Organic gardening may seem to be a very complicated matter when examined closely. You will need to take closer care of your garden if you choose to grow organically, but there are many tools to help you. Organic gardening is way harder than traditional gardening for beginners. Keep reading to find out how the professionals do it.
After planting your garden, maintaining it is still a work in progress. Throughout the summer season, it is a must for a gardener to continue to prune, pick or deadhead blooms. Gardening can be physically exhausting with hauling dirt and digging holes, but at the end of the day, your hard work is paid off by seeing the beauty that you have created.
Transfer your favorite plants inside so they survive the winter. Think about saving your resistant plants or the expensive ones. When you dig up the plant, carefully avoid the roots then place it in a container.
When deciding to take up gardening, it is important to study and know your geographical area. Some vegetation simply can't survive a northern winter. Contrarily, some plants can't survive a Texas summer. As such, it is important to know where you are and what the plants that you intend on growing can handle.
Used tea and coffee grounds make good soil enrichers. Both coffee and tea grounds are great additions when you need to raise the acidity of your soil. If your soil is pH balanced, adding the tea and coffee is good, as flowers such as rhododendrons and azaleas, and fruits such as blueberry, appreciate soil that is on the acidic side. You can work the grounds into the soil before you plant your garden, or sprinkle a little around existing plants once a week or so.
If this is your first time planting a garden, you should purchase seeds and plant them in seed trays to allow them to grow some before planting them outside. By doing this, your plant will be stronger and much more likely to survive once you plant it in the soil outside.
Use a sanitary laundry basket to pick your fruit and vegetable harvest. They are reusable and already have holes so you can rinse the dirt and debris off your yields. It acts like a strainer and will replace the function of wood baskets. Save money and stay green at the same time.
When using fertilizer, moderation can be the key to success. While it's true that using a fertilizer can enhance your garden's productivity, it's better to apply it sparingly. An overdose of fertilizer can cause excessive growth of the plant's foliage with stunted development of the fruit or vegetables thereby reducing your harvest.
Create a certain mood for your garden. Just as with interior design, one of the most exciting aspects of garden design is using color to create a mood or feeling. Use soft blues and purples for a cool and soothing atmosphere, yellows for cheerfulness, and reds and oranges to create excitement. If you are uncomfortable when deciding on colors, choose plants with grey-green or silvery foliage to mix in with your flowers. They will act as a 'buffer' between incompatible colors and link different color schemes.
Don't plant large shade trees in your yard between the curb and the sidewalk. Large trees have powerful root systems. These roots will crawl under the sidewalk, lifting and breaking the sidewalk pavers. The sidewalk can't be repaired properly without removing the tree roots, which would damage the tree. Smaller ornamental trees will do less damage.
If you are planning on growing peas, start them indoors before putting them outdoors in your garden. The seeds will have a better germination rate if you start them indoors. The baby plants will also be stronger and will resist pests and disease better. Once the seedlings have become hardy enough to survive, you can transplant them to your outdoor garden.
To get rid of weeds and household junk at the same time, use shredded junk mail as a fertilizer. Take the shredded pieces of mail, wet them, and lay them in your garden. This will prevent weeds from growing on the places where they are laid, and will also help your plants to fight off diseases.
Remember to mulch before the first freeze. Spread compost or shredded leaves around the garden, mulching under shrubs, hedges, roses, and on top of the crown of any tender perennials. A layer of compost spread on bare ground will help to protect any bulbs, corms or plant roots. By springtime, this compost will have been taken into the ground by worms, and your soil will be full of nutrition, ready for new planting.
Take care of your knees while working in the garden. Bending over for a long while is quite difficult for a lot of people. Concentrate on kneeling. This will still make it easy to reach plants as well as minimize back stress. You can buy a knee pad, put it on the ground and kneel on it so that you wont have to deal with knee pain.
A great tip when participating in organic gardening is to always wash your containers. This is needed so that you will protect your plants from getting any diseases. You should wash them in warm, soapy water, and then rinse using a diluted solution of bleach and water. This will ensure that your plants stay healthy.
