Learning about organic gardening can be very intimidating, but just like other things, it can also be very easily researched and learned. Now that you have found this list of tips, hopefully you can come out a little more informed when it comes to organic gardening, so that you can refine your methods and become a great gardener.

For the fall season, plant a few fall edible plants in your garden containers. Beautiful selections of kale and mustard greens, have lovely shades of greens and purples and offer different textures to the arrangement. Add a few edible pansies to bring color to the green textures. The combination is fetching and will last well into the winter.

When designing your garden, choose high-yield crops, such as tomatoes and herbs. These items will allow you to maximize the space you have available in your garden. The more produce you can grow at home, the more money you can save in your grocery bill each month, so it pays to know what will produce the most for your efforts.

Select plant varieties capable of producing large yields. Traditional strains are often out-performed by hybrids that have been bred for cold tolerance or disease resistance.

If you have a vegetable garden and plan on eating the vegetables, you should inspect them carefully every week. Look for bugs and worms or traces of disease and damages. Do not eat a vegetable that does not look healthy. Make sure you wash your vegetables carefully before you cook them.

Buy Diatomaceous earth as an alternative to toxic pesticides or adding predatory insects to your garden. Diatomaceous earth is natural, organic, and non-toxic as well as inexpensive and easy to find. It is a green way to keep pests under control. Sprinkle over the surface of soil and water as normal.

Slide your fingernails against a bar of soap to prevent dirt from getting under your nails. The dirt doesn’t necessarily hurt you, but you will save time and effort when cleaning your hands later. Instead of having to dig underneath your nails, you can just use a nailbrush to quickly remove the soap residue.

When you’re picking vegetables from your garden, choose to harvest them when they are at the peak of ripeness for the best flavor and the most nutrition. It is best to pick vegetables and fruits in the early morning, because they are still full of moisture and nutrients. With only a few exceptions, anything that you’re not going to use right away can then be preserved by chilling in the refrigerator.

If you spend a lot of time taking care of your garden, get yourself a gardening wheelbarrow. You can put all the gardening supplies that you need on the wheelbarrow and easily push it around to various parts of your garden. This will save you time from looking for various supplies every time you need to tend to your garden.

Consider using weed-control cloth in your garden. Weeds cause a tremendous amount of work for any gardener. While the cloth is not the most attractive option, it does its job. If you place strips of the material in between the rows of your garden, it will keep out the vast majority of the weeds.

Grow evergreen plants. If you grow too many evergreen plants, your garden runs the risk of looking very gloomy, but a few well-placed evergreens can give a year-round framework. Choose evergreen plants with variegated or lighter green foliage, rather than sticking to darker colors. They can be used as a backdrop for spring and summer plants, and be the main attraction in the fall and winter.

To make the most of your garden, it is important to irrigate the land properly and conservatively. While some might be tended to nourish their gardens with too much water, this is not only a waste of water, but is not helpful for your plants. Ensure you water your plants moderately for the healthiest garden possible.

Are you busy with your organic garden? Remember, before you replant your flowers or vegetables outside in cooler weather, you need to get them ready for the change in temperature and light! For a few weeks, move your plants to a colder spot with no light for a few hours. Gradually increase the amount of time you leave your plants in the cold. After a few weeks, your plants should be ready for the cooler outdoors.

Be sure your new compost pile contains roughly the same proportion of dried and green plants. Your green material can be made up of produce waste, used floral arrangements, lawn cuttings, leaves, and other yard waste. Dried plant material includes straw, sawdust, shredded paper, cardboard, and dried and cut-up woody material. Don’t throw charcoal, meat or manure into your compost.

To keep dirt from getting stuck in the leaves of lettuce and other leafy vegetables, use mulch. When the plants appear, spread an inch or two of mulch around the base of the plants. This will prevent dirt from getting into the plant and also help prevent pesky weeds. Just be sure that the mulch is organic and untreated by pesticides.

Try using ladybugs rather than pesticides to protect your plants from insects. You can order large quantities of ladybugs from gardening supply stores for very little money. If you release them near your garden, they will eat pests such as aphids, leaf hoppers, mites and other soft bodied insects, helping to protect your plants from these unwanted critters in the process.

Use rainwater for your organic garden. Water can be collected in barrels when rain fall is at high levels, and then used on your garden during drought periods. This will help to conserve water and provide your plants with all the hydration they need. Most rain barrels have a spicket so you can attach your soaker hose directly to the barrel.

Not as bad as you thought, correct? Like any other subject, the green world of organic gardening is vast and has a wealth of information available on it. Sometimes you just need a hint as to where to start with it so that you can “jump right in.” Now you have the information needed to feel confident to start your organic garden.