Organic gardening can either be a wonderful hobby, or a nuisance nightmare. The following advice will show you how to grow an organic garden successfully.
It can be very hard to shovel clay soil, especially when it sticks to your shovel as you are working. 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. This will make your task easier because the clay won’t stick to the shovel. It will also keep your garden tool from rusting.
Use climbers to cover walls and fences. Climbing plants are known to be very versatile, and can help hide any ugly wall or fence, and this often only takes one growing season. They can be trained to grow over an arbor, or through trees and shrubs that are already in the garden. Some may need to be attached to a support, and others will attach themselves to any surface using their twining stems or tendrils. Some climbers that have proven to be reliable are honeysuckle, jasmine, wisteria, clematis, and climbing roses.
Before you begin to plant your garden you will need to check the soil. Have a soil analysis completed so you can know what you need to add to have soil which will fully support your garden. You can often find Cooperative Extension offices that provide this service, which can help to make your garden flourish.
A set of comfortable knee pads makes a great investment if your garden is full of plant material that stays low to the ground. Gardening is supposed to be relaxing and enjoyable; you don’t want to finish every horticulture session with aching, throbbing knees. Your knees can get supported with a decent pair of gardening knee pads.
You should make sure to divide your irises. You can divide those overgrown clumps and increase the amount of irises you have. Once the foliage has died off, lift out your bulbous irises. These bulbs will divide into several parts naturally when you pick them up. You can then replant them, and watch them flower the following year. Use a knife to divide the rhizomes. Cut out new pieces from outside the bulb and throw away the old center. Don’t plant any pieces that don’t have any strong offshoots. Replant your new rhizome pieces as soon as you have finished the cuttings.
Using pest-resistant plants or natural materials in your garden is a good way to keep pests away. Planting marigolds or onions around the border of your vegetable garden will help repel slugs. Keep insects away from shrub and tree seedlings with mulch containing wood ash. These are methods you can use to get rid of the need to use pesticides.
It is particularly important for new gardeners to read and follow instructions that come with tools, as well as chemicals. Failing to heed this simple advice can mean skin irritation that you are going to remember, and not pleasantly at that. For your own safety, take the time to read and follow the instructions.
Think about planting evergreen plants that will produce berries in the backyard. They will provide a splash of color in the drab and dreary winter months when a lot of other plants have lost their colors. These plants come in several different varieties, including the Winterberry, American Holly, Cranberrybush, and Common Snowberry.
Cooled water left over from steaming vegetables can be fed to them as a little snack. To add acidity to the soil of your rhododendrons and gardenias, use coffee or tea grounds. If your garden has a fungus problem, a highly effective treatment method is to sprinkle it with chamomile tea.
If you have a cut, be careful about exposing it to soil or gardening chemicals. A cut may become badly infected if it’s exposed to a lot of dirt or grime when you garden. Bandages are available that will completely cover the cut so that this cannot happen.
Mix used coffee grounds into your soil. They contain nitrogenous nutrients which are essential to plant growth. A strong nitrogen source in your garden area is a wonderful way to have healthy and strong plants.
Organic gardening does take some effort, but anyone can do if they approach it with the right attitude. It involves lots of work as well as patience, but it’s so worth it when you see your beautiful organic garden. By following the above tips, you are well on your way to increasing your organic horticulture skills.