There's a lot more to horticulture than most people realize. This is especially true if you want to garden naturally. You may need to learn everything from soil pH to controlling pests without chemicals. Growing an organic garden can be a bit difficult for a newbie. Keep reading to find out how the professionals do it.
Your tool handles can easily be used as handy rulers. It is possible to utilize tools with long handles, such as rakes, hoes and shovels, as 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. This modified ruler will serve you well as you begin working in your garden.
Plant perennials that are slug-proof. If slugs or snails find their favorite perennials in your garden, they'll snack all night. When you wake up in the morning, there will be very little left of your plants. They often enjoy feeding on perennials with very smooth and tender leaves. Young plants are a special favorite of theirs. There are perennials that slugs do not want to eat, the ones that they hate have hairy leaves, or are unappealing to their taste. Examples of these include euphorbia, hellebourus and achillea. Others you may want to consider are campanula and heuchera.
If you work with clay soil, you have probably found using a shovel very frustrating and exhausting. To make digging clay soil easier, try applying a light coating of wax, either car wax or floor wax, and then buff off and commence digging. The clay will slide off of its surface and it will prevent rust.
Baking Soda
You don't need a costly chemical solution to deal with powdery mildew in your garden. Mix a bit of liquid soap and some baking soda into water. Spray this on the plants once per week until that mildew goes away. Baking soda will not damage your plants and treats the mildew gently but efficiently.
For the right results, get the right type of soil. You should choose your soil depending on the plants that you are going to plant. You could also isolate a certain area, and fill it with just one kind of soil.
When you go to mow your lawn, make sure you don't mow it too closely to the ground. If you let your grass grow, the roots will go deeper and make your lawn more resistant to dryness. If you have short grass, you will have short roots and you will dry out your grass.
When you are tending your garden in the fall, be on the alert for stink bugs. Stink bugs are attracted to tomatoes, beans and most fruits. If kept unchecked they can certainly do a ton of a damage to your garden so you should do what you need to to reduce their population.
Soak seeds overnight, preferably in a cool, dark place. Place some seeds in your smaller pots and add water almost to the brim. This will allow seeds to be watered and they will get a kick start when growing. This way, the seeds you have planted will have some chance of growing.
Now, you shouldn't get your hopes up and believe that a few tips are going to turn you into an instant professional gardener. However, these tips are a great starting point if you do plan to grow organically. As you implement these tips and hone your skills, you'll be a professional green-thumb-holder in no time.
Before you plant a garden you should plan it out. Use this to remind you where certain things were planted, later when they start sprouting. This is important, because different plants require different care.