Depending on the effort you put into it, an organic garden can be a great pleasure or a great pain. If you want to be a great organic gardener, follow these hints.
Make garden tools do double duty as handy makeshift rulers. Larger handled tools like rakes, hoes, and shovels make great measuring sticks. Lay your handles on the floor, and put measuring tape right next to them. Use a bright permanent marker and label the distances. You will never find yourself looking for a ruler thanks to this simple tip.
You don’t need expensive chemicals to treat powdery mildew on plants. Rather, you should mix a bit of baking soda with a small quantity of liquid soap in water. Once weekly, spray this mixture to the affected areas of your plants, and the mildew should be eliminated shortly. Baking soda treats the mildew effectively and gently and it won’t damage your plants.
When the fall season approaches, you must prepare to plant your favorite fall veggies and other edibles. Instead of a clay pot, show some fall spirit by using a hollow pumpkin to plant your lettuce or kale in. Simply cut the pumpkin open at the top, so you can remove the seeds and insides. After that, spray Wilt-Pruf along the edges and on the inside of the pumpkin, so it doesn’t rot. You can start planting now.
Vegetables should be planted in an area where they will get a minimum of six hours of daily sunlight. Most vegetables require this amount of sun in order to grow properly and at a quicker pace. This also rings true for some of the flowers.
Allow enough room between plants for air to circulate, so that plants do not stay too wet. If you have excess moisture, this can attract bugs or diseases. One common organism that thrives on moisture is the fungi family. Fungi can be controlled with fungicide sprays, but it is important to treat your area with the spray, before you see any problems.
Surround your vegetable plants with organic mulch, a few inches worth. The mulch will help keep the dirt around the plants more moist. Mulch will help a lot in preventing weeds from growing. Time and effort will be saved pulling out all the weeds.
You should think about planting evergreens that yield berries in your garden. These year-round berries will give the rest of your yard a much-needed pop of color, especially in the winter. A few of the most vivid plants in winter are American Holly, Winterberry, Snowberry and Cranberrybush.
You should purchase a wheelbarrow, as well as a kneeling stool to help you garden. It can be very uncomfortable on the knees when working so close to the ground, so a light, portable stool makes horticulture easier. In addition, maintaining a garden typically means moving around heavy dirt and other objects, which makes buying a wheelbarrow a very smart purchase.
To deter meddlesome dogs from destroying your garden, you should use heavily scented substances around the perimeter. You can even use perfume! Your dog will be less attracted to your garden when these scents overpower compost scents and other smells dogs like.
Your children will enjoy being involved with your organic horticulture endeavors. A garden can provide a wonderful learning experience for children, and will give you an opportunity to bond with them while you produce healthy food.
If you’re really serious about environmentally-friendly horticulture practices, refrain from developing some of your land and use it as an animal habitat. Your cultivated garden spaces will benefit from the various insects and wildlife that will inhabit and pollinate the undeveloped space.
If you have a cut, be careful about exposing it to soil or gardening chemicals. Open wounds can easily get infected while gardening because you’re exposing yourself to dirt, bacteria and germs. You can get bandages that can completely seal your cut.
Organic Horticulture
As is evident by the information in this article, organic horticulture involves much more than one might initially think. Your hard work will pay off once your garden grows and you can eat healthy vegetables. Using the tips that you just learned you can improve your skills in organic horticulture.