When the winter chill is out of the air and spring starts to settle in, a lot of people out there break out their shovels and plows and decide to plant a garden. If you want to plant a garden this year, why not make it an organic garden? Here are some fantastic tips you can use to make sure that your garden grows.

Water your organic garden with storm water runoffs and collected rainwater. Rainwater is more pure and better for plants than home tap water, because it won’t contain chemicals such as chlorine or fluoride. Using rainwater also helps in reducing your overall water usage. Rainwater can even be stored in barrels or cisterns to be used during dry spells.

Make use of a ground cover, such as mulch or hay. Be sure when you are purchasing your ground cover, that it is also organic, as any chemicals contained in the mulch or hay can be absorbed by your plants. Organic ground coverings will protect the roots of your plants and help prevent water evaporation.

Making your own compost for organic gardening is extremely simple and easy to do. It provides soil of gardens with rich nutrients and keeps soil cool during summer months. You can use kitchen waste, sawdust, aquarium water, coffee grounds, tea leaves, rabbit or hamster droppings, a thin layer of lawn clippings, spices and eggshells in your compost.

Start your organic garden with a good strategic plan. This helps you know exactly where each plant will go in your garden so that you can maximize the few hours you have to garden each day. As part of your plan, take notes on what plants you will use to replace short-lived crops such as spinach and lettuce.

When building or maintaining a compost pile, it is important not to add coal ash or charcoal to the pile. Both ash and charcoal have high amounts of iron and sulfur, as well as other unwanted chemicals, that may pollute the soil and potentially harm the health of your plants.

Do you want to kill weeds naturally? You can place newspaper in several layers, and it will help control your weeds. Weeds can only grow when there is adequate sunlight. When you cover weeds with newspaper layers, they suffocate due to lack of light. Old newspapers are a valuable addition to your compost heap. You can cover the newspapers with mulch to make them look more attractive if you like!

To conserve water and protect your plants, use a soaker hose instead of a sprinkler. A soaker hose is a hose with small holes that lies at the base of your plants and administers water directly to the soil. This deters evaporation and keeps water from touching the foliage, which can cause fungus and disease.

For indoor organic gardening, temperature control is very important during the early phases. Seventy degrees Fahrenheit is the ideal temperature for most seeds to start growing. You can achieve this temperature relatively easily by installing heaters and placing the seeds near the vents. You can also purchase heat mats to place under your plant containers.

Organic gardening is more difficult than gardening with chemicals, but you will reap a greater reward. Though the use of chemicals has its own benefits, organic farming is a rewarding experience that ends with natural, healthy produce.

Cultivate your soil to improve the quality of your soil. When you cultivate, or till, your soil, you loosen up parts that may be compacted. Compacted soil does not absorb water well, and it discourages soil micro-organisms from growing in it. When your soil is properly tilled, seeds can thrive and grow.

One of the more rewarding hobbies is organic gardening. Any form of gardening gives a basic outline for all others; teaching you the general methodology behind sewing, planting, and harvesting properly.

If your garden includes plants that prefer acidic soil, such as begonias, roses, and strawberries, you should mulch with a generous layer (two to three inches) of discarded pine needles at the beginning of the autumnal season. As the pine needles slowly decompose, they will release trace amounts of acid into the soil.

Never use ‘unfinished’ compost in your garden. Unfinished, meaning still ‘hot’ compost can burn plants or bulbs if you try to amend your soil. An excessive smell of ammonia means that the compost hasn’t broken down sufficiently. You can work unfinished compost into a patch of bare soil, but be careful not to plant anything in the area for at least one week.

One of the best things about a garden is that once you put in the initial labor, you can sit back and enjoy the fruits – or vegetables – of this labor as your garden begins to grow. Make sure that you’re using these tips correctly if you want to experience the best possible results with your organic garden.

Yum! There is nothing better than the taste of produce you grew in your own organic garden. There is just something about it! Maybe it is the sense of accomplishment! Or, just the fact that the tomato taste like a tomato! Needless to say, it is an accomplishment because not all gardens produce. Following are some handy tips and tricks to help your garden be a success!

Water your organic garden with storm water runoffs and collected rainwater. Rainwater is more pure and better for plants than home tap water, because it won’t contain chemicals such as chlorine or fluoride. Using rainwater also helps in reducing your overall water usage. Rainwater can even be stored in barrels or cisterns to be used during dry spells.

A great trick for organic gardeners and a neat way to reuse plastic milk jugs are to use them as a form of self irrigation for your garden. All you need to do is poke little holes into the bottom of plastic 1 gallon jugs, bury the jugs next to your plants and make sure to leave an opening. Fill the jugs allowing the water to seep slowly into the ground.

