Monday, August 27, 2012

CLEVER VEGETABLE GARDENING: ORGANIC GARDENING GUIDELINES THAT YOU MUST KNOW

Organic gardening requires a green thumb and a lot of patience. The idea here is to grow healthy, great-tasting food bereft of pesticides, herbicides and other unnatural chemical enhancers. This seems to be easier said than done, though, right? Read the following article and you will gain great knowledge you can use while you garden organically.
The ambient temperate of a room with live plants should be kept between sixty-five and seventy-five degrees throughout the day. The temperature needs to remain steady and warm so the plants can grow. Another option is to use heat lamps that will protect your organic plants.
Consider solving your weed problem without the use of toxic chemicals. You will need many layers of newspapers. Weeds cannot grow without light. With layers of newspaper on them, the weeds are not going to have light, and therefore will not grow. The newspapers will break down over a period of time, and will become part of your compost. Try adding some mulch on top of it to make appear more attractive.
Plant garlic in different places to keep the bugs away. The smell of garlic repels the majority of garden pests. Place garlic around any plants that seem to be pest magnets. You should also put garlic around the entire perimeter of the garden. An added plus of planting garlic is the bulb can be used for cooking and eating as well.
Gardening can not only be an excellent hobby for consuming time, but is great for saving money and aiding a healthy diet. Organic vegetable gardening will give you a great idea of the gardening process.
One way to improve the quality of an organic garden, is to separate rows of plants with ditches. This will help the water get to plants so you do not have to give them water as often as usual. Saving water saves money!
If you are building a raised bed, utilize stone, brick or wood that is untreated. Be sure to use wood that is naturally resistant to rotting and that has not been treated. Several species of trees yield suitable wood. Locust, cypress, and cedar are among the more commonly used rot-resistant woods. Take care to avoid wood that has been chemically treated when your garden will hold vegetables, since unknown substances in the wood can make their way into your future food. If you have built a raised bed with treated lumber already, use a barrier such as plastic to line the bed.
Do not overlook the benefits of pine mulch for your garden. Some garden plants have a higher acidity, and prefer a more acidic soil. If that's the case, the easiest thing to do is use pine needles for beds. Using several inches of pine needles to cover your beds provides acid for the soil as they begin to decompose.
It is a good idea to get organic garden certification so as to reaffirm your claims that your products really are organic(If you sell your produce). Obtaining this certification will give you further credibility as an organic gardener, boosting sales and proving to your customers that you provide only the best.
To get a good start, look below the surface! When buying tomato seedlings for the garden, keep an eye on lush green starts with root systems that are bad. The reason that these starts will still look green with bad roots is because the seedlings will not grow until the starts are gone.
Plant your organic garden in the shade. These gardens are not high maintenance at all. They do not require as much water, which makes them less labor-intensive. The plants also grow slower, which means you will not have to pick weeds as often either.
Successful organic vegetable gardening incorporates quite a few elements, such as patience, knowledge and nature. This wonderful pastime uses land to produce delicious foods for your table. Being a competent organic gardener can be achieved by simply putting in some effort, and learning a few helpful tips.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

