When you think of organic gardening, do you just see it as something that takes a long time to grow without pesticides? If so, then you have a very narrow view of the subject. Organic gardening is so much more than that and it can be personalized so that it works for you. Read on to find out how.
Involve the whole family in your gardening hobby; children find growing things to be very interesting. Toiling together in the garden brings your family closer together and offers many different opportunities to learn new things and instill green values.
Use your coffee grinds in your garden if you are an organic gardener and coffee lover! You can use coffee grounds to make a perfect mulch with just the right amount of acids. It is a wonderful way to compost in a environmentally friendly way.
Water your organic garden with storm water runoffs and collected rainwater. Rainwater is more pure and better for plants than home tap water, because it won't contain chemicals such as chlorine or fluoride. Using rainwater also helps in reducing your overall water usage. Rainwater can even be stored in barrels or cisterns to be used during dry spells.
Prepare the ground for a perennial garden quickly and easily. With a garden spade, slice under the dirt then flip it over. Next, spread out wood chips several inches deep. Wait for a few weeks and plant new perennials in this area.
When raising an organic garden, sometimes a solution to resolving bad soil is to raise your garden bed. Building a garden bed or roost above the regular soil, can allow you to put your own fertilized soil within the bed without the risk of the soil becoming diluted or mixed in with the surrounding area.
Don't be alarmed at the amount of organic fertilizer you may need to use. Organic fertilizers contain a lower percentage of nutrients per unit weight than their synthetic counterparts. Because of this, it will probably be necessary to apply more volume of organic fertilizer than is typical for synthetic fertilizers.
Weed control in your organic garden will be more challenging than a conventional garden because you can't use chemical herbicides. One of the best ways to control weeds without using chemicals is creating ground cover with mulch. Save tree trimmings and grass clippings from elsewhere in your garden and spread them around your plants to a depth of about 3 inches. This should be enough to prevent weeds from germinating and growing.
If you so choose to organic garden your trees, flowers, and shrubs, it is very important that you surround them with at least 2 to 3 inches of organic material. This will provide your plants with the organic nutrients that they need. As rain falls, it will release the nutrients to the plants.
To make sure you are doing organic gardening, define what organic means to you and make sure your seeds, plants and supplies fit your criteria. There is no set scientifically agreed on definition of what "organic" consistently means, so companies can label practically anything organic. Know what it means to you, then read labels to make sure you buy things consistent with your beliefs.
When you are maintaining acid loving plants mulch your soil with pine needles every fall. As the pine needles decompose over the winter months they will deposit their acid into the soil and give your acid loving botanicals what they need to thrive instead of relying on harsh chemical fertilizers.
Use recycled plastic or paper cups to start your tomato plants in. Just put the seeds in the cup, and cover with soil. This will allow you to grow the plants in the best conditions, and it keeps a few cups out of the landfills too. When they are ready, transplant the tomatoes into your garden.
Mix old or rotted food into your soil. Rotting food is just a sign that it's decomposing due to the bacteria that breaks down the starches and fats in the food. The food that you don't eat can provide your plants with a boost to their nutrition. Because the food is decomposing, the plants are even better equipped to strip vital nutrient it.
Collecting and recycling rain water is a great way to save money and help your garden bloom. Rain water is generally cleaner and freer of pollutants and contaminants than ground water or city water. Collect the rain in rain barrels or cisterns so that you can use it whenever it is needed.
A soaker hose is the best choice for watering an organic garden. As the water slowly seeps out of the hose, it is directed right to the plant roots so the leaves do not get wet. They're easier than hand watering and don't use as much water as sprinklers.
In order to start a garden, you are going to need to know how to make beds. To start this, slice underneath your turf with a spade. Once that is done, turn it over and cover with about three to four inches of mulch. Leave it for a few weeks and work it up so you can plant.
You don't just have to plant things that are going to be eaten by you in your organic garden. Try planting some flowers too. You can use annuals for one-season color. You do not want to use everywhere though since replacing a lot of them can be very expensive. Try planting them in a few small areas.
You've decided to start an organic garden. First, you want to have a soil sample done. It is not only a matter of what you are going to put into the soil. You need to know what has been deposited there in the past. Generally, it takes several years for past chemicals and pesticides to be cleared out of the soil. Only then does your garden become truly "organic."
After reading through all of that, do you still see organic gardening in the same way? Do you now see that it is so much more than a pesticide-free garden? The work involved is not too bad, but it will take effort and patience to grow an organic garden of your own.
Orignal From: Great Organic Gardening Tricks From The Pros
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