The organic craze that's currently sweeping the nation is a good thing in many ways. However, there is one area where organic foods are failing the average person, and that's with the incredibly high price of the produce. If you want to produce some home-grown organic food, these tips will help you do it.
Strawberries are a great plant to grow in any organic garden, especially if you happen to have kids or any strawberry lover in your home. For kids, there are few things as fun as picking fruit fresh from the garden. Your children will be much more interesting in helping out if they know they'll get to enjoy some tasty strawberries.
A great way to assure a successful organic garden year after year is to keep a gardening journal. You simply need to jot down what vegetables do well and those that don't, as well as certain pests or other issues that your garden runs into. By doing this, you'll know what to change or keep the same the following year, resulting in a gorgeous organic garden.
Manage your garden hose to prevent frustration. Garden hoses, especially longer or heavy duty ones, can become unwieldy and annoying when you have to drag them around the garden, all twisted up. Invest in a portable hose reel or a stationary one, depending on your garden configuration, to more easily manage your garden hose and make storing it fast and easy.
Store a few plastic bags near your garden to slip on over your dirty gardening shoes. This lets you be able to return to the garden without interrupting your work.
If you have a compost pile, but have very few leaves to add to it this fall, try incorporating straw or hay into your compost pile. This is a great way to add carbon which is very beneficial to the growth and health of plants. The straw and hay may contain seeds, so it is best to use an organic weed spray on your compost pile to get rid of the unwanted weeds.
Water your plants during the morning to avoid having fungal growth that generally prefers moisture and darkness. By watering your plants during the day they are best able to take advantage of the sun, and utilize the suns anti-bacterial effects. Some bacteria or fungi are light sensitive, so by watering during the day you benefit the plant by reducing the growth potential of its competitors.
Use compost to feed your crops. In organic gardening, compost is necessary for the survival of your plants. A home compost pile is a great, inexpensive source of compost. Many food scraps, grass, and dry leaves can be used in your compost. However, avoid cooked foods, ash, and animal waste in an organic compost pile.
Before you begin planting in your garden, it's a good idea to test your soil's acidity first. Home testing kits are readily available. Your soil should have a pH around 6.5 for most vegetables. If the pH is too low, you can boost it by spreading lime. If it's too high, you can use powdered sulfur.
Killing weeds the natural way? You need to have many layers of newspapers in order to provide proper weed control. Without light, there can be no weeds. With layers of newspaper on them, the weeds are not going to have light, and therefore will not grow. It's easy for newspapers to break down over an extended period of time, making them great for compost. Covering the newspaper with mulch will help your garden to be more pleasing to the eye.
Although there are many organic weed killers available on the market, it is often best and a real money saver to pull weeds by hand. If you keep up with it regularly, you can easily pull weeds before their roots are established. Wear gloves and be sure to pull out both the foliage and roots.
If you follow proper organic growing conditions you may find that you are better able to market your produce at the local fruit stands and farmer's markets. Organic produce is very popular now because people are beginning to see all the health benefits of eating an organic whole food diet.
Examine the soil for its physical condition. If your soil is dense, water will not go deep enough into the soil, and the plant roots will stay close to the surface, resulting in shallow roots. The soil will also be hard to dig. You want your soil to be loose enough so that plant roots can grow downward instead of sideways.
When starting your organic garden, don't forget to plant companion plants. Companion plants are like very friendly neighbors. They can enrich the soil and keep pests away from your other plants. By planting them together, you can avoid the use of harmful pesticides or artificial fertilizer products.
When planting your organic garden, wear a carpenter's tool belt around your waist and fill all the pockets with your gardening gloves and tools. Not only will this keep your tools organized and handy for use, it will also minimize trips back and forth to your shed to retrieve tools you have forgotten to carry with you.
Pests can be a challenge when you are starting organic gardening. You need to keep the soil that you are using healthy. Healthy soil brings forth healthy plants and they can withstand some damage from pests. Your plants will not only be healthy but they will be beautiful as well.
If you want to have an organic garden, you should make sure you do not have any need for bug sprays. Maintaining healthy soil will help immensely with pest management. Healthy soil will help to produce healthy plants. Healthy plants are better able to withstand insect damage and disease.
As mentioned at the start of this article, organic food is very pricey. Even something like a simple bundle of celery can cost upwards of 150 percent more if it's organic. Make sure you're always able to save money if you need to by using these tips. Whatever your needs are, the tips you've just read can help.
Orignal From: Organic Gardening Advice That Will Make You More Successful
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