When it comes to organic gardening, take note that it requires a lot of patience, as well as a green thumb. The goal of this hobby is to grow pesticide-free and healthy food that you can enjoy. It’s easier than you may think. Read the following tips to discover how to begin gardening like a pro.
A good tip to help your plants stay healthy and fight diseases is to use aspirin water. Dissolve aspirin (1.5 pills per 2 gallons of water) in a bucket and administer to your plants. Spray this mixture onto your plants. Plants should be sprayed once every two to three weeks.
Keep the temperature in your home between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit, if you are keeping or growing any kind of plant in your house. Plants need to be in an environment that is neither too warm nor too cool for them to grow. If your thermostat is normally kept lower in winter, you can use a heat lamp to keep your plants warm enough.
It is easy to quickly prepare your perennial garden ground. Simple slice into the soil with a spade, flip the turf, and mulch the area with 3 to 4 inches of wood chips. After a few weeks, you can then dig into the turf and plant the perennials of your choosing.
Have plastic bags on hand to put over dirty gardening shoes. Doing this prevents lengthy work interruptions, and allows you to finish the job quickly.
Coffee Grounds
Put coffee grounds in your soil. Coffee grounds are filled with nutritional elements plants need, such as nitrogen. Nitrogen is often the most important nutrient when it comes to plants thriving, and a solid source of nitrogen, like coffee grounds, urea, or compost, can boost growth speed and increase height.
A rule of thumb for when you are planting seeds in containers is to make the hole depth around three times larger than the seed itself. There are some seeds, however, that you should not cover at all, since they need sunlight to germinate. Examples of these are petunias and ageratum. If you are unsure if your seeds should be covered, refer to the seed packet, or if that is not available, look for information online.
In an organic garden, ruffle any seedlings with a piece of cardboard, or even your hand, a couple times each day. This probably sounds like an odd recommendation, but research has shown that this technique encourages more plant growth, than no petting at all.
Try using a beer trap to naturally eradicate slugs from your organic garden. Take a glass jar and bury it in your garden so that the top of it is level with the soil. Fill the jar with beer to an inch below the jar’s top. The beer helps attract slugs and they end up trapped.
To make a credible claim that your crops are organically grown, you should be certified as organic by a credible organization. This attracts customers who are willing to drive a little farther and pay a little more for products that are safe and healthy.
Though organic farming can present challenges that traditional farming with the use of chemicals does not, harvesting the crops is reward itself for the hard work. While chemical pesticides and fertilizers may claim to do great things for your garden, organic methods will give you the best crops possible.
More Gardening Ideas & Resources
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. If you are willing to put in the effort and if you follow the tips, you can become a great organic gardener.
