Horticulture can be extremely complex, especially when you examine all of its components. This is especially true if you want to garden naturally. You may need to learn everything from soil pH to controlling pests without chemicals. It can sometimes seem a bit difficult to grow organically for a novice. Be certain you do things the correct way, and get some help from the information offered below.
Use your tool handles as rulers in the garden. Large handled tools like rakes, hoes or shovels may be used like measuring sticks. All you have to do is lay them on the floor then use a measuring tape to measure their length. It’s a good idea to label distances with a permanent marker. Now you have easy access to a long ruler whenever you are gardening.
Try to have a plan with your garden. Doing this makes it easier to keep track of where you planted what when you first start to see sprouts. This is important, because different plants require different care.
To help young plants, try pouring boiling water on top of nearby weeds. The safest herbicide that you can probably find is a cup of boiling water. Literally pour the water on the weeds, avoiding any wanted plants near them, and watch the weeds die over time. What this does it essentially kill the weeds by damaging their roots. The result is that those weeds are unlikely to regrow.
Fertilize your garden. Manure is probably the best fertilizer. Choose a commercial product to reduce the risks of pathogen exposure. You can choose from many different fertilizers. Do not worry about the kind of fertilizer you end up using but definitely put down something.
Make sure to wear sun protection gear if you’ll be working in the garden in the sun. Clothing should keep your skin covered, and don’t forget to wear a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. Protecting yourself from the sun will lower your chances of getting skin cancer, as well as prevent premature aging from sun damage.
To create an English garden, combine a lot of different plants in the same garden. Plants that are all at the same height makes a garden bed look flat and uninteresting.
Cover your muddy shoes with plastic bags. This allows you to keep going, getting back to your garden quickly.
Pine Needles
Pine makes a much better mulch than you might think. Some garden plants are high in acidity, and do better with acidic soil. If this is the case, use pine needles to mulch your beds. Cover soil beds with a few inches of pine needles, and they will disperse acidity to the soil below as they decompose.
Get more value out of your property. When you landscape, you can get one of the highest returns. When you invest into plants they can do a lot to your home, they can raise the resale value of your home by 20% and possibly more. Plants that are low in moisture and suit your environment are a good investment.
In order to construct your raised beds, make use of untreated brick, stone, wood and other materials. If you choose wood, it needs to be naturally rot resistant and untreated. Good choices are cypress, cedar and locust. If you use treated wood in your vegetable garden, the chemicals in the wood can make their way into the soil, and in turn, to your crops. If you’re using treated lumber, line it with a barrier, or some plastic.
Though organic farming can present challenges that traditional farming with the use of chemicals does not, harvesting the crops is reward itself for the hard work. Chemical giants claim miracles, but those miracle crops come at a price to whoever eats the produce.
Rotating plots of garden has been done for centuries, and there is good reason for that! When plants of the same family are planted in the same spot year after year, it can encourage the growth of fungus and disease. The diseases and fungi are harbored in the soil and are ready to make a comeback each year. If you change things and plant your garden in a different area, you will have a way to keep fungus at bay.
Understand the variety of natural horticulture solutions that can be used to tend an organic garden. Try using organic substitutes for the typical chemical fertilizers. Compost works great for this. Unlike inorganic fertilizers, compost fertilizers do not add toxic chemicals to the soil which could get in your water supply.
When choosing plants for your organic garden, make sure you have a plan about what you want to grow. Different varieties of plants call for different environments and climates. As an example, take the beautiful rose bush. There are hundreds of variances available and while some will do well in your garden, others won’t. Make sure you check on what environment a plant is best suited for before you purchase it.
Be sure you know how you should buy plants that you want to add in your organic garden. Keep this in mind when you are purchasing annuals, biennials, and perennials. Purchase plants that have budded, but not yet in bloom. Buying them this way ensures that the root system will grow strong in your organic garden.
Now, you shouldn’t get your hopes up and believe that a few tips are going to turn you into an instant professional gardener. However, these tips are a great starting point if you do plan to grow organically. As you implement these tips and hone your skills, you’ll be a professional green-thumb-holder in no time.