Tag: Organic Gardening

Fundamental Organic Gardening Tips

And the race is on. On the right corner is an anything and everything goes garden which uses the best chemical fertilizers and pesticides the market today has to offer. While on the left corner is an organic garden that uses only the cycles of nature to cultivate the soil and grow the plants. If youre on the left corners side what will you do? Like a boxers second you should have a set of instructions for your fighter, but in this case a set of organic gardening tips will definitely come in handy.

Organic gardening involves growing healthy plants and having high quality produce without the use of chemicals whatsoever. There are a number of ways or techniques that you could use when going organic. The following are some general tips or guidelines that would help you begin and maintain an organic garden. Remember that you dont need a big area of land to go organic.

The first tip for you is to develop a great organic soil. And the first way to do that is to give your soil some compost material. Compost one of the major components of an organic soil. Without it, your soil will not contain enough minerals for your plants to grow healthy.

Aside from composts, you can add other organic materials into the soil to make it more suitable for your plants. If composts are not readily available, organic growers usually add different kinds of animal manures into the soil. This will act as your organic fertilizers to add to the useful soil nutrients that your plants will need.

The second tip would be to plant the right kinds of plants for the right kinds of soil. Also, take into consideration how much sunshine your garden receives and even the temperature in your area when choosing the plants you will have in your organic garden. It would be to your advantage to choose well-adapted plants in your organic garden.

Also, by choosing your plants wisely you would be able to plan how big, the layout, and the number the different kinds of plants you will have in your garden. We know for a fact that each vegetable, for example, requires different growing space than others.

Another useful tip would be positioning your garden so that it will fall under a shade. Or you can create a makeshift canopy to shade your garden. Shaded gardens are low maintenance, thats the main advantage. Under the shade, your garden will grow fewer weeds and definitely will not require more water than when it is constantly under the sun. Were not saying that a good garden is only a shaded one. Were merely citing the advantages and the benefits of growing your organic garden under shades.

For pest control, the best tip we could give you is to go down and get dirty. The organic way of pest management involves identifying which ones are pests and picking them off by hand. Yes, you read it right. You need to find the insects and pick them off your plants. However, if you dont feel like it, you can apply a number of organic solutions that you can easily make from common household ingredients. You can also introduce their natural predators to your garden to help maintain the pests into a minimum.

The key for both pest management and weed control is to act quickly. Once you have noticed that there are weeds growing or your plants are being damaged by insects, you should start pulling off the weeds or picking off the insects.

There you go. A few general organic gardening tips to get you started. With the right attitude, the right approach, and armed with the right techniques, you will be able to grow a healthy organic garden and you will be able to harvest all its benefits in the end.

Elements of Organic Gardening

Organic gardening in the truest sense means gardening without the use of any chemical substances, may they be in the form of fertilizers, pesticides, growth enhancers, etc. Some people think that if they use only small amounts of chemical fertilizers they still are producing organic. But they are wrong. Lets tackle some of the misconceptions and issues that surround organic gardens.

Dont get us wrong, organic gardens dont mean just leaving them to nature. It does need fertilization and pest management as well. However, you will use materials, techniques or approaches that are truly organic.

When it comes to fertilizers, for example, organic gardens obviously need fertilizers that are either plant or animal in origin and not petroleum or chemical based as most synthetic fertilizers are made of. So this means, organic gardens will have to rely on composts, animal manures, etc to provide added nutrients to the soil that the plants needs for growth. Its a good thing really, natural based fertilizers is less damaging to the soil in the long run that synthetic ones.

One of the many tips an expert organic grower will give you is that importance of maintaining a healthy soil. Some studies have found out that soils that are not treated with any chemical or synthetic fertilizers or herbicides grow plants that attract less pests. There are several ways to protect your soil. Covering it with vegetation or mulch will protect the soil surface from unnecessary damage from excess sun exposure and erosion from winds and rains. Remember that the top layers of the soil contain the living organisms that plants needs.

At times, organic gardens are also beleaguered by pests and you need to provide some sort of support or else your plants can easily be destroyed by aphids, worms, etc. There a number of effective alternatives for commercial chemical fertilizers. Some are readily available in your own kitchen which makes them really convenient.

