As the organic movement gains momentum, increasing numbers of people are being attracted to holistic lifestyles. The tenets of holistic living require use of herbs and certain other plants, which need to be organic. If you’d like to grow your own organic plants, read on for some useful tips.
Strawberries are a great plant to grow in any organic garden, especially if you happen to have kids or any strawberry lover in your home. A lot of children not only love to pick out their own fruit but they also love to learn about it as well.
Growing Plants
If you are growing plants organically indoors, you have to consider the light that they are getting. If you live somewhere without strong natural sunlight, you might want to look into growing plants that thrive in lower-light environments. If you cannot achieve success merely through plant selection, consider using artificial light sources.
Having a garden of perennials can be an easy and quick process. Slice under the grass with a spade, flip the layer you have lifted over, and spread three inches of wood chips on top. Wait two weeks, then dig in and plant the new perennials.
Try to keep plastic bags on hand to cover shoes that are muddy. Having these available lets you keep your flow in movement, and helps you return to your gardening fast so you can finish up your day.
You should always take spacing into account when placing plants in your organic garden. It is easy to underestimate the amount of space that the plants will take up once they start to grow. The plants will inevitably need to unfurl and spread, but they also need the circulation of air from open spaces. Make sure your seeds have a good amount of space between each other for optimal growth.
Laundry Basket
When it is time to gather your produce, you should use an older laundry basket. You can also use a laundry basket as a strainer. Rinse your produce while it lays in the basket; any excess water strains off through the laundry basket holes.
Apply equal portions of dried plant material and green into your compost pile. Green plant material comprises leaves, weeds, spent flowers, grass clippings, and fruit and vegetable waste. Paper and straw are dry plant materials. Avoid using ashes, charcoal, diseased plants and meat-eating animal manure.
Killing weeds the natural way? Take newspapers and layer them for controlling weeds. Without exposure to the sun, weeds cannot thrive. By covering them with a layer of newspaper, you are essentially suffocating the weeds due to a lack of light. It’s easy for newspapers to break down over an extended period of time, making them great for compost. Add visual appeal by placing some mulch over the top.
A useful technique for organic gardening, is to gently disturb your seedlings by using your fingers or a piece of cardboard one or two times daily. Although this method may seem counterproductive, it actually helps the seeds to grow quicker and stronger.
Slugs are a nuisance that can be easily remedied with the use of an organic beer tramp. Dig a hole just deep enough for a glass jar to be placed in it while the jar still has its rim in line with the surface of the ground. Next, fill the jar with beer until there is only one inch left below the mouth of the jar. Slugs will crawl into the jar to get the beer and not be able to get out again.
More Gardening Ideas & Resources
Your organic gardening efforts will get easier as you pick up more and more tips and techniques about this activity. Remember that these tips are only the starting point.