Make mulch spreading easier with the right tools. After laying out the mulch, use a flat-headed rake to efficiently spread the manure around. The tines of the rake help pull the mulch and spread it, while the flat side of the rake evens out the area. Use the rake with a pushing and pulling motion.
Now, you shouldn't get your hopes up and believe that a few tips are going to turn you into an instant professional gardener. However, these tips are a great starting point if you do plan to grow organically. As you implement these tips and hone your skills, you'll be a professional green-thumb-holder in no time.
Transfer your favorite plants inside so they survive the winter. Think about saving your resistant plants or the expensive ones. When you dig up the plant, carefully avoid the roots then place it in a container.
When deciding to take up gardening, it is important to study and know your geographical area. Some vegetation simply can't survive a northern winter. Contrarily, some plants can't survive a Texas summer. As such, it is important to know where you are and what the plants that you intend on growing can handle.
Used tea and coffee grounds make good soil enrichers. Both coffee and tea grounds are great additions when you need to raise the acidity of your soil. If your soil is pH balanced, adding the tea and coffee is good, as flowers such as rhododendrons and azaleas, and fruits such as blueberry, appreciate soil that is on the acidic side. You can work the grounds into the soil before you plant your garden, or sprinkle a little around existing plants once a week or so.
If this is your first time planting a garden, you should purchase seeds and plant them in seed trays to allow them to grow some before planting them outside. By doing this, your plant will be stronger and much more likely to survive once you plant it in the soil outside.
Use a sanitary laundry basket to pick your fruit and vegetable harvest. They are reusable and already have holes so you can rinse the dirt and debris off your yields. It acts like a strainer and will replace the function of wood baskets. Save money and stay green at the same time.
When using fertilizer, moderation can be the key to success. While it's true that using a fertilizer can enhance your garden's productivity, it's better to apply it sparingly. An overdose of fertilizer can cause excessive growth of the plant's foliage with stunted development of the fruit or vegetables thereby reducing your harvest.
Create a certain mood for your garden. Just as with interior design, one of the most exciting aspects of garden design is using color to create a mood or feeling. Use soft blues and purples for a cool and soothing atmosphere, yellows for cheerfulness, and reds and oranges to create excitement. If you are uncomfortable when deciding on colors, choose plants with grey-green or silvery foliage to mix in with your flowers. They will act as a 'buffer' between incompatible colors and link different color schemes.
Don't plant large shade trees in your yard between the curb and the sidewalk. Large trees have powerful root systems. These roots will crawl under the sidewalk, lifting and breaking the sidewalk pavers. The sidewalk can't be repaired properly without removing the tree roots, which would damage the tree. Smaller ornamental trees will do less damage.
If you are planning on growing peas, start them indoors before putting them outdoors in your garden. The seeds will have a better germination rate if you start them indoors. The baby plants will also be stronger and will resist pests and disease better. Once the seedlings have become hardy enough to survive, you can transplant them to your outdoor garden.
To get rid of weeds and household junk at the same time, use shredded junk mail as a fertilizer. Take the shredded pieces of mail, wet them, and lay them in your garden. This will prevent weeds from growing on the places where they are laid, and will also help your plants to fight off diseases.
Take care of your knees while working in the garden. Bending over for a long while is quite difficult for a lot of people. Concentrate on kneeling. This will still make it easy to reach plants as well as minimize back stress. You can buy a knee pad, put it on the ground and kneel on it so that you wont have to deal with knee pain.
A great tip when participating in organic gardening is to always wash your containers. This is needed so that you will protect your plants from getting any diseases. You should wash them in warm, soapy water, and then rinse using a diluted solution of bleach and water. This will ensure that your plants stay healthy.
Make mulch spreading easier with the right tools. After laying out the mulch, use a flat-headed rake to efficiently spread the manure around. The tines of the rake help pull the mulch and spread it, while the flat side of the rake evens out the area. Use the rake with a pushing and pulling motion.
Now, you shouldn't get your hopes up and believe that a few tips are going to turn you into an instant professional gardener. However, these tips are a great starting point if you do plan to grow organically. As you implement these tips and hone your skills, you'll be a professional green-thumb-holder in no time.