Many people have enjoyed the hobby of gardening for many years. It can be undertaken for daily subsistence, or just for the simple joys it brings. This article can help you experience the joy of gardening.

Pay attention to the compatibility of your plants. You can plant tall plants, such as tomatoes, and use them to shade such sun-sensitive plants as lettuce and spinach. These combinations can reduce the amount of fertile space your garden requires while also increasing the yield of all the types of plants you have.

To save on energy, cost, and resources, don’t plant more of a crop in your garden than you are able to use. If you’re not planning on selling your crops at a market, planting more than you can use will just end up wasting resources and space in your garden. If you have extra space, look into planting a variety of crops instead.

Use organic matter in your garden. When you remove a plant, fill in the soil with organic matter so that the soil can renew itself quickly. You can use a small quantity of organic matter if you notice that some of your plants do not look healthy, or to prepare the soil at the beginning of a new season.

To keep dirt from getting under your fingernails while gardening, reach for a bar of soap beforehand! As much as we all love gardening, none of us really enjoy all that soil that gets stuck under our nails that can be so challenging to remove. Simply claw a bar of soap before you begin working in your garden and when finished, run your hands under water and as the soap washes away, so does the dirt!

To make sure your garden looks great from season to season, plan ahead. Make sure your garden includes both annuals, biennials, and perennials so that you can always count on something blooming. Before you plant any flower, think about what you want for your garden in the next year or two.

To keep pests out of your garden without using chemicals, try planting onions at your garden’s borders. The scent of the onion will work as a natural repellent and will keep many creatures from disturbing your plants. As an added bonus, this allows you to regularly have fresh onions to use in your cooking.

Be careful when applying mulch. Too much can suffocate a plant’s roots and prevent moisture from penetrating deeply into the soil. Too little will not be able to suppress weed growth, effectively. An appropriate amount is 2 to 3 inches of organic mulch. Always keep mulch away from a plant’s crown or stems.

If you do not like chemical insect repellants you should consider using herbs instead. Herbs like chives can be used in place of the chemical insect repellants to keep bugs from eating your flowers and produce. You can grow chives yourself or buy them at your local grocery store.

Start your organic garden with a good strategic plan. This helps you know exactly where each plant will go in your garden so that you can maximize the few hours you have to garden each day. As part of your plan, take notes on what plants you will use to replace short-lived crops such as spinach and lettuce.

Pine can be a wonderful mulch. Some plants like acidic soil because they have high acidity. If this is the case, use pine needles to mulch your beds. Sprinkle the pine needles over your beds. As the needles decompose, they add to the acid level in the soil.

Organic fertilizers are better for the soil than chemical fertilizers. The soil will absorb the organic fertilizer of its essential nutrients and natural substances which will foster growth in plants. This is ideal because you are not adding unwanted chemicals to the soil that might harm plants long-term. The key to successful organic gardening is building healthy soil so that plants will thrive today and for future seasons.

If you have a problem with aphids, consider using ladybugs. Ladybugs are natural predators to aphids, and they are very effective in keeping the aphid population under control. You can buy them in bulk from a garden center or online. This is a much better solution than spraying your plants with pesticides.

A natural, albeit somewhat tedious, way to keep pests and fungus from destroying your organic fruit crop is to use plastic zipper bags. When the fruits are still young on the branches, place them in large zipper bags secured at the top with staples. Cut off a bottom corner to allow for adequate drainage.

Examine the soil for its physical condition. If your soil is dense, water will not go deep enough into the soil, and the plant roots will stay close to the surface, resulting in shallow roots. The soil will also be hard to dig. You want your soil to be loose enough so that plant roots can grow downward instead of sideways.

Gardening can not only be an excellent hobby for consuming time, but is great for saving money and aiding a healthy diet. Organic gardening techniques allow you to be involved in the entire planting and growing process, while using only the safest and most sustainable resources.

If organic gardening is something that you are interested in, make sure you do your research. There are so many resources available in print and also on the internet. Find out what you need to get started in your organic gardening ventures. It can be fun and rewarding in the end.

Before you begin planting in an area of your organic garden and before you begin making a mulch cover, you need to be sure to water the area very thoroughly. Be sure to do this both before and after you are done applying a sturdy mulch cover in your garden.

As noted previously, people have enjoyed gardening for many centuries. Back in the day, gardening was a necessary in order to survive. Today, however, gardening is done for many reasons, including necessity, financial gain, and personal satisfaction. The information in this article can increase the joys of your gardening for any reason! Enjoy everything that gardening has to offer!