Organic horticulture is known as a hobby that requires both a green thumb and great patience. This is a hobby where the goal is to grow food that is healthy and pesticide free. It might sound easy, but is it? Read the following tips to discover how to begin gardening like a pro.
Put sod down the right way. Prior to laying the sod, prepare your soil. Take out any weeds, then mix up the soil into a tilth that is fine. Compact the soil lightly and firmly, and be sure to create a flat surface. Make sure you work with a moist soil. Lay the sod down in alternated rows, keeping the joints set off from one another. Press the sod down firmly so that the surface is flat and even. If there are gaps remaining, fill them with a bit of soil. The sod requires water on a daily basis for two weeks, then the roots will have taken hold and ready to be walked on.
Utilize your garden tool handles as convenient makeshift rulers. Large handled tools like rakes, hoes or shovels may be used like measuring sticks. Lay the handles on the floor, then run the measuring tape down next to them. Label the distances using a permanent marker. Now when you go to work in the garden, you will have a ruler that is large at your fingertips!
Try using annuals and biennials to add color to your flower beds, and brighten them up. Fast growing biennials and annuals can enliven a flower bed while letting you change up the look each season and year. You can fill any spaces between shrubs and perennials when they are in the sun. There are plenty of varieties including petunia, marigold, cosmos, sunflower, hollyhock, and rudbeckia.
Do a soil analysis prior to planting. You can actually get an analysis of soil for a little fee, and with the report you get back you can figure out how to create a vibrant garden by enriching it properly. A lot of extension offices will offer this service and it is worth it so you know what your soil needs.
Seeds should be soaked in a dark area overnight. Put a few seeds in a small container and fill it near to the top with water. This will hydrate the seeds and facilitate growth. This improves the chances of successful plant development.
Protect the soil around your vegetable plants with an inch or two of organic mulch. The mulch will keep the soil around the plants moist a little longer. It also keeps weeds from growing. This will save you time, money, and effort in your lovely garden.
An easy, inexpensive way to give them nutrients is to pour the leftover water from your steamed vegetables into the soil. Add coffee grounds or tea leaves to the soil of acid-loving plants like rhododendron and gardenia. Chamomile tea can be used as an effective fungicide for potted plants.
You don’t have to plant just for spring and summer. Consider what are often beautiful colors in the fall. That doesn’t have to be the case. Fall foliage provides for the most colorful season of the year. Maple trees produce yellow and red leaves, just like Beech and Dogwood trees. Shrubs such as cotoneaster, hydrangea, and barberry will also provide a splash of color in the fall.
You can help to prevent your plants from developing diseases with aspirin water. Your plants can benefit from a solution you can make by dissolving one and one-half aspirins into a couple of gallons of water. All you need to do is spray the plants with the solution in order to battle common ailments. Use this method every three weeks.
Coffee grounds are a good addition to your soil. Coffee beans are loaded with nitrogen, which offers nourishment for plants. A strong nitrogen source in your garden area is a wonderful way to have healthy and strong plants.
Space is very important when you plant an organic garden. You must think of how much room the plants will take up as they grow, and it easy to underestimate this. Space is necessary for the plants, but air circulation is also important. Therefore, ensure that you allow for ample spaces between your seedlings.
An organic gardener enjoys the benefits of working with nature, producing wonderful food through hard work and patience. A hobby that results in growing something delicious to eat. Follow the tips and put in the needed effort, and you will be a successful organic gardener.