Choose carefully the plants you want to grow. Some plants are simply not made to grow indoors. If you want to grow vegetables, you can easily grow broccoli or Brussels sprouts indoors. Alyssums and zinnias are great flowers to grow indoors. You can also experiment with other kinds of plants, but keep in mind that it might not work.

Use mulch to fertilize your beds. You have to make sure you spread mulch evenly, as you need a certain quantity and do not want to waste any of it. Sprinkle mulch as best as you can and use a rack to spread it flatly and evenly. Make sure you cover all the areas that need it.

When beginning your own organic garden, you should always make sure you moisten your mix that is in the containers before you sow the seeds. If your mix is not moist, it will dry out. This could cause your plant to die before it is given a chance to grow.

A great tip when opening up your own organic garden is to mist your mix with a spray bottle. If you do not have a spray bottle, then set your trays in water. This is needed so that your mix will get the proper amount of moisture from below the surface.

If you don’t have a big yard, or any yard at all, you can still grow great organic produce in containers. Most vegetables, other than some root vegetables, grow just as well in pots as they do in the ground. There are also many varieties which have been bred to do well in containers.

When trying to add compost to your organic garden, find a better way to get the compost there. It can be a pain to have to move wheel-barrows of compost to your garden. You could try layering newspaper down the walkways of your garden, and adding straw to the top. Near the end of the season, the compost will be ready to be added to your garden and you only have to move it from the walkway to the beds on each side.

In order to offer your organic gardening the most success, mulch it with 3 inches of organic material. By mulching your organic garden you will conserve water, add nutrients to the soil and stop weeds from growing. As an added bonus, mulching also gives your organic garden a bit of beauty.

Most organic fertilizers will not harm the soft roots of plants, unlike, synthetic fertilizers. A great way to use an organic fertilizer is to mix it with the top two inches of soil next to the plant. This is called side-dressing, and it is usually worked into the soil during the growing season.

Fill your gardens with flowers. You shouldn’t spend too much time and energy planting annual types of flowers as they will only last one season. Keep these types in a limited area of your garden. For larger areas, go with perennials. That way you will have flowers again next year.

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.

Hopefully, the above tips and tricks will help you to make a success of your organic garden! There is nothing like the taste of produce you grew in your own garden. Can you taste the tomato now? Wow! You should be proud of what you accomplish! Apply the information that best suits your circumstances and tastes! Enjoy your produce!

Organic gardening is a subject that a lot of people feel is a hard thing to get started in. The thing about gardening, though, is that it’s about how much you know that gets you started and then helps you to become successful with this type of gardening. Look at this article and take what you can from it and then, apply it towards your gardening endeavors.

Hang shiny silver objects throughout your garden. These can act as natural pest deterrents; no need for chemicals. The reflections can disorient flying pests such as aphids that require the sun to direct their flight, and may frighten off larger pests such as birds, and even rabbits or deer.

Establish a precise schedule to know when you should plant your seeds. Even if you are growing your plants indoors, you should follow a schedule that matches the season and outside temperature. Spend some time on your schedule at the beginning of a season and you should be able to improve it the next year.

To keep air flowing through your compost pile, stand a large PVC pipe with punched holes in the center of your pile so the air flows up and down the pipe, and then through the holes directly into the pile. The air movement helps your soil decomposers create the heat needed to jumpstart the decay process.

You should organize your garden and plan everything. Do not buy seeds if you do not know where you will plant them. You need to plan on the long term for certain plants, and on the very short term for short-lived plants that will need to be replaced very quickly.

Keep your soil healthy. One of the best ways to deter pests from eating up your hard work in your organic garden is to make sure your soil is good. If your growing medium becomes imbalanced, it will become an attractive place for all kinds of unwanted visitors. Check pH and moisture levels often.

For indoor organic gardening, temperature control is very important during the early phases. Seventy degrees Fahrenheit is the ideal temperature for most seeds to start growing. You can achieve this temperature relatively easily by installing heaters and placing the seeds near the vents. You can also purchase heat mats to place under your plant containers.

If you have a problem with aphids, consider using ladybugs. Ladybugs are natural predators to aphids, and they are very effective in keeping the aphid population under control. You can buy them in bulk from a garden center or online. This is a much better solution than spraying your plants with pesticides.

If you wish to honestly proclaim your produce to be truly organic, you need to secure organic garden certification. This can increase your sales and also prove to your customers that they are getting the best produce out there.

Planting an insectary garden beside your vegetable garden is a natural and effective way to rid your vegetable garden of harmful insects. With the right variety of plants, this garden spot will attract beneficial insects that will kill and eat the harmful ones that eat your vegetables. The insectary can be a separate garden or several small plantings interspersed among the vegetables.

Feed your roses naturally. You don’t need to use chemical fertilizer to feed roses. Bury banana skins and crushed eggshells near the roots of rose bushes to supply them with extra vitamins and minerals. 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts dissolved in 1 pint of water is a marvelous pick-me-up for roses, and if you grow garlic around your rose bushes, it will help to keep them free of greenfly.

