Many people are interested in organic gardening but are unsure how to get started. This is because people often feel too discouraged or incompetent to try something that sounds as complicated and unusual as organic gardening. Peruse the following article to discover some very useful advice that will prepare you for success in this most enjoyable pastime of organic horticulture.
Start your seedlings in pots inside and then transplant them into your garden. Once the plant is hardy enough, plant it in your garden. This also helps tighten time between plantings. As soon as you harvest the mature plants in your garden, your new seedlings will be large enough to plant outside!
Fight pests before you even plant, by getting your soil in shape. Healthy plants can better ward off pests and diseases. Start your garden off with a high-quality soil that you can enrich over time.
Soil Analysis
Before you begin to plant your garden you will need to check the soil. You can obtain a soil analysis for a nominal fee. Using that report, you can amend your soil as needed for a thriving garden. Many offices of Cooperative Extension will do a soil analysis, and it is important to know how to improve soil so that all crops can grow in it.
During fall, you should plant cold weather vegetables. This year, instead of using your regular clay pots to plant your kale and lettuce, use a pumpkin as the container instead! After cutting an opening and removing the meat and seeds from inside the pumpkin, use Wilt-Pruf, sprayed throughout the inside and cut edges, and prevent rot from occurring. You can now use it to plant in, as you would a pot.
Put money into a quality wheelbarrow and kneeling stool if you plan to do garden work often. Horticulture can be very tough on the knees as you spend much time leaning near the ground, so a portable stool can make all the difference to your comfort. In addition, maintaining a garden typically means moving around heavy dirt and other objects, which makes buying a wheelbarrow a very smart purchase.
You can help provide nutrients by watering your plants with room temperature water that is leftover after cooking vegetables. Tea and coffee grounds can be used to add acidity to your soil for plants like gardenias and rhododendrons. If you are having problems with fungus, you may find that sprinkling Chamomile tea on the plant is effective.
Pick a plant that will be a focal point. In a well designed garden you should have a focal point so that your eyes will stay there. The focal point should be a plant totally different from the others around it.
Be careful how you water your garden. Use a soaker hose to save time so that you do not have to water each plant individually with a hose nozzle, or a watering can that needs to be refilled repeatedly. Use low water pressure for your hose so that you do not cause harm to the tender members of your garden. You can take care of other tasks or just relax while your plants are automatically watered for an hour or so.
You must consider how much light is available when starting your plants indoors. If your house or apartment doesn't get a lot of natural light, one option is to grow something that only requires medium or low light. If your plants still need more light, there are always artificial light sources that you can use.
After your seeds have sprouted, heat lamps are not needed. As they begin growing you can move them farther away from heat sources. Also, remove plastic coverings from the tops of your growing containers to keep them from becoming too warm or humid. Keep a close watch on your seeds to know when to do this.
Organic Garden
Once you understand and begin utilizing the tips you have read, the thought of working on your own organic garden should not seem intimidating at all. Put this information to work for you in your organic garden and soon your kitchen will have an abundance of fresh, all natural and delicious produce.