If you’re planning on eating healthier and saving a lot of money on groceries, growing an organic garden will accomplish that and much more. It can be a little daunting, however. From the type of mulch to use to the right equipment, there are many questions you need answered. There are a lot of different kinds of seeds you can choose from. Follow these steps to grow your very own organic garden.
Learn how to properly lay sod. Before the sod can be laid, you should prepare the soil. Be sure to get rid of any weeds, and then proceed to break up the soil to get it ready to use. The next step is compacting your soil and carefully leveling it. Thoroughly moisten the soil. Then lay the sod in staggered rows so the joints are offset. Press the sod down firmly so that the surface is flat and even. If there are gaps remaining, fill them with a bit of soil. According to your climate, you will likely need to water the new sod daily over a period of a couple of weeks. This will insure proper root formation and establishment.
Plants need C02 for maximum growth. With a high level of CO2 plants will grow much better. A greenhouse has the best levels available. Higher CO2 levels can provide optimal conditions for growing plants.
Keep your garden fertilized. Manure is probably the best fertilizer. Choose a commercial product to reduce the risks of pathogen exposure. There are numerous types of fertilizers available. What type you select is less of a concern; any kind of fertilizer is better than none.
Learn the best harvest time for each vegetable. Every veggie variety has an ideal time frame for picking, so it’s important to catch them when their flavors peak. Some vegetables, such as zucchini and baby peas, should be harvested when they are relatively young. However, tomatoes should be as ripe as they can be when pulled from the vine to ensure the best taste. You should know the proper time to pick vegetables.
During the day, when the weather is hot, vegetables tend to be softer, which causes them to be damaged even if you gently pick them. Cut them with a tool rather than pulling or twisting, otherwise you could damage the plant itself.
Protecting your knees while gardening is essential. Most people can’t bend for long periods while standing. Kneeling can relieve pain in your back, but can instead be painful to your knees. Use a knee pad so that your knees don’t get sore.
If you have recently sustained a cut, you should allow it to heal entirely before toiling in your garden. If you simply cannot wait to get back to horticulture, you should at least cover the cut to protect it. If you have an open cut while gardening, contact with dirt or debris can infect the wound. Bandage all cuts completely, using bandages that cover and seal cuts.
Pine can be a wonderful mulch. Some plants are highly acidic, and like soil that is acidic too. For such plants, pine needles function both as a handy mulch and as a soil amendment to lower the pH. Go ahead and cover the beds you have with needles a couple of inches and while they decompose, they actually disperse some acid into the soil.
When you are growing seedlings in your organic garden, lightly brush over them using your hand up to twice a day. Although this method may seem counterproductive, it actually helps the seeds to grow quicker and stronger.
In order to claim your crops are legitimately organic and be credible, it is important to your customers that you become organic garden certified. That way, you will realize greater sales volume and demonstrate the value of your produce to potential and returning customers.
Organic Garden
The more you read, the more you understand how great growing an organic garden can be and how important adding what you grow in your garden to your dietary habits can be. Using the information that has been provided is a great way to start an organic garden of your own.
Originally posted 2013-11-07 13:43:48.
