Wednesday, 12 September 2012

Tips For Great Organic Gardening

Starting and maintaining an organic garden requires a lot of patience, and an affinity for growing plants. This is a hobby where the goal is to grow food that is healthy and pesticide free. It's easier than you may think. Check out the tips laid out below to learn what you must do to begin gardening organically like a professional.

While organic gardening takes a little extra work, it is healthier and more gratifying than regular gardening. While chemical-based gardening products make bold claims, it is hard to dispute that organic gardening consistently produces superior results.

Use companion plants in your organic garden. Companion plants will help your other plants grow naturally, simply find plants that compliment each other. These plants will help make the soil rich in nutrients and keep pests away, which will reduce your need for fertilizers or pesticides. For instance, highly fragrant types of herbs and succulents work to stave off vegetable plant pests.

Regularity is the key to keeping your organic garden in order, don't let your list of chores pile up. Even if you can't tend to your garden daily, you can do little things to help so that there is not a huge amount of work to be done when you are ready to get back to it. Try pulling a few weeds from the garden while your dogs are out doing their business.

When they are in healthy soil, plants can withstand diseases and handle insect damage much better. Even though insects will be present, you will be able to avoid the damage they cause.

Old laundry baskets are handy tools at harvest time. A benefit of using something like a laundry basket is that it can strain for you, as well as hold a large amount of produce. The basket won't be affected by the water and it will drain right off as though it were poured into a large sieve.

Always give your garden the benefit of looking beneath the upper portions of a plant. When buying tomato seedlings for the garden, keep an eye on lush green starts with root systems that are bad. The reason is because these particular starts will stay on the seedlings for weeks, which will not allow the seedlings to grow until these starts are gone.

Creating a new bed for your perennials is easy. Use a spade to cut and flip over your turf, then cover the new bed with wood chips. After a few weeks, you can cut into the new bed and plant your perennials.

The growth of organic garlic is simple. Plant individual cloves of garlic in the early spring or fall in moist, well-drained soil. Lay each bulb into the ground ends up at a distance of about 4 inches away from the next bulb and 1-2 inches down into the soil. Green garlic shoots can be cut as they grow, and used in place of chives or scallions. Each bulb can be harvested when the top has begun to brown. Leave the bulbs out the sunshine for a few days until the skin gets hard. Store them in a cool, dry location. You can store them as loose bulbs, or fasten them together into bunches.

Your compost pile should contain green plant materials and dry plant materials. When you pull weeds from your garden, throw them in the compost. The same goes for vegetable trimmings and grass clippings. These are considered green materials. The leaves you rake in the fall, straw, sawdust and the like are dry material. Diseased plants, meat and fire-waste like charcoal or ashes should not be placed in your compost pile.

When you are gardening, you should know what you can and cannot use in an organic garden. Experiment with organic and natural fertilizers instead of the usual chemical, commercial ones. One good example is compost. Organic materials hold many advantages over chemical methods. Chemicals tend to build up in the soil, which can leach into the drinking water.

When growing organic plants indoors, it is important to consider the amount of light that is available to them. If you live somewhere without strong natural sunlight, you might want to look into growing plants that thrive in lower-light environments. If you still are unable to get enough light to your plants, consider purchasing grow-lights.

An organic garden provides many benefits to your health, so understanding the various plants and options you can grow is crucial. Apply the tips you just read to start your garden to save money and eat healthier foods.

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