Ride the Storm: Navigating Through Unstable Periods / Katerina Rudko (Belka G...
Simple Organic Gardening Pointer That Anyone Can Try
1. Simple Organic Gardening Pointer That Anyone Can Try
The world of organic gardening is very vast and exciting. There are so many ways that one can enter
and use their knowledge of this field to help themselves grow healthier "green" plants. It depends
completely on your skills and environment. That said, no matter what your organic gardening skills
are, here are some tips to help you along.
When taking an organic path to control garden pests, try to build up the soil to allow healthy
microbes to flourish. Earthworms are also very important to organic gardening and they should be
encouraged to stay in the soil. When the soil is unhealthy, it is not as resistant to pests.
A great first step to having a successful organic garden is to test the acidity of the soil in your
garden. The ideal number is 6.5, if your soil is on the low end, it's too acidic and if it's on the high
end it's too alkaline. Neither of those situations lends itself to a successful garden. So by purchasing
a soil testing kit before planting, you will assure yourself a beautiful organic garden in the summer.
Be sure that you have earthworms in your soil. Earthworms are vital to good organic gardening,
because they aerate the soil. Also, the by-products of earthworm digestion are actually great plant
food. Earthworms encourage soil bacteria that provide needed nutrients to your plants while
competing with harmful insect pests, reducing the need for chemical pesticides and fertilizers.
A great tip when starting your own organic garden is to sprinkle milled sphagnum moss on your
seeds in order to prevent damping-off. Damping-off is a fungal disease that will cause your seeds and
seedlings to rot. If your seeds need light, you should sprinkle this moss before dropping your seeds
in the moss.
A carpenter's belt is a great investment for any organic gardener. This is because organic gardening
involves many small tools that are all frequently used such as trowels, water sprays, pruners, and
gloves. Rather than making several trips ashburn tree pruning services back and forth between your
shed and the garden, a tool belt can help you carry all of your tools at all times.
To keep rodents, deer, and other pesky animals away from your organic garden, use organic
repellents. A spray made from hot peppers can be effective. Otherwise try a spray containing urine
http://treecaretips.org/ or rotten eggs. Regardless of what you use, apply the sprays liberally and
reapply regularly especially after a rain shower.
Use untreated wood, stone, or brick to build a raised bed. Any wood you use needs to be untreated
and resistant to rot. Some good woods are locust, cedar and cypress. Do not use treated wood in
your vegetable garden. If you already have treated lumber in use, line it with some plastic and
replace the soil near it.
Water demands from plants will depend on the season and the climate in your area. The amount of
water you use each time should be dependent on the water quality, the soil type and what time of
day you are doing it. For example, if your climate is humid and warm, you should not water the
leaves because it will encourage leaf fungus. You have to make sure to water the root system.
Often times, in order to get rid of certain caterpillars or worms, you have to use a special netting
that will hide them from your leafy green plants such as broccoli. This net will keep the pests out
and away from damaging your crops, while maintaining the organic essence of your garden.
2. Killing weeds the natural way? Pile newspapers on top of each other to kill weeds. Weeds can only
grow in sunlight. The newspaper will block sunlight and weeds won't be able to grow. The paper will
break down quickly and cleanly, adding to your compost. One way to enhance the appearance of
your garden if you are using newspapers is to add an additional layer of mulch.
Avoid over fertilizing your plants. Over fertilizing can lead to lots of lush growth, that is soft and
attractive to pests and animals. Slower growing gardens are often hardier, meaning they are better
at resisting pests and diseases. This is one tree clearing services of those cases where too much of a
good thing isn't a good thing at all.
When first growing a plant you should make sure that it has all the nutrition and water that it needs.
The sprouting stage for most plants is the time when it is most vulnerable to drying out or dying.
With proper care, a sprout will mature into a full adult plant which is much more resistant to
environmental and animal threats.
If you plan to begin your organic garden from seed, be sure to start well in advance of the gardening
season. Start seeds indoors so that you will have established seedlings ready to put in the ground
after the last frost. Follow the instructions found on the back of your seed packets to determine the
appropriate time to start the seeds for your climate.
Get rid of nematodes such as roundworm or eelworm. These pests can cause malformed plants with
stunted, yellowing leaves. In the worst cases, leaves will wilt in a single day and the roots will
become infected. The best option is to plant resistant varieties of apple, bean, carrot, celery,
cucumber or onion. Otherwise, increase the organic matter in your soil. Compost contains
predacious fungi and fatty acids that are toxic to nematodes. Remember to disinfect any tools that
you have used in infected soil.
At least 3" of organic mulch should be added to the flower beds and garden. The mulch retains
3. moisture, enriches the soil, and prevents weeds from growing. Mulch also makes your garden
appear neat and well cared for.
In order to start a garden, you are going to need to know how to make beds. A spade can be used to
slice under your turf. Once it is sliced, flip the turf up exposing the soil underneath. Now cover this
exposed area with wood chips, about 3 or 4 inches. After about three weeks, you may cut it and
plant.
Use household vinegar on a day that is sunny as a spray for killing weeds that may be peaking out of
your organic garden. Vinegar provides a natural weed-killer, which when applied under the sun can
be very effective in killing plant-killing weeds. You will also find that it is healthy for the soil, garden
and you as well.
With the information in this article, you should feel a little more relieved when thinking about
organic gardening. You should already be thinking of some strategies that you can develop, based
upon the information in this article and what you already knew about gardening. Just be sure to look
at other resources of information about organic gardening and then formulate your own strategies,
based on all of your resources. It won't be long until you are producing bountiful harvests for your
own table, as well as for your family and friends.