One of the tenets of organic horticulture is to focus on the garden and to tend it well. Gardeners need to use all the information they can to create and tend to their organic garden. This can help you grow tastier and happier produce. Use the following tips to create a flourishing and very rewarding organic garden.
Flat Surface
Properly put down your sod. Before you lay the sod, the soil has to be prepared. Eradicate any weeds and work the soil until it is very fine. When the soil is clean, pack it tightly and create a flat surface. Thoroughly water the soil. Sod must be arranged in staggered rows; each joint should offset one another. Sod should be firm and have an even, flat surface without gaps. Water the sod every day for a couple of weeks. Then it should be rooted well and ready for foot traffic.
Digging in clay soil with a shovel can be very difficult. The clay isn’t easy to work with and will adhere to the shovel, which only makes the problem worse. To make the clay soft so you aren’t working as hard, take floor or car wax and rub a light coat on the surface of the shovel using a clean cloth, then buff the surface. Not only will the clay slide off the surface, but it will keep the end from rusting.
Biennials and annuals are great if you would like to better your flower bed. These types of flowers grow at high speed, which gives you more flexibility in changing the look of your flower beds as the seasons change. They are very helpful when trying to fill in gaps between shrubs and perennials in an area that is sunny. Notable biennials and annuals include marigold, sunflowers, hollyhock, petunia, and cosmos.
Do a soil analysis prior to planting. There are soil testing services that can analyze a garden’s soil content for a small charge. With those results, it’s then possible to refine and supplement the soil to make it as fertile as possible. Before you ruin any crops, make sure you do this. Soil can be analyzed at a lot of cooperative extension offices, so make sure you plan accordingly.
When autumn has arrived, you must plant everything you want to eat before winter. Clay pots are boring, so replace those ordinary lettuce and kale pots with pumpkins. Simply carve open the top of a pumpkin so you can remove the innards, and then spray inside and out with something like Wilt-Pruf to prevent pumpkin rotting. Once you have finished, you can begin planting.
You should divide irises. To increase the number that you have, you need to take all your overgrown clumps and split them up. Once the foliage has died off, lift out your bulbous irises. The iris bulbs should easily split apart in your hand. Once you replant them, they will have a good flower show the following year. Rhizomes, however, need to be divided by using a gardening knife. Cut healthy pieces from the root stalk and throw out the dead center. A strong offshoot is needed on every piece that you decide to plant. Do this cutting beside your garden bed, so that you can place your new groupings into the ground immediately.
Place a few inches of organically based mulch around your vegetable plants. Mulch has a nice moisturizing effect on the soil it’s spread over. It will also dramatically decrease weed growth. Your plants will receive extra water and nutrients, and you’ll spend less time dealing with weeds.
Use a wheelbarrow and a kneeling stool when you’re working in your garden. Spending too much time on the ground working can be quite hard on your knees, and a gardening stool can help alleviate this, plus make things more comfortable for you. Horticulture also requires transporting heavy objects and lots of dirt, so purchasing a wheelbarrow can be a very smart investment.
Plant with fall season color in mind. However, that does not have to be the case! When it comes to brightly colored foliage, fall is an amazing time of year. There are a number of trees that provide exuberant displays of color, such as Dogwood, Beech and Maple. As you select your shrubbery, consider hydrangea, barberry or other similar plantings.
Pick your vegetables when the temperature is moderate to avoid bruising them. Also ensure that you use a tool to cut the vegetables off at the vine. If you just yank or twist the whole plant, it may become damaged.
To create an English garden, combine a lot of different plants in the same garden. You should avoid using plants of the same height so that your flower bed doesn’t look flat and uniform.
Take care of your knees while working in the garden. Bending over for a long while is quite difficult for a lot of people. Kneeling allows you to reach your plants easily and is healthier for your back and legs. You can purchase an inexpensive kneeling pad for horticulture in order to protect your knees.
Organic Horticulture
As you’ve read from the above tips, proper organic horticulture may really affect the nutrients and freshness of your produce. You’ll have to put in a lot of effort and be patient, but the results organic horticulture can give you are worth all the work.