There is quite a bit to learn if your goal is to have a healthy and wonderful garden. Horticulture takes some effort, but it is also a pleasant and rewarding hobby. This article has some advice for having more fun and less work in your garden.
Select plant types that will bring a higher profits and yield. A plant that is resistant to disease, or one that is tolerant of extreme weather, will deliver a higher yield.
The handles on your horticulture tools can be used as a convenient measuring instrument. Tools with long handles, such as rakes, shovels or hoes can work as great measuring sticks. Lay the handles onto the floor and place a measuring tape beside them. With a permanent marker, note pertinent measurements on the tool handle. Now you will always possess a large ruler ready for your use in the garden.
Long plants that run up or around a fence or wall are often useful for masking ugliness. These climbing plants will help beautify an old fence, and they are fast workers too. You can also train climbers to cover arbors and other things that you want covered, and they will even grow right through trees and shrubs. Some require ties attaching them to supports, but others will attach themselves to any surface nearby. Climbing roses, honeysuckle, wisteria, clematis, and jasmine are some great plants to try out.
Coffee Grounds
If the soil in your garden has a high concentration of alkaline, try mixing some coffee grounds into your garden's soil. Coffee grounds contain plenty of acid to get the soil back to a good balance. You will notice that your vegetables and greens will have a stronger taste.
Prior to planting a garden, think through what you want to do. It will be a while before things start to sprout and visually remind you of what was planted where, so a written record can be helpful. This can also help prevent you from losing smaller plants or smaller groups of plants within a larger garden area.
Try to ensure your plants are dry and have enough air, daily! Plant moisture is a big attraction to both parasites and plant diseases. An example of a common plant parasite is fungi. Fungicidal spray treatments can contain fungi, but spraying prior to problems even developing in the first place is the best way to go about it.
When you're dealing with a veggie garden, pest control may be difficult. Avoid using a bunch of harsh chemical pesticides in your garden. Don't forget you intend on eating these vegetables. Persistence and care is a much better solution for pest control, but many avoid it because it actually requires some work on their behalf. If you find any unwanted pests, try removing them by hand.
Irrigate your garden efficiently. Use a type of soaker hose so that you don't need to do individual waterings with the hose nozzle, or be refilling a watering can constantly. Turn the water on at low pressure so your delicate plants will not be damaged by the soaker hose. This allows you to leave the hose running as you go about your business.
If you have problems keeping the dog out of the garden, spray things like aftershave, perfume or other scents on the grass surrounding the garden. This will mask the garden smell that is attracting your dog, and it will make it a less appealing place for your dog to visit.
Consider planting strawberries, especially ones that are everbearing, for your garden if you have small children. Children are thrilled to harvest fruit from their own garden, and doing so often makes them more enthusiastic about helping out with the more hum-drum aspects of tending a garden.
Try to put an aspirin in the water to get rid of plant diseases. Try dissolving around one and one half aspirins into around 2 gallons of water for your plants. The solution can then be used to spray the entire plant, and will offer protection naturally. Apply at three week intervals.
Prior to working in the garden, make sure any cuts on your hands heal completely, or shield any cuts from contact with chemicals and dirt. It is possible for a cut to become extremely infected if it comes into contact with dirt and grime while gardening. Bandages are available that will completely cover the cut so that this cannot happen.
When planting seeds, make sure to take your time. The first thing you should do before planting is moisturize the soil. Plant the seeds evenly to ensure that they have ample room to grow. Bury the seed with a planting depth of about three times its size. Some seeds you won't have to bury because they need light in order to grow.
You need to make sure you are very efficient when working in your organic garden. Don't waste your time looking for missing tools. Prepare them all ahead of time and have them handy before you need to garden, and then put them back in their place when done. A good way to keep your tools at hand is to buy a tool belt or utility pants with many large pockets.
Coffee Grounds
Coffee grounds are a good addition to your soil. Coffee has a lot of essential nutrients that plants need. It is best for your plants to use coffee grounds that are part of a blend of ingredients in the compost or soil you are using for your plants, rather than directly adding coffee grounds to your garden plants.
Consider solving your weed problem without the use of toxic chemicals. Take layers of newspapers and use them for weed control. Weeds require sunlight to continue growing. If the weeds have already sprouted, you can place the newspapers over them and they will die due to lack of sunlight. Newspapers easily break down over a period of time, and eventually become a portion of the compost. It can look more attractive by adding a mulch layer.
With these tips, you're better equipped to grow the most beautiful garden you can imagine. In learning how to create your dream garden, you'll also be growing as a person. That's because learning how to nurture your plants will not only help you reach the goal of having a great garden, but it will help you learn to nurture yourself.