A smart way to build a healthier diet is to start an organic garden. Much patience and effort are required though, in order to produce a successful and flourishing organic garden. You may be curious as to how to start the organic gardening process.
Protect your seedlings from frost with clay pots. Early spring is a perilous time for a new garden. You want to get your plants going as soon as possible to ensure plenty of grow time, but a single frost can wipe out your fragile seedlings. To protect your tiny plants from frost at night, simply place a small, upside down clay pot on each seedling. They will insulate from the cold and protect from the wind.
A key element to having a great garden is to fertilize it. There are many different types of fertilizers available at most home stores, but what works for different types of gardens varies. Manure is a great choice, but it does smell. A commercially produced manure will have no pathogens to contaminate the vegetables in the garden. Some people swear by chemical fertilizers, yet they are not an organic way to grow.
It is important that you not forget to water your garden on a regular basis, especially when it is hot. If your plants do not get enough water, roots stay near the surface which can kill your plants or cause them to take even longer to grow. About an inch of water a week is sufficient.
To make birds stay away from the produce you’re growing in your garden, tie mylar balloons near your plants. These will scare away the birds and keep your fruit and veggies safe until you’re ready to pick them. Silver balloons or balloons that sparkle in the sun make especially effective bird repellents.
Do not give your garden too much fertilizer. Providing fertilizer to your plants allows them to better make food from sunlight. Too much fertilizer, however, can cause your plant to grow too fast, which prevents it from fruiting or flowering. The excess chemicals left in your soil can wash away and pollute the local ground water.
When gardening, it is important that you protect your ears. If you can not hear someone around you while you are working with machinery, than the sound can be damaging to your ears. An easy way to help alleviate this problem is to wear ear plugs when using loud machinery.
To ensure success with your rose bushes you need to follow four simple steps. Water deeply twice a week, rather than shallowly more often, and avoid splashing the leaves with water to prevent disease. Make sure your roses are planted where they receive at least six hours of sun a day. Space your roses far enough apart to ensure air circulation and deter mildew. Finally, keep soil pH between 6.5 and .8.
If you have clay soil, the most important thing to do is work it over and amend it with some type of compost. Plants tend to do well this type of soil once they are established, as they can sink their roots deep enough into an area that never dries out. Conversely, plants in lighter soil need watering constantly. Remember to place an organic mulch on the surface, which will stop the surface from baking in the summer.
Wind up your water hose after each time that you water your garden. Winding up your hose will keep you from tripping over it, and help you find the watering end of the hose easily any time you need it. Winding the hose on a hose reel will also help your hose last longer.
Make sure your garden will get sun before planting the seeds. Plants love the sun and will grow better when exposed to it. If it is not too much trouble, consider moving your garden to another area to get the maximum amount of sunshine. This way your plants will grow bigger.
It is important to wear eye protection when you are gardening. Many people do not realize that chemicals can easily get splashed, fertilizer can be blown or dirt can land in their eyes. All of these things can cause major damage to the eye. If wearing eye protection the chances of having your eyes damaged are greatly decreased.
If you don’t have the space to have an actual garden in the ground, it’s perfectly acceptable to have an organic garden in containers. There are only a few root vegetables like asparagus that won’t grow well in containers, so feel free to explore. Containers are perfect to grow organic tomatoes, green beans, green onions and many other organic vegetables.
Use soap on your plants. Not much is worse than a bad aphid infestation. Your plants will look terrible, and eventually die, if the bugs continue to work on your plants. To get rid of them now, fill a spray bottle with dish soap and water. Spray thoroughly, and repeat as needed.
Planting a living hedge around your property has many benefits. Hedges provide a softer barrier to mark the perimeter of your property and are less forbidding than a structured wall. A living hedge will provide privacy but still discourage trespassing by animals or people. If you have a hedge that blooms, it can be a lovely backdrop in addition to your landscape.
Most organic fertilizers will not harm the soft roots of plants, unlike, synthetic fertilizers. A great way to use an organic fertilizer is to mix it with the top two inches of soil next to the plant. This is called side-dressing, and it is usually worked into the soil during the growing season.
Praise the areas of your yard where grass will not grow. Do not be discouraged. Do not try to regrow glass there. Go ahead and take this opportunity to change your ground cover a more natural choice. Look for something that is low-maintenance, and put anywhere grass is struggling to thrive.
So, as you have seen, it is true that organic gardening requires research, work, and effort to start growing your own organic plants. Persistence and patience are also important traits for successful organic gardener. By using the above tips, you will have a marvelous organic garden in no time.
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