowledge necessary to start enjoying organic gardening. It provides so much opportunity for relaxation in a soothing environment and so much reward when the garden flourishes. These tips are your key to becoming a top-flight organic gardener.