Garlic and peppers for instance can be utilized as a spray against common pests. Extracts from the neem tree is also a great weapon against leaf eating, stem boring, or flower devouring pests. Also, you should note that spiders, ladybugs, and lacewings are three of the many insects that are on your side. These insets are natural predators of aphids, worms, larvae, and other pests so treat them nicely.

Another way to manage the pests in your garden is by thinking ahead. When you planted your plants, you could also place along side them plants that are natural repellants of insects such as marigolds which are very effective against nematodes.

Everything about an organic garden should revolve around nature.

Sometimes, it is nice to view organic way of gardening as a means where we can contribute to the protection of nature by helping minimize the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers that are harmful to the environment. May it be a flower garden, your lawn and shrubs, a vegetable patch, or even a fruit and herbs garden, as long as you incorporate organic techniques you are helping build a better future for the next generation.

These are only a few elements that you will have to internalize when start your own organic garden. Just remember that organic gardening is a technique where emphasis is on the interaction of living organisms.

The Benefits of Organic Gardening

More and more people are getting into natural means of growing crops because of the benefits that organic gardening brings. Experts agree that the most basic premise that peoplewho are planning to do organic gardeningneed to understand about the process of how it replenishes the use of natural resources. Meaning, when one does organic gardening, he or she should understand how important it is to use natural components such as composting plants and other fruits peels to feed the soil where the crop will be planted.

How can organic gardening improve lives

People cannot always be outdoors to feel and see the beauty of nature. Being inside the comforts of home doesnt mean that people can no longer enjoy the feel of nature for they can always indulge and reap the benefits of organic gardening. Contrary to common perception that crops from organic gardens are not good, there are so many benefits of organic gardening. Although it can be a tedious task to start with, all you need to do is to set your mind into something enjoyable and healthy, then, you can start reaping the benefits of organic gardening.

The following are just some of the benefits of organic gardening:

1. It leads you back to basics. Nature always provides the feeling of health and calmness. The trees, the plants, the flowers, and other elements of nature exude the air of serenity and relaxation. But, due to the dawning of modern age, most people neglect how can nature give ultimate satisfaction and tranquility. But, if you want to back to basics, you can always create your own organic garden in the comforts of your own space.

2. Healthier supply of food. Creating an organic garden might mean that you would have to go down and dirty just to grow fruits and vegetables. Putting aside the energy spent on these tasks, you can realize that at the end of the season, you can harvest fresh produce that most people cannot find in leading stores. Not pondering much on the effort you will exert in planting seedlings would also make you realize you are investing on something that could provide you enough supply of fresh, healthy and sumptuous supply of food.

3. An amazing alternative to save money. One of the great benefits of organic gardening is that it can be a great alternative for you to save money. Aside from being an amazing alternative for a feel of great outdoors, organic gardening can also help you save by getting the best crops for free and having a healthy environment.

4. It serves as a great hobby or past time. For older people, one of the amazing benefits of organic gardening is that it can buy some time off to people who want lesser stress in life. Since it has something to do with nature, organic gardening can indeed be a leisure activity not just for the elder but for the younger ones as well.

But, before going into the hobby of organic gardening, it is a must for you to know where to begin and how to begin. Organic gardening should start from a detailed planning. The first thing to consider is to determine the appropriate location for the type of garden you would want to have. If you plan to have a garden with ornamental plants, then it should be located in an area where the plants can be safe from harmful elements. Likewise, if you plan to have a vegetable garden, make sure that the location you have chosen would provide the crops enough exposure to the sun and sufficient water supply.

The Basics of Organic Gardening

The stress brought by modernization has made people realize that there is a need to cultivate healthy foods. Thinking that these will ensure the health of the future generations, more and more of people became interested with the basics of organic gardening.

As defined, organic gardening refers to the act of planting and growing crops without relying on the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and other synthetic products. This is to ensure that the crop is 100 percent all natural and free from harmful chemicals and elements that can lead illnesses to people.

Pointers for organic gardening

In organic gardening, the basic consideration is the soil where the crop will be placed. Veterans say that the perfect soil for organic gardening should be filled with nitrogen, which will contribute much to the health of the crop being planted. The soil should also be placed in an area where sunlight and air reaches it.

