Top 10 Organic Garden Tips
1. Start with a good organic soil.
The soil is the heart of any garden and a healthy, organic soil means a healthy organic garden. The key element in keeping soil healthy is to provide it with as many organic matters as possible.
A good soil teeming with organic matters has the right consistency and allows water, air and the roots to penetrate. It can hold moisture but can also drain excess water. Once a good organic soil is achieved, everything else about an organic gardening seems easier to take care of.
2. Compost and Mulch.
These two are the best organic concoctions that you can make inexpensively and you can use to effectively improve the overall condition of your garden.
Compost is not just a fertilizer but a soil conditioner as well because aside from adding nutrients to the soil, it also helps to retain moisture and achieve the crumb-like structure of the soil.
Mulch is also a good soil conditioner and it efficiently reduces, if not prevents, weeds from taking over your garden. The best part is, these two can be made using materials that you normally throw away.
3. Use Organic Fertilizers.
The whole point of organic gardening is to use and utilize all-natural products and processes to have a lush and bountiful garden.
Organic fertilizers are often slow-release type of fertilizers that mimic nature’s way of giving nutrients to the soil, that is through a slow but steady process of breaking down these fertilizers into forms that can be absorbed by the plants through their roots. This doesn’t result to instant growth but rather a more sturdy and healthy plant.
Plants that grew quickly because of chemical fertilizers often have soft and succulent stems that are prone to pests and plant diseases.
4. Make earthworms your best gardening buddy.
Earthworm is a gardener’s best friend when it comes to keeping the soil healthy and in perfect form.
Earthworms can improve the structure of the soil by crawling their way through them, making it easier for water and air to flow. They also leave their excrement on the soil, which are excellent source of organic matters.
5. Choose the right plants for the right garden.
There are many factors why you choose the plants that you want to have in your garden. But the most important of these factors should be to choose plants that you know will adapt well in your area.
Experimenting on plants that require adverse growing conditions than the one you have in your garden could mean constantly struggling to keep the plants healthy and alive. But if you started out with the right plants, growing and sustaining them would be a lot easier.
6. Pick better varieties.
A lot of new and improved varieties are now readily available in garden centers and plant nurseries.
If you can, pick plants that are disease-resistant and pest-repellent as this will save you from a lot of worries later on.
7. Make animals and other insects your allies.
Birds, lizards and frogs eat most of the creatures that many consider as pests in the garden.
The same goes for some insects such as hover fliers, bees, spiders and praying mantises. Having them around is like having someone takes charge of the pest control.
8. Prevention is always better than cure.
Get ahead and protect your plants from pests and disease before they become actual problems.
If you were able to prevent half of the pests and diseases that would have infected your garden, then you only have half of the problem to deal with.
9. Fight weeds early. Weeds start from the seeds.
Be careful that you don’t accidentally introduce weed seeds in your garden.
A new soil, a new plant, a packet of plant seeds, your shoes, your clothes are just some of the things that can bring weed seeds in without you knowing it. Mulching early and frequently reduces the chance for these seeds to grow and become a gardener’s worst enemy.
10. Get to know your garden.
A good gardener knows his/her garden. And because everything is related to everything else in a garden, it’s beneficial to know what’s going on in your plants, in your soil and in your garden.
When you see a pest or a disease that has inflicted your plants, don’t just think of ways to eliminate them right away.
Observe and study what caused them, why they are there. If your plants suddenly seem stressed, look around and check for factors that could be affecting your plant’s health. Because only when you truly understand your plants, will you know what’s the best way to care for them.
Have fun and don’t forget the reason why you’re going organic. You know what they say, love what you do and it’ll never feel like work at all.
