As the organic movement gains momentum, increasing numbers of people are being attracted to holistic lifestyles. Anyone living this kind of life usually has to organically grow their own herbs and plants to maintain their way of living. See the piece that follows for several effective ideas for growing an organic garden.
Lay sod properly. You want to prepare the soil before you lay down the sod. Pull out any weeds and break up the soil. Next, you want to make the soil compacted by applying light but firm pressure. Make sure the soil creates a flat surface. The soil should be adequately moistened. The optimum layout of sod rows is to stagger them with offset joints. After the sod has been flattened to an even surface, you can use soil to fill any remaining gaps. According to your climate, you will likely need to water the new sod daily over a period of a couple of weeks. This will insure proper root formation and establishment.
You must be sure to remove all of the weeds that grow in your garden. Weeds can truly ruin a good garden. For this task, try using white vinegar. White vinegar will kill those pesky weeds. If you are too busy to pull weeds by hand, make a white vinegar solution and keep it handy for a quick spray when needed.
Mint Leaves
If you would love to have access to fresh and healthy mint leaves from your own back yard, but dread the way the plant spreads so quickly, worry not. That’s why it’s better to place mint in containers rather than letting it have free rein in your garden. The container will keep the roots from spreading throughout you garden, and prevent the mint leaves from sprouting in other areas.
There are natural materials, and you can also use other plants to help keep pests away from your garden. A good way to keep slugs away is to create a border with onions around a garden with vegetables. Marigolds would do this trick as well. Wood ash can be used as mulch, and if put on the base of shrub and tree seedlings, will keep insects away. These methods prevent use of harsh chemicals.
Novice gardeners should read the manuals on all gardening tools and chemicals prior to using them. If you miss this easy step, you run the risk of harming yourself due to the chemicals that can irritate your skin. Directions, especially safety rules, are there for your own good, so make sure you follow instructions on your tools and chemicals to the letter.
Think about using evergreens in your yard that produce berries during the year. These evergreens will color your lawn, even when other flowers are not blooming. Plants that provide instant winter color include Holly, Winterberry, American Cranberrybush, and the American Holly.
Two items you need to invest in when working in a garden are a wheelbarrow, and a kneeling stool. Gardening 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. Horticulture also usually requires that you transport heavy loads, such as dirt or mulch, and a wheelbarrow will make this much easier to do.
The nutrients from vegetables can help. If you steam your vegetables, you can pour the remaining water around them. If you grow rhododendrons, azaleas or gardenias, increase the acid in your your soil by working in coffee or tea grounds. Herbal chamomile tea is an effective, affordable treatment for fighting fungi.
Don’t use pesticides that aren’t meant to kill specific types of garden pests. Broad-spectrum pesticides will kill insects that are helpful to your garden as well as the harmful ones. Beneficial bugs are usually several orders more sensitive to the things you spray than the pests you are trying to kill, so you might wind up dropping the good bug populace and open the door to pest population growth. You will need even more pesticides to deal with the problem, and it will never really go away.
As in most things, the more you know about organic gardening, the more successful you will be. Keep in mind that the tips in this article are only intended as a starting point.