You wish to make a fresh and healthy organic garden. Well your timing could not be more perfect! The following tips can help you realize your plans for your garden.
Grow some wheat grass or cat grass next to the plants your cat seems to prefer. Offensive smells also work to repel cats and other pesky animals from eating your plants. Try putting mothballs, citrus peels, garlic and other pungent items on the topsoil.
A set of knee pads are a life saver if you’re an avid gardener and a lot of your plants sit close to the ground. You will end up spending a good deal of time on your knees and this can cause a lot of pain by the end of the day. Having a good pair of knee pads will cushion your knees in comfort.
Use natural pest control when possible. Slugs stay away from marigolds and onions when they are planted in a garden. Wood ash can be used as mulch, and if put on the base of shrub and tree seedlings, will keep insects away. These methods are environmentally-friendly and mean you do not have to resort to harsh chemicals.
Try placing evergreens that grow berries around your garden. These types of trees can offer your garden a splash of color, especially during the winter when all other plants and trees have lost their hues. Some evergreens that will provide winter color are the American Holly, Common Snowberry, American Cranberrybush, and the Winterberry.
You should be cognizant of the peak time for harvesting your vegetables. Every vegetable has a proper time to be picked in order to capture the perfect flavor. For instance, for the best flavor, zucchini and baby peas should be picked when they are young. Plant winter vegetables at the right time for a sweeter flavor. So, make sure you do some research, and find out when the best time to harvest your vegetables is.
Beneficial Insects
Make sure your pesticides are focused on only what you’re trying to kill. Besides killing the insects you don’t want, this type of pesticide will also kill beneficial insects. Beneficial insects are more susceptible to strong pesticides than the insects you are actually trying to get rid of. This will lead you to end up killing off the good bugs in your garden, leaving the field wide open for the harmful ones. This may then lead to using even more pesticides to eliminate this new problem.
Efficiently water your garden. You can save time by using soaker hoses when watering plants. By doing this, you won’t need to water your plants individually. Use low water pressure with your soaker hose so that the force of the water does not harm sprouts and seedlings. Let it water your garden for a few hours, so you’re available to do other stuff.
Consider planting strawberries, especially ones that are everbearing, for your garden if you have small children. Children are thrilled to harvest fruit from their own garden, and doing so often makes them more enthusiastic about helping out with the more hum-drum aspects of tending a garden.
When gardening, it is critical to shield your knees as much as possible. It’s difficult for most people to bend while standing, especially at the waist. To get down to plant level without pain, try kneeling instead. For extra comfort, purchase a knee pad for use as a cushion between your knees and the ground.
If you have recently suffered a cut, discontinue horticulture until the cut has healed completely. If an open wound is not protected while you are working in the garden, dirt and bacteria may cause the cut to become infected. Instead, opt for a bandage that entirely covers your wound.
When you are growing organic plants within the home or an enclosed area, considering how much light the plants will receive must be emphasized. If you are living in a place that does not have a lot of natural sunlight, think about cultivating plants that do well in lower lighting situations. If you do and this does not help, consider investing in some grow-lights.
When you are doing work in your garden, be efficient. Do not waste your time looking for tools. Prepare them all ahead of time and have them handy before you need to garden, and then put them back in their place when done. You can keep your garden tools in a tool belt, or in your pockets. Another good idea is to keep them all in a bucket that you carry around with you.
Pine Needles
Pine needles should not be overlooked as a great source for mulch. Some plants do better in soil with high acidity as they are highly acidic themselves. When you have plants like this, nothing is easier than to gather pine needles for your beds. Spread the needles over the beds in a layer that is approximately 2-inches deep. Over time, the needles will begin to decay, supplying the soil with acid as they do.
You should now feel enthusiastically prepared to enter the relaxing and productive world of organic gardening. If you already knew about organic gardening, you should be an expert by now. Hopefully, the advice you have learned will give you the knowledge and confidence you need to produce a beautiful and beneficial organic garden.