
Many individuals prefer organic horticulture, as they fear the possible long-term effects on their health as well as the environment from the many commercial pesticides and fertilizers that are used. A lot of techniques for organic horticulture actually don’t cost a lot of money. Here are some helpful techniques to help you learn to garden organically.
The handles on your gardening tools can be used as a convenient measuring instrument. Handles of things such as rakes, hoes or shovels make excellent measuring instruments. All you have to do is lay them on the floor then use a measuring tape to measure their length. It’s a good idea to label distances with a permanent marker. You will never find yourself looking for a ruler thanks to this simple tip.
Slug-proof your garden with smart perennial choices. It is alarming to see how quickly slugs, and their cousin snails, can annihilate a plant. Snails and slugs like to eat perennials with smooth and thin leaves, especially if they are young plants. Perennials that have tough or hairy leaves are often times unappetizing to snails and slugs. Some of the best varieties of these include achillea, campanula, euphorbia, and heuchera.
Use both annuals and biennials to add a splash of color to your flower beds. Using a variety of flowers allows your flower garden to have a different look each season. They can make a handy, gap-filler between shrubs and perennials located in sunny areas. Notable collections include sunflower, marigold, hollyhock, rudbeckia, cosmos, and petunia.
Regular weeding is essential to the health of any garden. Weeds can destroy a once promising garden and take away all its potential. For this task, try using white vinegar. White vinegar kills weeds. Keep a solution of vinegar diluted with water on hand to spray on weeds.
Bulbs planted in the spring can flower all the way into summer. Bulbs are one of the easiest plants to grow and are hardy perennials that return each year. Different bulbs bloom at various times, so choosing appropriately, you may have blooms early spring to later summer.
When mowing your lawn, avoid mowing the grass too short. If you let your grass keep some height after mowing, it will be able to absorb more sun and moisture resulting in a lusher, greener lawn. If you keep your lawn too short, the roots will not go deep enough to survive in case of a heat wave.
Coffee Grounds
If the soil in your garden has a high concentration of alkaline, try mixing some coffee grounds into your garden’s soil. Coffee grounds are an inexpensive way to increase the acid level in your soil. The right soil will make your vegetables taste better and make your flowers more vibrant and aromatic.
Prior to planting a garden, think through what you want to do. Doing this makes it easier to keep track of where you planted what when you first start to see sprouts. The plan will also help you keep track of your more diminutive plants and smaller groups that could otherwise become lost among a sea of larger plantings.
Think about using evergreens in your yard that produce berries during the year. Your yard will then have bright spots of color all year round, which is especially cheerful in the winter when all of your other flora is bare or colorless. Some evergreens that will provide winter color are the American Holly, Common Snowberry, American Cranberrybush, and the Winterberry.
Planting organic strawberries is a great way to encourage your children to get involved. Small kids enjoy picking fruit themselves out of a garden. Because of this, they’ll be more likely to provide you with some assistance in your garden if they feel like they’re receiving something out of it.
Using aspirin water will help your plants fight diseases. One and one half aspirin crushed and added to a two gallon container of water will be a great help for your plants. The solution can then be used to spray the entire plant, and will offer protection naturally. Try to apply the mixture to the plants at least once in each three week period.
If you use this advice concerning organic horticulture, you will have a healthier yard in no time. You can also look forward to a rise in the number of wild visitors you receive in your garden.