How Organic Gardening Can Help You Thrive And Survive

Organic gardening can encompass a lot of techniques, depending upon whom you ask or talk to about it. You know that it's the kind of care and attention that you give the plants that help them grow, but that doesn't mean that you can't improve your technique. Try using the tips below.

Use a mixture of vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and water to get rid of salt deposits. If you are having a problem of salt buildup on your clay pots, mix equal parts white vinegar, rubbing alcohol and water in a spray bottle. Spray on the deposits and they will wash away with ease. Make sure to let the pots dry thoroughly before use.

Have your soil analyzed by a laboratory for a small fee so that you know which nutrients you need to add. Many college agricultural departments or cooperative extensions will provide this service for just a few dollars. Once you have the report, head to a farm supply company and buy what you need.

Read the packages your seeds came in! Every seed is different. Some can be planted year round while others can only be planted at certain times. Some seeds need ten hours or more of sun a day, and others need much less. Before you impulse buy a seed package based off of the picture, take the time to know what you are getting into.

In addition to enhancing the appearance of your home with flowers and saving money by growing your own fruits, vegetables and herbs, you now have another reason to take up gardening. Studies have shown that stress and blood pressure levels are significantly reduced when people view nature and plants. Gardening is a great source of pleasure for many people and the end result is one that can help them live a longer, healthier life.

Improve the health of your soil before your plant your crops and seed. Three or four weeks beforehand use organic compounds like mulch, fertilizer, and compost to increase the nutrient value and retention of your soil. It will also improve the retention of water, create a soil buffer, and more.

Make sure your plants are always evenly spaced by turning your rake or shovel handle in to a measuring stick. Simply lay a yardstick next to your shovel and copy the markings to the handle with a permanent marker. The next time you're ready to put in new plants all you'll need is your shovel.

To make nutrient fertilizer from stuff you have around the house, look at what you have for breakfast. Both old coffee grounds and tea bags make an excellent fertilizer, especially when it comes to plants that love acid. Eggshells add alkaline to your soil, and bananas are the best source of the potassium that roses thrive on.

Organic gardening does have a lot of different techniques and approaches, but they all have the common goal of making something grow successfully. You can always improve upon your own organic gardening techniques to grow better, healthier organic plants. Hopefully, these tips have given you some advice on how to do that.

Organic Gardening Tips And Tricks For Your Garden

In the gardening world, it is important to to try to grow and maintain the best plants that you can. That is where smart gardening techniques come in handy. This will help you grow the most plentiful, beautiful and healthiest plants that you can. Follow these tips to become a better gardener.

Use foliar feeding to help shocked or struggling plants recover. Plants can consume nutrients through their leaves quicker than through their roots. If they are having trouble getting nutrients through their roots, spray their leaves with liquid food. Be careful not to overfeed them this way. They may need to feed only twice a month.

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.

If you are growing tomatoes, be sure to pick an airy spot that gets plenty of light. Tomatoes require at least ten hours of sunlight during an average summer day in order to grow to their peak flavor levels. Good air circulation between and around the plants is also vital to their survival.

When growing potatoes, make sure you choose a variety with a starch content that corresponds with the way you'll be cooking them. The more starch there is in a potato, the drier and flakier it will be when cooked. Potatoes that are good for mashing have approximately 7% starch. These potatoes cook quickly and retain a high moisture content, so they're easy to mash. Baking potatoes have a starch content between 15% and 18%, and frying potatoes have the highest level at 22%.

You can get most of the gardening tools you need second-hand. Visit yard sales and estate sales near you to look for gardening tools at a very low price. You can also visit online trading or donation groups to trade items you have for gardening tools, or even to find find free tools.

Test your soil before purchasing fertilizer. Fertilizers provide essential nutrients to plants, such as phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen. However, fertilizers can be very expensive. By testing your garden soil to see which nutrients it is lacking, you can avoid spending extra money on a complex fertilizer, and instead purchase a fertilizer containing only the nutrients that your soil requires.

To be sure a tree doesn't become a problem with age, think of what size it will become before you plant it. The perfect place for a sapling may not be a great place for a tree several years down the road. You should be especially careful not to plant a tree too closely to your house, as the roots can cause damage.

As you can see from the previous list of tips, gardening can really be an enjoyable hobby or career. It takes a lot of hard work, a lot of maintenance and a lot of patience, but it is all worth it in the end to have a beautifully maintained garden.