If you want to improve your diet, you may want to get into organic gardening. Consider your garden an investment of your time and hard work. Perhaps you are hesitating about where to begin.
Garlic strategically located throughout your garden is a great way to keep the insect pests away without using chemicals. The smell is unpleasant for many kinds of insects. Encircle your most valuable plants with garlic to keep insects and other plants from devouring them quite so readily. A great benefit to planting garlic is you can use it for yourself because it is edible.
You should use wood that is untreated, brick or stone when building the raised bed. Choose a wood that is resistant to rot and does not contain any chemicals. Some good woods are locust, cedar and cypress. Treated wood has chemicals that can be harmful to a vegetable garden. You may have previously used treated lumber; if so, you should use a plastic liner to cover it.
You have to decide what you want to grow in your organic garden. Many garden plants come in a wide range of varieties, and these varieties can often have quite different care requirements. Consider roses; whereas one variety may thrive in direct sunlight, others may prefer shaded areas. Know your specific surroundings and what will thrive there.
Some advise passing your hand gently over your newly planted seedlings each day. It sounds weird, but research has shown that handling the seedling like this often will make them grow bigger than seedlings that are ignored.
Pine Needles
Don’t underestimate pine as a great mulch. Many types of plants thrive in soil that has high acid levels. Plants like these thrive when you use pine needles as mulch. Spread a few inches of pine needles on your organic beds so that it will put the acid into your soil.
Consider the value of the crops you choose to grow. That being said, a plant that is valuable to one person may be of no value to another. If you plant plants that cost you more to purchase at the local market than what they cost to look after, then in the long run, you will save a lot of money. Plant things you love, to enjoy their results.
Water based on the current climate and the season. You will need to water differently depending on what time it is or what kind of soil you are using. Overzealous watering in an already humid climate can lead to leaf fungus. Water the roots with care.
Plant a variety of foliage native to your region for the best garden. The more plants you have, the more wildlife that will come. Try to keep nature in balance by planting a variety of species in the garden. If you can manage this, the garden will be the perfect place to relax, and you’ll have done a little something for the environment.
Do some research on the botanical insecticides that are available in your area, many of which are extremely helpful in preventing pests from invading your garden. Sometimes natural insecticides are more efficient than the synthetic pesticides you can buy. However, botanical insecticides do not last as long due to their composition.
Think about the shades trees will cast before planting them. Trees that throw shade on your home during the hot summer months can be an important ally in reducing energy costs.
Plant Material
Be sure your new compost pile contains roughly the same proportion of dried and green plants. Examples of green plant material are spent flowers, fruit and vegetable waste, grass clippings, weeds, and leaves. Dried plant material, however, can include items such as cardboard, sawdust and shredded paper. Certain substances will undermine your composting efforts and cancel out any benefits; these include meat, charcoal, ash or plants that have diseases or fungal growths.
A beer trap can help to eradicate slugs. Get a clean, empty glass jar to use as a trap. Bury it with its mouth facing upwards. Keep putting dirt over the jar until the mouth is at the surface of your garden. Pour beer into the jar until it’s almost full. Leave an inch of space between the beer and the jar top. The beer attracts these slugs, but traps them in the jar.
If you are interested in sustainable organic gardening, consider keeping part of your property undeveloped so that wildlife can flourish there. A natural area will allow beneficial birds and insects, many of which pollinate plants, to live on your property and help your garden grow stronger.
As should be obvious by now, organic gardening requires a bit of forethought and planning before implementation. It is very true, as well, that to see results, you must stick with it. Now, after reading the tips from this article, you have the knowledge necessary in order to be a successful organic gardener.
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