If you know what you are doing, organic gardening is a great hobby. Here are some suggestions to get you on the right path to successful organic gardening.
If little ones live in your home, consider including everbearing strawberries in the garden plot. Children enjoy picking fresh fruit, especially if they can eat it right away.
You can help your plants resist disease by spraying them with aspirin water. Crush and dissolve one and one-half 325mg tablets in two full gallons of plain water. Simply spray your plants with the mixture, and this will help them fend off various diseases. You should spray your plants about once every three weeks.
If you are a fan of organic, sustainable gardening methods, consider leaving part of your backyard untouched so that natural plants and wildlife can flourish in the area. You will then find that the wildlife that can help you create a garden that can flourish become present; from birds to insects, they’ll be around your garden and help your produce grow better.
Sprouting seeds need less warmth than before. Locate your plants further from your heat source as they mature. You can now take off any protective coverings on your plants that were there to shield them from the elements. Watching your plants as they grow will give you the insight on when to employ these tactics.
Flower Beds
Put an organic material, such as mulch two or three inches deep, in your flower beds. Mulch will minimize weed growth and maximize nutrients and moisture. In addition, your flower beds will have a beautiful, finished appearance year round.
Try to keep plastic bags on hand to cover shoes that are muddy. You’ll be able to keep your momentum going without needing to take off your shoes, and stay on track with your gardening project.
Do not overlook the benefits of pine mulch for your garden. Some plants need acidic soil to grow properly, because of their own acid content. For such plants, pine needles function both as a handy mulch and as a soil amendment to lower the pH. Cover your beds with two inches of needles; acid will be dispersed into the soil as they decompose.
When maintaining your organic garden, try lightly petting your seedlings — either with the palm of your hand or something like a sheet of cardboard — once or twice each day. While this appears strange, research shows it can help plants grow larger, versus not petting them at all.
Untreated Wood
Create raised beds with stone, brick or untreated wood. If you choose to use wood, make sure it is naturally rot resistant and untreated. Good choices are cypress, cedar and locust. Don’t use treated wood in a garden for vegetables because the chemicals contained in them can leak into the ground. In the event your vegetable garden already has treated wood as part of its enclosure, consider replacing it, or painting it, or wrapping the treated wood in some protective covering. Keep in mind that if any of the untreated wood is below the ground, you should dig it up to make sure that you completely protect your vegetable garden from the chemicals in the treated wood.
To be able to say you have legitimate organic and credible crops, you will need to be certified as having an organic garden. This can boost sales and tell loyal customers that you’re providing the best to them.
More Gardening Ideas & Resources
As you’ve read, there is more to doing organic gardening than many think. Getting your organic garden to produce rich results requires much effort and patience, but you will find the end results quite worth it. If you use the advice above, you can improve your skills at organic gardening.