Experts also advise that clay soil is the most ideal type to be used in organic gardening because it is relatively high in nutrients compared to other types of soil. Aside from containing higher amount of nutrients good for the plants, it is best in holding the water for replenishing the plants. Although some types can also be used such as sand and garden soil, they cannot produce better crops just like the clay soil can. What you can do is to add some organic matter to make it more suitable for the plants.

Aside from the soil preparation and the area where it should be placed, here are some of the basics of organic gardening to help you get by:

1. Preparation of organic matter. Since this will be the one where the plants will get their nutrients, preparation of organic matter should be paid attention very carefully. As defined, organic matter can be a plant that is decaying or an animal waste that is mixed together with the soil. Aside from decaying plants and wastes of animals, organic matter can also be a clipping of grass, leaves that are dried, scraps from the kitchen such as vegetable stalks and peels of fruits as well as heads of fresh or cooked fish. Organic matter is very important in organic gardening because it serves as a conditioner for the soil to support the growing crops in it. Organic matter should always be regularly replenished. It can be put on top of the soil or can be mixed with it so the nutrients and other minerals can be absorbed very well.

2. Controlling pests and other plant-related diseases without the use of synthetic chemicals. Since the basic premise of organic gardening is using all-natural products, it is best if you familiarize yourself with the natural means of controlling pests in your crops. These natural means of controlling pests include worms and other insects that can defend your plants against other harmful elements. You can also prevent your plant from diseases if you inspect them regularly for any sign of damage. Once you suspect that there is a threat for plant illness, it is best if you remove the plant affected quickly to avoid the spread of the disease to nearby plants.

3. Selecting the ideal plants for your organic gardening. One of the basics of organic gardening that all people should know is how to select plants that will fit your natural condition. It is very important to understand that not all plants are suitable for all climates. To ensure that you will grow healthy plants, make sure that you check your site conditions and decide which are the plants that can withstand the environment available.

Some Organic Gardening Advice

Most people who cultivate their own gardens miss the fact that the whole gardening activity is actually a good opportunity for strengthening family bonds. Organic gardening should be a family activity enjoyed from the parents to the youngest sibling. Therefore, our first organic gardening advice for gardeners is to engage the whole family to make the experience more meaningful and worthwhile.

For gardening, it has been popular lately for growers to go organic especially with regards to growing vegetables. People are looking for a healthy lifestyle and eating vegetables free from toxins of chemical fertilizers and insecticides are becoming more and more the ideal.

If youre just starting out, or if its your first time planting a garden and you encounter problems like weeds and pests, you might have this inclination to go to the store and get yourself a can of chemical herbicide and pesticide. Dont succumb to this internal need to spray to kill. Most of the time, you garden dont even need such strong chemicals in the first place. All they need is some assistance from you and they will grow fine. For simple weeds, you just need to pull them out by hand especially when they are still just sprouting out of the soil. By removing them while they are young, your plants can grow stronger and in time will be strong enough that weeds or no weeds, it doesnt matter.

The same goes with pests. When you see some bugs in your garden, some damage on the leaves, or a few flying beetles here and there, dont be alarmed and drop that can of pesticide spray. Remember that by using pesticides to your gardens, youre killing not only the pests but the beneficial insects as well.

Beneficial insects? There are insects that feed on fellow insects or other animals whose diet consists of insects. If you allow the beneficial insects to enter your garden or allow friendly animals in, the percentage of damage from other insects will be at a minimum. Also, you wont have to deal with insects growing immune to chemical pesticides.

If things, however, still do not improve and your garden plants are receiving more and more damage from pests, what you can do is to apply environment friendly concoctions that you know off to effectively drive the insects away from your priced plants. A diluted mix of water and soap has proved to be quite ingenious way of getting rid of those pesky pests.

What you can do is mix a tablespoon of liquid dish soap into a half gallon of water and spray the solution to your garden. Bear in mind that this is not a very powerful one unlike most pesticides. You will have to spray the garden a couple of times to make this homemade solution to work.

Another useful piece of advice: as much as possible, get your seeds from organic workers. This will ensure that your seeds will grow into free from disease making a better chance to provide a good harvest.

Also, another good organic gardening advice is to plant your garden directly to the ground. Although creating a garden from containers is highly possible and can really be successful, you will eventually need to take care of your plants more often when they are placed in garden containers. Your plants will eventually outgrow its containers and will require more time to maintain and care for.