Many people have enjoyed the hobby of gardening for many years. It can be something that springs from a need to feed a growing family, or simply out of the joy of cultivating life and good nutrition. If you want to learn more about horticulture, then this is the article for you!
Use your tool handles as rulers in the garden. Large handled tools such as shovels, rakes, and hoes can be used as measuring sticks. Place the handles on the ground and measure them. With a permanent marker, note pertinent measurements on the tool handle. Now, the next time you do work in the garden, you’ll actually have a ruler at your fingertips.
Stink Bugs
When gardening in the fall, you need to be watching for stink bugs. Stink bugs like to eat beans, peppers, tomatoes, and all sorts of fruit. If left unattended, your garden could be ravaged by these bugs, so you need to proactively keep their population under control.
Plant some wheat grass or cat grass near where you car tends to nibble in your garden. You can also put something on top of the soil around the plants that has an offensive smell to cats, such as mothballs or citrus peel.
All of your vegetable plants should have approximately two inches, just outside the stem, of organic mulch placed around them. The mulch will add beneficial moisture to your soil. In addition, mulch will help you to prevent weeds. You will be able to save the time you would spend watering your plants and pulling out weeds.
Before you start working in your garden, purchase a wheelbarrow and a good kneeling stool. Horticulture can take a toll on the knees, but a small ergonomic stool will be a comfortable solution. Gardeners usually need a wheelbarrow to move the heavy dirt and other objects so they are a good item to buy.
Know the perfect time to harvest the vegetables in your garden. Each kind of vegetable should be picked at a specific point for maximum flavor. Some vegetables are best when fully ripe and others taste better when harvested early in their development. Plant winter vegetables at the right time for a sweeter flavor. So, learn about the ideal harvest time for your vegetables.
Select a specific type of plant to be the focal point of your garden. The best garden designers always use a focal point that draws the eye. The best focal points are those plants that really stand out from those that are adjacent.
Add some heather plants to your garden, to attract good insects. Bees love heather, and it’s one of the earliest sources of nectar for the bees when they emerge during springtime. Heather beds are also attractive to bugs such as spiders and ground beetles that will kill pests. If you do have to tend to your heather, wear gloves in case you accidentally annoy one of the residents!
If you want a sustainable garden, leave a part of it undisturbed for wildlife to enjoy. Doing this will allow creatures that help plants to produce and pollinate to continue their actions, which will have a positive effect on the garden you develop.
Indoor Plants
Indoor plants have been bred over time to thrive in temperatures that are characteristic of a home. Most indoor plants like to be in about 70 degree temperatures, plus or minus 5 degrees. The temperature needs to be this warm so they are able to grow. If you don’t want you house to be really warm during the cold season, you could use a heat lamp on organic plants instead.
Do you want to get rid of weeds in a natural way? Pile newspapers on top of each other to kill weeds. Weeds need sunlight to grow. The layers of newspaper over the weeds will block out the light and kill them. Newspapers easily break down over a period of time, and eventually become a portion of the compost. One way to enhance the appearance of your garden if you are using newspapers is to add an additional layer of mulch.
If you’re planning on selling crops to people and labeling them as organic, you will need to receive an organic gardening certification. This should boost your sales while proving to your customers that they are getting healthy products.
While organic horticulture costs more and requires more effort, the produce that will come out of your garden will be healthier for you. Chemicals can be beneficial, but a chemical free organic garden will always produce the best results.
Adding a lot of mulch to your garden is a great tip to implement in order to keep your garden healthy. Mulch can protect the ground it sits upon. On hot days, mulch insulates the ground, keeping it cool and protecting your plants’ roots. It greatly reduces water loss, keeping the soil moist with fewer waterings. Mulch also prevents the growth of weeds.
What plants are native to your area? Use native grass, plants and bushes. If you choose groups of plants that all mesh with each other in terms of optimal soil conditions, weather requirements and plant interaction, you won’t need to do as much work to get the plants to coexist peacefully. By planting native plants that are used to growing in your location, you will see that they can gain their nutrients from the compost that is made from the surrounding plants and native ingredients.
As this article noted earlier, horticulture is a centuries old pastime that countless generations have enjoyed and benefited from. Back in the day, gardening was a necessary in order to survive. In these times, gardening can be an enjoyable hobby, a backyard source for fresh veggies, or an income generator. The advice provided to you can assist you in horticulture, no matter what your reason for doing so. Love your hobby and enjoy the rewards!