Organic gardening requires a lot of patience and talent. When you enjoy this hobby, you often have a goal of growing healthier foods for your family to enjoy. This particular hobby may not be as easy as it sounds. Check out the tips laid out below to learn what you must do to begin gardening organically like a professional.
Include your kids in growing an organic garden. Helping a garden grow is an excellent learning experience for kids, and it allows your family to spend time together while creating healthy, nutritious foods.
If you want to start a small organic garden indoors, evaluate the amount of natural light that is present. Almost every type of plant you grow requires ample sunlight, so think about how much natural light you home receives or if you perhaps need to supplement with UV lamps. If this is not an option, or you have your heart set on a particular type of plant, consider adding additional growing lights instead.
Pine needles should not be overlooked as a great source for mulch. Some garden plants have a higher acidity, and prefer a more acidic soil. For these types of plants, pine needles are wonderful for mulching. Cover the beds with a couple inches of needles and as they decompose, they will disperse acid to the soil.
When the time has come to gather up the produce, you need to use an old laundry basket. You can also use a laundry basket as a strainer. Just rinse the produce right in the basket; the water will drain through the holes.
Do you want to kill weeds in a natural way? Use several layers of newspapers for weed control. Weeds require sunlight to continue growing. They will suffocate and die if you cover them with newpapers. Old newspapers are a valuable addition to your compost heap. Use mulch on the top in order to make everything look attractive.
Construct raised flower beds of brick, stone, or wood. If you are to use wood, you should make sure that the wood is not treated and is also naturally rot resistant. Some good choices you might consider are locust, cedar, and cypress. Take care to avoid wood that has been chemically treated when your garden will hold vegetables, since unknown substances in the wood can make their way into your future food. In the event your vegetable garden already has treated wood as part of its enclosure, consider replacing it, or painting it, or wrapping the treated wood in some protective covering. Keep in mind that if any of the untreated wood is below the ground, you should dig it up to make sure that you completely protect your vegetable garden from the chemicals in the treated wood.
Get your organic garden certified so you can credibly claim that your crops are organic. This will increase your sales, and it will prove to your customers that they have quality products.
Organic gardening combines hard work, patience and nature. This wonderful past time uses land to produce delicious foods for your table. Follow the tips and put in the needed effort, and you will be a successful organic gardener.
