Meticulous attention to your garden is one of the primary tenets of the green gardening movement. Sound organic gardening techniques can help you do just that. Educating yourself on this topic will help you create a garden that offers healthy and tasty produce. Read on to learn the basics of managing your organic garden.
Learn the proper way to lay sod. Start by preparing your soil with care. Take out any weeds, then mix up the soil into a tilth that is fine. Next, you want to make the soil compacted by applying light but firm pressure. Make sure the soil creates a flat surface. Make sure the soil is thoroughly moist. You want the sod laid down in staggered rows, and the joints to be offset from each other. You want the sod to end up as a flat and even surface. If there are any gaps in between the sod pieces, then you can fill these in with some soil. For the best results, you need to water the sod every day for a two week period. After this time the sod will have rooted into the soil and can be now walked on.
Clay is difficult to dig through with a shovel, as it is sticky and compact. To make working in clay easier, rub the shovel with floor or car wax and then buff it with a cloth. The wax will help keep dirt from sticking to the shovel, and will also keep the metal from rusting.
Use your tool handles as rulers in the garden. Tools with long handles, such as a shovel or rake, are absolutely perfect for this job, and make your workload a little bit smaller. Lay the handles on the floor, then run the measuring tape down next to them. Use a bright permanent marker and label the distances. You will never find yourself looking for a ruler thanks to this simple tip.
The first thing you should do when planning a garden is test the soil. For a tiny fee, a soil analysis may be done, and based on the results, the soil can support a growing garden by you enriching it as necessary. A lot of Cooperative Extension locations offer this service, and you can prevent ruining a few crops by identifying the specific steps to take.
Be sure to do some weeding on a regular basis. If you're not careful, weeds can take over your beautiful garden, ruining it. White vinegar can be a good solution. White vinegar is natural, very inexpensive, and can really kill the weeds! Use a spray bottle full of white vinegar and you won't have to use your hands.
Grow some plants that cats like to eat – try catnip or wheat grass. You may also place something offensively smelly atop the soil, like citrus peel or mothballs.
Slug-proof your garden with smart perennial choices. Your plants can be destroyed by slugs and snails overnight. These pests normally go after plants with thin little leaves and plants that have yet to fully mature. Perennials that have tough or hairy leaves are often times unappetizing to snails and slugs. Examples of these include euphorbia, hellebourus and achillea. Others you may want to consider are campanula and heuchera.
Try and maintain daily aerated and dried plants. Parasites are attracted to the moisture on plants. Fungi is very common. Be sure to prevent the growth of fungus with a spray that will inhibit their growth.
Don't forget to use a good fertilizer in your garden. While a lot of people use manure, it is better to choose fertilizer from a reputable company, as this will reduce the risk of any pathogens getting into your soil. Choosing a specific type of fertilizer is not particularly critical; as long as you're using fertilizer, you're improving your soil.
The tips above have shown you that there is a noticeable difference in the quality of produce produced by organic gardening. Although it requires lots of hard work and patience, it's ultimately worth it to own an organic garden that's successful.
Autumn not only means colder weather but new vegetables to plant. Why not plant lettuce and kale inside a hollowed-out pumpkin? Slice a hole around the stem, and pull the pumpkin top out. Then remove the guts and use Wilt-Pruf to cover the insides and prevent rot. When you finish this, you can plant!