You need to have some knowledge of what to look for and expect from an organic garden. You need to know what resources are available to you and who can provide you answers as to what you need for your organic garden. The tips below can help you with how to start.

If you have specimen plants which need warmer climate zones than the rest of your garden, you can easily create a suitable space for them within your regular garden! Just create a shelter with a south facing wall which will become a solar collector, absorbing warmth in the day and releasing it at night, thus providing your specimen plants with the perfect environment!

Organize your garden so that all your plants are exposed to the sun most of the time. Your house or your trees cast shadows: keep in mind that these shadows move throughout the day. You ideally want your plants to be exposed to the sun in the morning and the afternoon, but not around noon, especially in the summer time.

When and why should shrubs be pruned? Most shrubs need pruning to increase flowering. Deciduous spring and early flowering shrubs should be pruned immediately after flowering. Cut back old wood to encourage new growth. The buds for next year’s flowers will appear on this new wood. Late summer flowering shrubs should be pruned in spring. They will produce flowers on the shoots that grow immediately after pruning. Winter flowering shrubs simply need pruning in early spring to clean up any dead or diseased branches.

To discourage garden pests of the rodent variety from eating your beautiful perennial flowers and tasty vegetables, brush your dog or cat and use bits of the accumulated hair near the base of the plants being bothered. Garden rodents such as moles, gophers, rabbits and chipmunks can smell a predator and while your little Yorkie may not look like much of a threat, it only takes his scent to ward off the garden troublemakers. Don’t have a dog or cat to brush? Volunteer to brush a neighbor’s pet for the cause!

If you like to plant roses, before you buy any variety, ask yourself what characteristics you would like from your roses. Different varieties have different characteristics, such as fragrance, heartiness, and size, to name a few. The traits that you want the most from a rose bush will influence your decision on what variety to plant.

If you plant flowers in a container make sure that you water them and feed them regularly, and that the pots have adequate drainage. Because there is limited soil in the pot, you need to pay more attention to the soil conditions. If the drainage is not adequate your plants will result in root rot.

Diversify the types of plants you grow in your garden. If you only grow one type of plant in your garden and it gets infected with a disease, your whole garden could be wiped out. Also, if you are only growing tomato plants, remember that just 14 tomato plants can yield a year’s supply of tomatoes for two people.

If you are growing tomatoes, be sure to pick an airy spot that gets plenty of light. Tomatoes require at least ten hours of sunlight during an average summer day in order to grow to their peak flavor levels. Good air circulation between and around the plants is also vital to their survival.

Try using latex or plastic gloves instead of cloth gardening gloves. Cloth gardening gloves do not block moisture well – a problem when working with moist soil, and they often get stiff, crinkly, and uncomfortable after a few uses. A sturdy pair of plastic or latex gloves, like those used for cleaning, are a much better choice. They protect against moisture, and cleaning is as simple as rinsing them off under a hose and hanging to dry.

Use your leftover pasta water in your garden! Plants are big starch fans and thrive with water that contains higher levels of starch, like the water left over after you boil pasta or potatoes. Make sure, though, that you let the water sit until it reaches room temperature prior to watering your plants with it!

If your favorite flower pot or garden container has a hole or crack where dirt is leaking through, try lining that area inside the pot with a coffee filter. It works great to hold dirt in and keep your walkways and container gardens neat and clean. Try them out on hanging baskets as well!

You can enjoy fresh corn from your garden for an extended time during the summer by making several plantings. About a week after you plant your first few rows, make another planting of a few more rows. As the harvest from your first planting begins to dwindle, your next planting will be nearing maturity. Depending on the length of the summer season in your area, you might be able to make several plantings.

The easiest way to dry out herbs is by laying newspaper across the backseat of your car and arranging the herbs in a single layer on top of it. The herbs will dry quickly in warm weather, your car will smell remarkably fresh, and cleanup is a breeze.

Choosing colorful perennials for your garden will make a bold statement and will give you much satisfaction throughout the season. Some perennials with interesting foliage are the lungwort, Japanese painted fern, and the hosta. These plants are very attractive and thrive for many months. There are many varieties of perennials to choose from, just go online and search for perennial plants that remain beautiful for many months out of the year.

As you have seen in the above tips, there is a lot of knowledge you can acquire before starting to grow your own organic garden and it’s this knowledge that can help it grow successfully. Do what you must to find out what you need and what you need to do to have a successful organic garden.