In the world of organic horticulture, there are plenty of great resources available to both new and experienced organic gardeners alike. There are many e-guides, books, videos, and other resources available. This set of tips contains some of the best advice for helping a good organic gardener become a great organic gardener.
Utilize your garden tool handles as convenient makeshift rulers. Tools with long handles, such as rakes, hoes, and shovels can be converted into handy measuring sticks. Lay your handles on the floor, and put measuring tape right next to them. Have a marker handy, and mark the distance with it. Now you will always possess a large ruler ready for your use in the garden.
Give your flower beds a boost by introducing annuals and biennials. By utilizing quick-growing biennials and annuals, not only will you be brightening up your flower bed, you can also alter its look each season and each year. They are very useful for filling in the gaps between perennials and shrubs in a sunny area. The most popular varieties to use include petunia, zinnia, cosmos, snapdragon, marigold, hollyhock, and sunflower.
If your plants have a powdery mildew, don’t use expensive chemicals on them. Put a little baking soda and some dish soap in water. Once weekly, spray this mixture to the affected areas of your plants, and the mildew should be eliminated shortly. Baking soda will bring no damage to your plants, and will treat the mildew in a gentle and efficient manner.
Check your soil before you begin planting your garden. Have a soil report done. It is cost effective and you can make necessary adjustments, based on the report, to your soil so it is correctly enriched to encourage plant growth. Cooperative Extension departments often offer this testing service. It is a worthwhile effort so a garden can be productive on the first year of planting.
Sometimes the soil you want to use for your garden has a high alkaline content. Combine coffee grounds with the soil to reduce this. Coffee grounds contain plenty of acid to get the soil back to a good balance. Balanced soil will produce more flavorful, crisp vegetables and greens.
Familiarize yourself with the optimum harvesting time of your vegetables. Each variety needs a slightly different amount of growing time to produce the most flavorful vegetable. As an example, zucchini and baby peas both have the best flavor when they are harvested at a young age. Tomatoes, however, should be plucked from the vine the moment they appear ripe. Research the best time to pick your produce.
Gardening is a great relaxation activity. While there are many different ways to relax, choosing the right one for you is key. One of the best ways to do this is gardening. It doesn’t require a lot of cash up front, but pays major dividends. The joy of eating food you created as well as enjoying the beauty of your garden is the best return of all.
Create a focal point in your garden with a unique plant. You need a focal point that can catch your eye in garden design. It is usually a type of plant that stands out from the plants surrounding it.
Protect yourself from sun overexposure while horticulture by wearing the proper clothing. Wear sunglasses and hats with wide brims, and apply sunscreen. Wearing sun protection is important to help ward off the unnecessary pain of sunburn, and it will help lessen your skin cancer risk, too.
Once your seeds have germinated they will not need to be kept as warm as before. Move your plants away from the heat as they grow. If you used plastic wrap to insulate your seedlings, you should now remove it. Unless you closely monitor your seedlings, you may not move them in time.
When planting seeds in containers, remember that the planting depth should be around three times bigger than the seed size. However, you should be aware that certain seeds should not be covered at all because they are required to be in the sunlight. This is true of popular flowers like petunias and zinnias. If you are unsure if your seeds should be covered, refer to the seed packet, or if that is not available, look for information online.
In conclusion, the tips that you have read above should have you well on the path towards becoming the best organic gardener you can be. There is so much information about this and it is crucial that you learn about it and apply it to your gardening. You can use whatever information you find useful when you create your own beautiful organic garden.