You can get the most out of the time you devote to your organic garden by keeping all of your commonly-used tools handy. Pick gardening clothes with plenty of sturdy pockets for your tools. A bucket or tool belt will also make a convenient home for those tools you use most frequently.

Tomatoes make a healthy, productive addition to any organic garden. To get the most out of your tomatoes, make sure you plant them properly: Tomato plants need lots of air and sunlight. You should space your tomato plants with plenty of open air between them, and site them so that they catch at least 10 hours of direct light every day.

With the information in this article, you should feel a little more relieved when thinking about organic gardening. You should already be thinking of some strategies that you can develop, based upon the information in this article and what you already knew about gardening. Just be sure to look at other resources of information about organic gardening and then formulate your own strategies, based on all of your resources. It won’t be long until you are producing bountiful harvests for your own table, as well as for your family and friends.

If you are completely new to the world of organic gardening, then you are probably thinking that some tips on organic gardening will help you immensely so that you can begin growing your own organic plants. Listed below are some tips to get you started with your organic gardening endeavors.

Be sure that you have earthworms in your soil. Earthworms are vital to good organic gardening, because they aerate the soil. Also, the by-products of earthworm digestion are actually great plant food. Earthworms encourage soil bacteria that provide needed nutrients to your plants while competing with harmful insect pests, reducing the need for chemical pesticides and fertilizers.

You can help to prevent your plants from developing diseases with aspirin water. One and half tablets of aspirin in a couple gallons of water will be a wonderful help to the plants you have. Spray the plants with the aspirin solution to help your plants fight disease. Try spraying your plants with this around every three weeks.

Plant your own seeds to guarantee organic produce. Sowing your own vegetable seeds gives you the comfort and assurance that your produce has been grown organically from seed to table. Choose plants that are easy to germinate such as broccoli, cabbage, basil and tomatoes. Find out the best time of the year to sprout your chosen produce.

Keep your seeds warm and humid. Most seeds are healthy at a temperature of about seventy degrees. Place your pots next to a heating vent or install an additional heater if needed. You can cover your pots with plastic films so that the seeds can keep their humidity and warmth.

Use mulch in your organic garden. Mulching helps retain moisture, and helps provide nutrients to your growing plants. You should try to use at least a three inch layer of mulch in all of your beds. It will also make your garden beds look as if they were professionally finished.

Attract positive bugs to your garden. Bugs like lady-bugs actually hunt natural predators to your plants; aphids and caterpillars are just some of the nasty critters that can go through a garden and eat the leaves of the plants. Lady bugs are the natural predators to such pests and help the growth of a good healthy garden by consuming pests.

Calculate how much water your plants truly need. Thinner plants generally need more water; they contain larger surface area with less capacity to store water. Plants with large, thick waxy leaves are often more suited for water-starved environments. Over-watering may also cause problems with the plant due to microbial growth on their roots.

Add vines to your landscape. You can get a wide range of plants that are vines. Some ornamental, and some fruit or vegetable varieties. Vines can grow up most fences or structures. Use them to create more interesting landscapes in your yard. Have them grow up an awning, and create shade for you.

Many horse farms will give you their horse manure for free if you ask. Some will even transport it to your door for a small fee. Horse manure is rich in vitamins and minerals that plants crave. Usually, the manure is blended with wood shavings to reduce the smell. For the serious organic, make sure that the shavings used are also organic.

Planting an insectary garden beside your vegetable garden is a natural and effective way to rid your vegetable garden of harmful insects. With the right variety of plants, this garden spot will attract beneficial insects that will kill and eat the harmful ones that eat your vegetables. The insectary can be a separate garden or several small plantings interspersed among the vegetables.

Every year, rotate your organic garden. When you continuously plant some plants from the same family in the same area every year, disease and fungus is encouraged in these areas. These harmful elements remain in the soil and can damage the plants you place in that spot the following year. However, by alternating the locations of your different types of plants, you can naturally prevent the fungi and diseases from developing.

Garlic is an excellent choice to grow organically. Plant individual cloves of garlic in the early spring or fall in moist, well-drained soil. Plant individual cloves pointed end up approximately two inches deep and four inches apart. Cut the green garlic sprouts as they grow, you can use them like you would use scallions or chives. When the bulbs begin turning brown on top, they are ready for harvesting. Allow the sun to dry out the bulbs for a few days until the skin gets hard. The garlic may then be stored within a cool location tied together in bunches or simply loose.

As you can see from the above list of tips, organic gardening can be very useful in getting the best and freshest produce possible from your plants. After following these tips, you will no longer be new to the world of organic gardening, but you will become an organic gardening expert.