You are ready to grow a healthy organic garden. The time to do it is now. This article is packed with tips and inspiration that will allow you to better understand the basics of organic gardening. Read on!
Shoveling clay is very difficult and lots of work because the clay is hard and sticks to the shovel, making it tough to handle. Get better results in clay by rubbing car wax or floor wax onto the shovel, then buff off and dig. The clay will no longer stick to the shovel, and this also helps to prevent other problems like rusting.
Try to plan a variety of perennials that are slug-proof. Snails and slugs are garden nightmares, and only need a single evening to obliterate a plant. These garden pests prefer perennials with thin, flat, delicate leaves, particularly if the plant is not yet mature. Perennials that have tough or hairy leaves are often times unappetizing to snails and slugs. Good choices in this category are plants such as achillea, campanula, and euphorbia. Heuchera and helleborus also work well.
Starting a garden with the best soil is a great defense mechanism against pests. Healthier plants are stronger, which in turn can help the plants you grow to become more resistant to disease and bugs that can harm them. You want to cultivate quality soil with adequate salt levels, which leads to healthy plants.
Stink Bugs
Keep an eye open for stink bugs in your garden, especially during the fall months. Stink bugs like to reside in tomatoes, beans, and pepper plants, as well as many fruits. They can do serious damage in your garden, so look for an effective method of reducing their population.
If you want your garden to blossom with flowers throughout the spring and summer, plant some bulbs in it. Planting and growing bulbs is very simple, and once planted the bulbs will grow for years. Different types of bulbs bloom at different times, so if you choose appropriately, you can have blooms from early spring to late summer.
Don't cut your grass too short! If you let your grass keep some height after mowing, it will be able to absorb more sun and moisture resulting in a lusher, greener lawn. If the grass is too short that will lead to shallow roots, which will cause a brown and dried-out lawn.
If you're growing veggies in the garden, they need to be in a spot that lets them get about six hours of sun daily. Most vegetables need at least that much sun for optimal growth speed. Some flowers also have the same needs.
To keep pests away, you can use plants in the garden or other natural materials. For example, planting a border consisting of marigolds or onions can repel slugs. Wood ash also makes a great insect deterrent; simply use it as mulch around your shrub and tree seedlings. Using these methods eliminates your need of chemical pesticides.
When planting anything, think about planting for color so that you have something to enjoy in the fall. That doesn't have to be way it is though! Autumn is the most colorful season of all, foliage-wise. Fall hues of orange, yellow and red can be seen falling from maple trees, and dogwoods and beech trees offer comparable spectacles. When you choose shrubbery, try hydrangea, barberry, or cotoneaster.
Water your garden regularly and smartly. You can water efficiently by using a soaker hose which will eliminate the necessity of watering each plant one by one with a nozzle, or having to use a water can that you have to refill over and over. To protect your plants, keep the flow on the soaker down. Let it water the plants for a while as you do other things.
Avoid sun damage by dressing appropriately whenever you will be gardening in the sun. Wear a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen to protect your skin from the damaging effects of the sun. When you protect yourself against the sun's rays, you are more likely to avoid both skin cancer and sunburn.
Allow your children to actively participate in planting your organic garden. Toiling together in the garden brings your family closer together and offers many different opportunities to learn new things and instill green values.
Keep your horticulture tools close by to maximize gardening efficiency. Use a bucket large enough to hold all your equipment or wear pants with multiple pockets. Keep common tools such as your gloves or your pruning shears within reach so that you can quickly and easily maintain your garden whenever you need to.
Don't let all the little chores in your organic garden build up. While you may not be able to spend a lot of time every day in your garden, even little items done daily will stop the mountain of work from growing. For example, snatch out a weed or two whenever you pass by the garden, such as when you take your dog out for a potty break.
Organic Horticulture
You should now feel enthusiastically prepared to enter the relaxing and productive world of organic horticulture. Even veteran organic gardeners might have learned a thing or two. The tips above should have given you some advice and a few ideas, so that you can begin an organic horticulture adventure in your own backyard.