Gardening is a wonderful activity to practice. It’s relaxing and it gives you the reward of having plants that produce beautiful flowers or food that you can eat. One of the greatest things about gardening is that it can be done using organic practices. Read the following article for some tips that can help you cultivate an organic garden.
Growing close to home is the best idea for creating an organic garden. Plants that are native to your area or have successfully adapted to grow in your area have a greater chance of surviving. These plants have optimized themselves to grow under the soil and climate conditions in your area, making them easier to take care of and stronger in endurance. You can try your hand at a few exotic plants, but leave the majority of the garden with local and adapted plants.
Just like any other garden, an organic garden can be susceptible to over watering. In some areas, nature will do most of the watering for you. A rain gauge placed outside can give you an idea of how much rain falls in your area, and help you decide if you need to add more water. If you have to water, aim for early morning or late evening hours. These times will give the water ample time to seep into the soil and prevent water evaporation due to heat from the sun.
Pests can be a major problem for anyone trying to grow an organic garden. Just one insect can spell disaster for any of your plants. Your first line of defense against these pests should be physical. Some pests can be removed by hand if they don’t pose that much of a threat. If you find yourself overwhelmed, move on to stronger defenses. Barriers placed around the garden and sticky traps can keep pests out and stop invaders before they reach plants. If this fails, use organic pesticides as a last resort, as they might cause harm to your plants or any pest killing insects.
Plant based pests can be just as bad as insects for an organic garden. Weeds can grow around your plants and leave them without any nutrients. You can add mulch to a garden to keep weeds from growing, but if it’s too late and they’ve already started growing, you’ll have to remove them. The safest way to take care of weeds is to pull them from the garden. It takes a little effort, but once the weeds are gone, your plants will be able to grow to their fullest. An easier route would be to use organic weed killers, which can be made easily, but raise the risk of your plants and any beneficial insects being damaged.
As stated before, gardening is both relaxing and rewarding. The results of any garden you grow will give you a smile and in many cases, something good to eat. Why not go the extra mile and make your garden an organic garden that the world can enjoy.