Organic gardening presents special challenges to overcome. If you plan on gardening the natural way, you might have to understand certain complexities like the soil’s PH balance and bug fighting concoctions. It can sometimes seem a bit difficult to grow organically for a novice. Learn more about organic gardening by reading the helpful tips below.
Your children will enjoy being involved with your organic gardening endeavors. An organic garden will help your child learn more about plants and insects, and it’s a wonderful bonding time while growing healthy produce.
Use approximately two or three inches of natural, organic material as some mulch in every single flower bed. This practice is an easy way to discourage weeds, retain moisture, and add valuable nutrients to your garden. It will also make your flower beds look more finished.
Work efficiently in your garden. By having your tools in one location, you will not spend hours looking for them. Have all of your tools gathered and prepared for use before you work in the garden, and make sure to put them away neatly. You may also wish to invest in a tool belt to keep all of your tools within reach while gardening.
To avoid tracking the mud and dirt that will get on your gardening shoes, use plastic bags. You’ll be able to keep your momentum going without needing to take off your shoes, and stay on track with your gardening project.
Pine Needles
Do not underestimate pine as great mulch. Some garden plants have a higher acidity, and prefer a more acidic soil. If you have these plants in your garden, keep them healthy by using pine needles as mulch. Simply add a layer of pine needles a couple of inches deep to the plant beds. The needles will decompose over time and provide the soil with acidity.
Put coffee grounds in your soil. Coffee has a lot of essential nutrients that plants need. Generally, nitrogen is the limiting nutrient with any plant and having a good nitrogen source either by coffee grounds, compost, or even diluted urea, will make your plants bloom faster and grow taller.
Dried Material
When composting lawn clippings, leaves, and other materials, it is best to add the same amount of green, freshly-cut material as you do dried material. “Green” material refers to things like wilted flowers, weeds, leaves from your yard, and grass clippings. Your dried material can be things such as sawdust, paper shreds, wood shavings, straw and cardboard. Diseased plants, meat and fire-waste like charcoal or ashes should not be placed in your compost pile.
When planting seeds in containers, remember that the planting depth should be around three times bigger than the seed size. There are exceptions, however. Some types of seeds require more direct sunlight than others, and as such they should not be fully covered. Some common examples include ageratum and petunias. If you’re not sure, a guide either comes with seeds, or you can find this information online.
Consider the climate and season when watering your plants. Other factors that influence how much you need to water include time of day, soil factors and how hard your water is. Overzealous watering in an already humid climate can lead to leaf fungus. You have to make sure to water the root system.
Rotate where you plant each type of plant each year. For example, if you usually plant corn in one area of your garden and flowers in another, switch which plant is planted in each section. Keeping plants that belong to the same family in the same place can eventually spark fungus growth and disease. These plant killing phenomena can lay dormant down in the dirt, waiting and willing to strike your next year’s plants. Different plants have different immunities and vulnerabilities. Changing what you plant where will naturally stave off fungus and disease.
Now, you shouldn’t get your hopes up and believe that a few tips are going to turn you into an instant professional gardener. However, these tips are a great starting point if you do plan to grow organically. As you implement these tips and hone your skills, you’ll be a professional green-thumb-holder in no time.
Originally posted 2014-12-14 11:27:43.
