Organic gardening is capable of not only bringing about relaxation, but also headaches as well. Here are some suggestions to get you on the right path to successful organic gardening.
Properly put down your sod. Before you use sod, you need to prepare the soil. Remove weeds and break your soil until all the clumps are gone. Lightly, but firmly compress the soil, making certain it is flat. Water the soil until it is saturated. Lay the sod in straight rows, ensuring the seams meet perfectly. Sod should be firm and have an even, flat surface without gaps. Water the sod for two weeks and then you can safely walk on it as it will have had time to properly root.
Clay is difficult to dig through with a shovel, as it is sticky and compact. Use a thin coat of floor or car wax on your shovel, then buff it with a nice clean cloth to make dealing with clay soil easier. This causes the clay to slide rather than stick, and prevents rust as a side effect.
Turn the handles of your garden tools into measuring rulers. Tools with long handles such as hoes and rakes can double as measuring sticks. All you have to do is lay them on the floor then use a measuring tape to measure their length. You can label distances using a permanent marker. When you are at work in the garden, you will always have a handy measuring device on each and every tool.
Having healthy soil in your garden will help your plants avoid insect pests. Healthy and well-nourished plants will be hardier and therefore better able to prevent pests from taking hold. Begin with a high-quality soil with less chemicals to avoid salt accumulation, and you give your garden an excellent chance of growing healthy plants.
Plants need ample amounts of CO2 to reach their maximum growth. Often, plants achieve better growth when they are surrounded by high levels of CO2. Greenhouses typically provide plants with high levels of CO2. To achieve optimal growing conditions, keep the levels of carbon dioxide high in your plants’ environment.
When horticulture in the fall, you need to be watching for stink bugs. They like beans, peppers, tomatoes and many fruits. If left uncontrolled, they can cause substantial damage in your garden, so make plans for how to protect your plants from these pests.
Coffee Grounds
Coffee grounds can be used to amend soils that are high in alkaline. Using coffee grounds is a less expensive way to make your soil more acidic than trying to replace your topsoil. The plants will be healthier, leading to more delicious home-grown veggies.
Come up with a horticulture plan before planting anything. This helps you remember where each plant was planted before they begin to sprout. A good plan can also help you to place each plant in the area that is most beneficial to them.
More Gardening Ideas & Resources
As this article has demonstrated, organic gardening is more complex than some may think. You may have to put in a fair amount of effort, but at the end of the day you will have a wonderful garden. When you follow the organic horticulture advice in the article above, you will have a successful and delicious bounty of fresh foods.