The main reason people decide to go organic when gardening is that they think commercial chemicals, including pesticides and fertilizers, may degrade soil quality, harm the environment and cause long-term damage to their personal health. Additionally, a lot of organic horticulture techniques do not cost a lot of money. Read on for some advice about how to work in your organic garden.
Think about planting your seeds in indoor pots and then transplanting them to your garden once they become seedlings. This really increases the survival rate of young plants. This is also a good way to tighten up your planting schedule. When you remove your mature plants, the next batch of seedlings should be ready.
Be sure to weed your garden. A vibrant garden will be overrun with weeds if they are left alone. To help with the removal, you can use white vinegar. White vinegar will definitely kill the weeds! Use a spray bottle full of white vinegar and you won’t have to use your hands.
Coffee Grounds
If the soil in your garden has a high concentration of alkaline, try mixing some coffee grounds into your garden’s soil. Coffee grounds are an inexpensive way to increase the acid level in your soil. You will discover that your vegetables are more flavorful than ever before.
Irises can benefit from being separated. You can create additional irises by splitting up irises that are growing into each other’s space. Try to life the bulbous irises when foliage begins to die. The bulbs should split up normally in the hand, and should flower when replanted for the next year. Divide up the rhizomes with a knife. Cut new pieces from the outside and discard the old center. Be sure to retain a sturdy offshoot on every piece that you intend to plant. Plant immediately.
It is important to follow the instructions on your chemicals and tools closely, especially if you are new to gardening. If you use your horticulture chemicals wrong, you can abrade or even burn your skin. Keep yourself safe and always follow instructions.
Take care of your knees while working in the garden. It’s not a good idea to spend much time standing while you are bent over at the waist. Due to this, most people choose to garden while on their knees, which also makes it easier to tend to plants. Place a cushioning kneeling pad on the ground or wear knee pads to make kneeling more comfortable.
Keep your tools handy to work more efficiently. Wear pants with multiple pockets or use a toolbox or large bucket. Have gloves, small shears, a trowel and any other tools you may need on hand to make it simpler to maintain your garden.
When your plants begin to sprout, they can survive in somewhat cooler temperatures. It’s important to move the plants away from any heat source as they grow larger. If you have plastic films on your containers, remove them. You need to read the seeds to know the best time to do this.
You should add a two to three inch layer of organic mulch to your flower bed. This will help to inhibit weed growth, helps to lock in moisture, and adds needed nutrients to your organic garden. It also adds a uniform and cohesive look to the garden.
Organic Garden
You should always take spacing into account when placing plants in your organic garden. Do not underestimate the space that plants need to develop their root systems. Failure to provide adequate room will restrict growth because it forces plants to compete for valuable nutrients and oxygen. Plan your organic garden while keeping this in mind, and space your seeds accordingly, when planting.
To get the most from your composting efforts, aim for a 1:1 ratio of dried materials and green plant products. Green plant material comprises leaves, weeds, spent flowers, grass clippings, and fruit and vegetable waste. Dried plant material consists of sawdust, shredded paper, cardboard, straw, and cut-up and dried wood material. You should not use things like meat scraps, charcoal, blighted plants or the manure of meat-eating animals in your compost.
It is a good idea to get organic garden certification so as to reaffirm your claims that your products really are organic. This will increase sales and shows your customers they’ve been buying from the best.
Organic horticulture is a high-risk, high-reward activity compared to normal gardening, but the rewards certainly are sweet. Even though the claims of the chemicals may be astounding, the organic way is always going to provide the best reward to you and whoever is eating your crops.
By taking advantage of the advice you’ve read in this article, you’ll be able to have a garden free of pesticides and full of healthy produce. A flourishing organic garden will also be an open invitation to some very interesting creatures of the wild that you can look forward to seeing.