Well, you’ve decided to perfect your organic gardening skills. Good for you! However, there is so much information that you may not know where to begin. Don’t worry, organic gardening tips are here! Listed in this article are some tips that will help you to get started and organized so that you can become an organic gardening expert.
When designing your garden, choose high-yield crops, such as tomatoes and herbs. These items will allow you to maximize the space you have available in your garden. The more produce you can grow at home, the more money you can save in your grocery bill each month, so it pays to know what will produce the most for your efforts.
A key element to having a great garden is to fertilize it. There are many different types of fertilizers available at most home stores, but what works for different types of gardens varies. Manure is a great choice, but it does smell. A commercially produced manure will have no pathogens to contaminate the vegetables in the garden. Some people swear by chemical fertilizers, yet they are not an organic way to grow.
Invest in a electronic PH tester. Avoid liquid PH kits (the color coded ones) as they tend to be less accurate. It is very easy for first time users to botch readings. Also, do not use soil PH test kits as they are unreliable and are not intended for home use.
Make sure your pot is the right size for your plant. If the pot is too small, the plant’s roots may not have enough room to grow. The roots will become “root bound”, stop growing, and begin to suffocate. The size of the root system can determine the size of your plant and yield.
Consider using your garden to grow some kitchen herbs. Herbs such as basil, mint, parsley, coriander, rosemary and dill, are essential to many dishes, but they can be very expensive to purchase in the shops. These culinary herbs, however, are very cheap and easy to grow in your own garden.
Weed the garden often and early. Plan on a weeding schedule for the garden at least three times. The first should be five to seven days after sowing, and again seven to ten days after that. The third time should be three to four weeks after planting, by this time the plants should be rooted well enough to add mulching and sufficient leaves to shade the surface.
When you are trying to decide your plant watering schedules, make sure you are testing your soil regularly. Persistent over-watering is just as likely to kill your plants as under-watering. An easy way to check is to put your fingertip in the soil, if it is moist, do not add water.
Clean your garden tools before you put them away. It seems strange to worry about keeping a gardening tool clean, but it’s actually very important for the health of your plants. Tools that are put away while coated in dirt can harbor microbes and even insects that can be deadly to your plants.
To keep pests out of your garden without using chemicals, try planting onions at your garden’s borders. The scent of the onion will work as a natural repellent and will keep many creatures from disturbing your plants. As an added bonus, this allows you to regularly have fresh onions to use in your cooking.
You should feel better after reading these tips when it comes to organic gardening. That was a lot to read through, but at least now, you should have an idea of what to do and where to begin with your organic garden. In addition, you can always return to this list.
