Natural, environmentally-friendly living is catching hold among legions of individuals, as is a preference for organic produce. People who are living this kind of life actually need to grow different types of herbs, as well as other healthy plants which need to be organic. The following advice below helps to improve organic horticulture skills.
Take the proper approach to laying sod. Before you use sod, you need to prepare the soil. Take out any weeds, then mix up the soil into a tilth that is fine. Compact the soil firmly but lightly, and make certain it is flat. Thoroughly moisten the soil. Stagger your sod so that each joint offsets from joints in adjacent rows. Cut away extra sod and save it to fill in gaps you may create later. Water the sod every day for a couple of weeks. Then it should be rooted well and ready for foot traffic.
Many times when digging in clay soil the clay will adhere to the shovel, which will make it much harder to dig. To make working in clay easier, rub the shovel with floor or car wax and then buff it with a cloth. The clay will slide off of its surface and it will prevent rust.
For a garden that thrives, choose the right type of soil. Dependent on the type of plants you are choosing for the garden, the soil may not be right for them. It is also possible to set aside a portion of your garden to include just one type of soil.
If you’re planning on horticulture, carefully watch for stink bugs! You should be particularly careful during Autumn. They like to feast on all kinds of fruits, as well as peppers, tomatoes, and beans. If left uncontrolled, they can cause substantial damage in your garden, so make plans for how to protect your plants from these pests.
Consider planting evergreens that produce berries in your yard. These year-round berries will give the rest of your yard a much-needed pop of color, especially in the winter. Some examples include Holly, Snowberry trees, Winterberry and similar plants.
Familiarize yourself with the optimum harvesting time of your vegetables. Each type of vegetables has its own ideal time for picking for the best flavor. Baby peas, for example have much better flavor if they are harvested early in the ripening process, as does zucchini. On the other hand, tomatoes taste best when they are as ripe as possible from the vine. So, it is good to learn about the best time to harvest your vegetables.
Plant strawberries for your children. Kids are quite eager to pick fruit from a garden, and will help with the planting if they get a nice snack out of it at the end.
Asprin will actually help your plants out by killing diseases. You will need 2 gallons of water and one and one half aspirin mixed together for a wonderful add-on to your plants. Spray the plants with the aspirin water to assist plants in battling disease. The process can be repeated every three weeks or so.
One way to create a great organic garden is to allow for a portion of your yard to be undeveloped for wildlife. Your cultivated garden spaces will benefit from the various insects and wildlife that will inhabit and pollinate the undeveloped space.
It is common knowledge that grounds from brewed coffee are good for soil. Coffee beans are loaded with nitrogen, which offers nourishment for plants. The coffee grounds act as a powerful nitrogen source that will help your plants bloom much quicker.
Keep slugs out of your organic garden naturally, using a beer trap. Place a jar into the soil so that the top of it’s mouth rests parallel with the soil. Next, fill the jar with beer until there is only one inch left below the mouth of the jar. The slugs will be attracted to the beer and will end up being trapped within the confines of the jar.
Treated Wood
You should use wood that is untreated, brick or stone when building the raised bed. Make sure the wood you use is untreated and rot resistant. Some good woods are locust, cedar and cypress. Avoid using treated wood in an organic vegetable garden. The chemicals in the wood can leak into the soil, and eventually into the plants. If you have placed treated wood in your garden, line it with a coat of plastic.
Use these tips and think about some ideas of your own. Organic horticulture can become a part of your life. There is a lot more to learn about organic gardening.