Many people believe that fruits and vegetables that are grown organically are far superior to regular produce. So save yourself some money and grow produce from your own garden! Below is a selection of organic horticulture tips that will help you to start harvesting delicious, healthy produce at home.
Use biennials and annuals to beautify your flower beds. Fast growing biennials and annuals will brighten a garden and permit you to change looks from one season to another. These kinds of flowers are also excellent for filling in gaps between shrubs and perennials in sunny areas. Notable varieties include cosmos, rudbeckia, petunia, hollyhock, marigold and sunflower.
Check the soil before you plant anything in your garden. You can obtain a soil analysis for a nominal fee. Using that report, you can amend your soil as needed for a thriving garden. Several Cooperative Extension locations offer this service, and it’s advantageous for you to know what type of soil you have, in order to avoid growing faulty crops.
Co2 Levels
Plants need to take in CO2 to grow and thrive. Plants tend to grow better when the CO2 levels are higher. The best way to get higher CO2 for your plants is to grow them in a greenhouse. If you have a greenhouse, keep CO2 levels high.
Plant bulbs in your garden if you want flowers through spring and summer. Bulbs are hardy, easy to grow into flowers, and will blossom for several years. You can select bulbs that bloom at many different times, so with a little work, you could have flowers popping up all the way from the start of spring to the end of summer.
Don’t cut your grass down by the soil when you run the mower. By leaving your grass a little higher off the ground, it give the roots a chance to grow deep into the soil which makes the lawn stronger, and that helps keep it from drying out. Short grass leads to more shallow roots and will result in more brown, dried-out patches.
Plan your garden before you plant it. Use your seed packages to make fun markers that will remind you where each type of plant is growing. This is also a great way to keep track of all your plants.
To give them a helping hand, pour the water you obtain after steaming vegetables over your plants. In order to help acidify the soil for plants like gardenias and rhododendrons, you can use coffee and tea grounds. Chamomile tea applied to plants can be an effective remedy for fungus problems.
Choose one stand-out plant to be a focal point. Your focal point will be the main center of attention for anyone who sees your garden. In most cases, an original plant makes a good focal point.
Irrigate your garden efficiently. Utilize a soaker hose. This saves time as you need not water each plant one at a time with the nozzle of a hose or with a watering can. Make sure that your water pressure is set to low, so that no harm will come to any tender plants. Watering your garden for a couple hours while you are working on other tasks is an efficient use of your time.
Include your kids in growing an organic garden. Gardens are a wonderful place for kids to learn, and working side by side with them can strengthen the bond that you have.
Once your seeds start sprouting, they do not need as much warmth as they needed before. Sprouting plants can be removed from the heat source. Also take any plastic films off of your containers, so you can keep the warmth and humidity out. Keep an eye on your seeds in order to know when you should do this.
Flower Beds
The optimal amount of organic mulch to use in your flower beds is 2-3 inches. This fights weeds, retains moisture, and gives your garden valuable nutrients. Mulch will also improve the general appearance of your flower beds.
Put coffee ground into your soil. Coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen, an essential nutrient for plant growth. Your plants will really bloom if they get the nitrogen they need from coffee grounds or compost or diluted urea.
Avoid over-watering your plants. Excess water may hinder the plant’s roots from getting nutrition from the soil. If you are going to water your plants outdoors, you should first check the weather for you area to see if any rain is coming that day. Make your decision about watering dependent on the weather.
There is no need to buy produce of lesser quality. Utilize the advice you’ve read in this article and start growing fruits and vegetables of your own.