The Top 10 Organic Gardening Tips

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The Top 10 Organic Gardening Tips

Do you want to start organic gardening? Do you want to be successful at it? We’re here to help!  Here is our Top 10 Organic Gardening Tips!

Tip #1

Start with a good organic soil. The soil is the foundation of any garden and a healthy, organic soil means a healthy organic garden.

The key thing in keeping soil healthy is to provide it with as much organic matter as possible. A good soil teeming with organic matter 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 organic gardening seems easier to take care of.

Tip #2

Compost and Mulch. These two are the best organic additives 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.

Tip #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.

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I use both granular (slow-release) and water-soluble (fast release) in my gardening method.  I add in the granular fertilizer when I put the plant in the ground and then water them in with either compost tea or fish emulsion.

Tip #4

Make earthworms your best gardening buddy. Earthworms are 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 castings on the soil, which are excellent source of organic matters.

Tip #5

Choose the right plants for the right garden. There are many factors in how 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.

I choose trusted varieties for my area with a few experimental ones mixed in.  Try it! You will not be disappointed.

Tip #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.

Growing hybrid varieties does not make your garden less organic or healthy.  Hybrid plants are just plants that have been selectively bred for specific traits like disease resistance or earliness. They were made to make your life easier, use them!

Tip #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 flies, bees, spiders, ladybugs and praying mantises.

Having them around is like having someone takes charge of the pest control.  Your own little army defending your garden!

Also Read:  11 Tips For Growing Corn in Raised Beds

Tip #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.

Tip #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.

If you pick out the weeds early and often, you will not feel overwhelmed when it comes to this classic garden task.

Tip #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 with 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 experiment with your garden.  Gardening is about learning and being in nature.  Don’t turn it into work! You know what they say, love what you do and it’ll never feel like work at all.

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Also, check out our article on What is container gardening? or Best Herbs to Grow!

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The Top 10 Organic Gardening Tips, Organic Gardening Tips, Backyard Eden, www.backyard-eden.com, www.backyard-eden.com/top-10-organic-gardening-tips

Hi, I’m John.

John grew up on a farm where his family raised chickens, goats, rabbits, and grew a huge garden. John has a family of his own and gardens to know where his food comes from. Learn more..

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