ORGANIC VEGETABLE GARDENING: MAKE YOUR FIRST ORGANIC GARDEN A SUCCESS

There are so many tools and methods to grow an all-natural, vibrant and healthy organic garden. All it takes is a little research, and some strategic implementation.
A good method to save water when it comes to your garden at home is by using mulch. The more mulch you have, the less you will have to water your plants. Get mulch at the store or create your own with dead plants or pieces of bark. Whatever type of material you decide on, be sure to add at least a two inch layer for maximum benefits.
If you want to do some organic gardening, plan ahead. Decide exactly which plants you're going to grow. While two varieties of a plant may fall within the same family, there could be variations in the basic requirements for each one. Consider roses; whereas one variety may thrive in direct sunlight, others may prefer shaded areas. Make sure you select the varieties that will adapt well to your garden.
Keep your garden tools close at hand to make the most of your gardening time. For example, you could use an over-sized tote bag or an apron with multiple pockets. You should be able to do your garden work quickly if you keep a trowel, gloves, small pruning shears, and other handy devices close to you.
It never hurts to keep a few bags around the house to protect your floors from dirty gardening shoes. This way, you can maintain your momentum and head right back to your garden so that you can finish what you were doing.
Research local botanical insecticides which can help keep any pest population down. All insecticides are strong, including botanical ones. Keep in mind, however, that the biological composition of botanical insecticides can cause them to quickly decay and disappear.
Use an old laundry basket to gather your vegetables and fruits. It makes a great strainer for your vegetables. If you leave your produce in the basket while rinsing it, the basket will be able to serve as a strainer, with the extra water dripping out the holes in the bottom of the basket.
Biodiversity is a key element of your organic garden. Plants that naturally grow in your region will thrive when planted in your garden. To create a more natural environment, plant many different kinds of plants. A diverse garden is incredibly attractive. It's also very rewarding and relaxing.
Strawberries are a great plant to grow in any organic garden, especially if you happen to have kids or any strawberry lover in your home. Children love to snap up these sweet juicy fruits for themselves and will be much more willing to eat other foods you've planted as well.
Use untreated stone, brick or wood to build raised beds. If using wood, make sure it's naturally rot resistant and untreated. Cypress, locust and cedar are all great examples of what woods to use when building a raised bed. Avoid using treated wood in an organic vegetable garden. The chemicals in the wood can leak into the soil, and eventually into the plants. If your existing garden structure contains treated wood, at least take the time to make a plastic lining beneath the soil.
Gardening is not only a great hobby, but also a way to feel at peace with the earth. Organic gardening will accomplish that feeling even more so. Organic gardening allows you learn the entire plant cycle, from the beginning to the end.
You are aware of how helpful compost is in growing your organic garden, but do you have any idea what is actually in it? It is made of things such as wood chips, lawn cuttings, fallen leaves, bits of produce, straw and other yard waste that has started to decompose. This nutrient-rich mixture is preferable to commercial fertilizer.
By saving the water you use to wash your vegetables, you can reuse the water in your garden. Tap and rain water are often void of many nutrients. When you use the water that was used to rinse your veggies, many of the nutrients from the raw veggies are retained within the water used, so when you dump this into your garden, it provides additional nourishment. You should not use cleaners when you are washing off the vegetables.
Anyone may plant gardens, but only those who are knowledgeable can get more out of their planted crops. Put this organic gardening advice to work for you.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

GROWING A GARDEN: ORGANIC GARDENING TIPS THAT ARE FUN AND EASY

In the world of organic gardening, there are plenty of great resources available to both new and experienced organic gardeners alike. There are many e-guides, books, videos, and other resources available. This set of tips contains some of the best advice for helping a good organic gardener become a great organic gardener.
You can create your own organic pest repellent by mixing onion, garlic, and chives with some water to make your own anti-pest spray. Mix some garlic and onions with water for a natural pest deterrent.
When preparing a home-cooked meal, save your excess vegetable trimmings and mix them in with the soil in your garden. This will help get nutrients back into your growing plants. Add some to your compost pile and bury some pieces right away.
You can mix raked leaves with the soil in your garden to make great organic compost. When the leaves decompose, they turn into a nutrient rich organic compost, providing a healthy addition to your garden soil. This won't cost you a penny, and will benefit your garden in many ways.
Be sure to plant some strawberries for your children and grandchildren. Ever-bearing ones are especially nice. Kids delight in the idea of growing things and seeing how things change over time. Explain every step to your child and he or she will hang on to your every word.
When planting trees and shrubs, dig irregular holes with rough sides. You may inhibit the growth of roots if you have any glazed holes.
Find out as much as possible about your different options if you need to use a product on your plants. Rather than dousing your garden with chemical fertilizers, use an organic alternative. Compost is a great example of what to use. Inorganic materials, such as those found in commercial fertilizers, are responsible for toxic chemical build-up in both soil and drinking water. This can be avoided by using eco-friendly organic methods.
Plant your own garlic with organic methods. Cloves of garlic should be planted in well-drained soil with frequent watering in either the fall or spring. Put them an inch or two down into the soil with the pointed end up placed about four inches apart. You can cut the shoots of green garlic as they are growing and use them as an alternative to scallions and chives. The garlic is ready to be picked when the tops turn brown. Leave the bulbs out to dry and exposed to the sun for a few days so that the skin hardens a bit. Store them somewhere cool, in tied bunches or loose.
Healthy soil doesn't harbor disease and can be of tremendous benefit in helping your plants be as healthy as possible. Even though there will still be insects, plants will not be damaged by them.
When you are planning on growing a garden, you should think about the space you will need to provide a healthy growing area for your plants. When the garden is bare, it is sometimes hard to envision how much space a mature plant actually needs. Proper spacing is important not just to accommodate the plants' sizes but also for air circulation. Because of this, you should always take the time to ensure that there's enough distance between all your seeds.
Try using a beer trap to naturally eradicate slugs from your organic garden. Bury a canning jar so that the open mouth and the soil top are level. Now, fill the jar with beer to approximately an inch below the lip. Beer is especially attractive to slugs; they will be lured to it and trapped.
Mulch should be added to your flower bed and garden using at least 3 inches of material that is organic. This will add nutrients to your soil, keep it moist, stop the growth of weeds and keep the garden looking beautiful.
Becoming a skilled organic gardener isn't going to happen overnight, but if you can use the information you have learned here, you can certainly work toward becoming great at it. Knowing how to make use of the wealth of information out there is important. Grow an aesthetically pleasing organic garden that will feed you well by applying the simple tips you got in this article.