Organic Gardening Tips

The difference between organic gardening and traditional gardening is that synthetic fertilizers and/or pesticides are not used and sometimes companion planting is utilized. This can often make organic gardening more labor intensive than other types of gardening in the areas of weeding, insect control, disease control, soil nutrition and other needs of your plants.

In order to start an organic garden, you need to begin with the soil. Organic matter must be added to the soil on a regular basis to keep the soil rich and productive. Compost is absolutely essential for healthy, lush plants grown organically. Leaves, vegetable scraps, dead flowers, fruit rinds, manure, a moderate amount of grass clippings, and many other things. Ideal soil is dark in color, has a sweet smell, and is home to many earthworms. Sometimes the soil may require more additives such as rock phosphates, ground fish, and bone meal than is present in the compost that you are using. A soil test will let you know the pH balance and what nutrients are needed.

Insects can test your determination to be an organic gardener. The temptation to use pesticides can be overwhelming but try not to. Preventative medicine is the best defense when it comes to insects. Keep your plants healthy and make sure that the soil is neither too wet nor too dry. A healthy plant can often overcome relatively minor insect damage. Insects usually target unhealthy, weak plants. Planting a variety of plants helps keeps insects from attacking your entire garden.

Making a garden attractive to toads, birds, ladybugs and frogs will help keep the insects under control. A water feature such as a small pond with ground cover will go far toward this goal. You can also grow plants that are rich with nectar as a food source for those insects that feed on nectar. Some other measures that can help with insect control are plant collars, barriers and sticky traps. You can use garlic, insecticide soap, and hot peppers (among other household items) to bolster your arsenal of insect repellants.

Chose plants that are disease resistant and plant them in optimal conditions to avoid disease from ravaging them. Many fungi and diseases spread due to persistent moisture and poor air circulation. The location of your garden and the method used to water it can assist in keeping diseases at bay.

Weeds can be the bane of an organic gardener. The use of organic mulch will create a barrier to the weeds. To make this barrier more effective, use a few layers of newspaper, a layer of cardboard or several layers of landscape fabric as the foundation that you place the mulch on top of. If you spread corn meal gluten early in the season, prior to planting, it will retard weeds growth. Using a double layer of clear plastic or a layer of bubble wrap to solarization the soil can also be as effective as chemical herbicides and pesticides. All methods need to be supplemented with old-fashioned hoeing and pulling of weeds. Persistence will be your best ally in your quest to control and prevent weeds. If you use mulch effectively, pull weeds that are getting established and hoe the soil to keep it well aerated; the weeds will be kept at bay longer and longer as the garden matures.

If you want to make sure that the vegetables you ingest are free of chemicals, organic gardening is a great way to achieve that goal. Your plants will be healthy if you look after them properly. Although organic gardening may require more of your time and care than other types of gardening, once you get the hang of it, it definitely is worth the effort.

The Wonders of Herb Gardening

There is good reason why herb gardening is becoming increasingly popular. Herb gardening is often associated with cooking however herbs are also grown for their scent and esthetic quality. Herbs not only serve a purpose, they also have a practical value. In addition, with herb gardening, you can actually use your plants.

One important aspect of herb gardening is, if you plan on using your plants for cooking during the winter or as a dried component to potpourri, drying the herbs properly. Drying the herbs is fairly simple. Cut the tops off of leafy herbs, wash and hang them up so that the moisture evaporates. Tie the stems together (not so tightly that the stems will be damaged) and place in a paper bag. Hang the paper bag up so that the air can circulate around the bag, drying the stems. Wait two to three weeks before removing the stems from the bag, taking the leaves down and crumbling them. Spread the crumbled herb on a cookie sheet and finish drying them in the oven on a low heat. Store the herbs in a glass jar to preserve their flavor.

Basil

In herb gardening, basil is one of the most common herbs that people grow. Often used for decoration as well as cooking, green basil and “Dark Opal” enhance any garden. The contrast of Dark Opal’s light pink flowers and dark red leaves is striking. Not just used as flavoring for tomato pastes and juices, basil of any type is an attractive plant.

Chives

A great addition to a herb garden, chives look like fine blades of grass and are a very petite looking plant. Although chives don’t appear to be a hardy plant, in this instance, looks can be deceiving. Chives can do very well during droughts and wet conditions. If a gardener does not want plants that require a great deal of maintenance, the strong, sturdy chive is a perfect choice. Chives are often added to egg dishes, salads and many types of sauces.

Mint

An easy plant to grow is mint but beware, container planting is the best way to keep this plant from being invasive. Some recipes that mint is added to are lemonade, mint juleps, mint jellies and a variety of fruity drinks. Mint also adds a distinctive aroma to a herb garden, as well as a beautiful rich green ground cover.

Sage and Thyme

Sage and thyme are herb gardening favorites. These two herbs are often used to season poultry, pork, sausages, and soups. Some herb gardening enthusiasts grow sage for its attractive blue spiked flowers.

Lavender

In herb gardening, the best smelling flower herb is lavender. Used as a scent additive in perfumes, candles, soaps, linen closets; lavender is also a popular aroma therapy essential oil. The small flowers, light purple, have an appealing aroma. Lavender is also ascribed with calming and relaxing properties.

Misc.

Other popular herb gardening plants are borage, chervil, sweet marjoram, sesame, and dill. Borage is used in salads and chervil in egg dishes. Sweet marjoram enhances the flavor of lamb, fish, salads and soups. Sesame flavours crackers, cookies, bread, some vegetables such as asparagus. Dill is used in pickling recipes but can also be used to flavor meat.

Herb gardening provides the herb gardener the opportunity to use plant that they have cultivated for a variety of reasons. They can use the herbs for cooking and/or decorative purposes. They can also grow the herbs for their pleasant aromas in the garden or, when harvested, inside their home. One benefit of herb gardening is that it provides fresh herbs with more flavor and aroma than those bought at a store at less cost. In addition, the gardener gets to enjoy the beauty of the plants as they grow.