Organic Gardening for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know
This comprehensive guide will teach you everything you need to know to start and maintain an organic garden. Topics include selecting the best plants, what tools you'll need, and how to make sure your garden is successful.
Gardening is a hobby that many people enjoy because it can be very rewarding and therapeutic. Many people find that organic gardening produces healthier, purer crops. Organic gardening is increasingly becoming more popular.
There are many different ways to go about gardening organically, and it can be as simple as choosing a natural pesticide free of chemicals to kill the pests in your garden.
There are many benefits of organic gardening not only for the environment but also for the gardener themselves. Organic gardening is a way to live more sustainably, by creating an environment that you can rely on without harming animals or plants in the process.
What does it mean to have an organic garden?
While there are many different ways of organic gardening, organic gardeners use natural fertilizers and plant food to nurture their plants. Organic gardeners do not use any pesticides, herbicides or chemical treatments in their gardens. They also have no interest in genetically modified foods either.
A lot of people find that organic gardening produces healthier, purer crops because there are not any chemicals.
If you are interested in organic gardening, here are a couple of tips for establishing and maintaining an organic garden.
How to Pick The Right Types Of Plants For Your Garden Area
There are many things that you will need to take into consideration before you start your lush and lovely organic garden.
For starters, you will need to find out what type of plants and vegetables are best suited for the climate in your area. You’ll also need to find out if there is enough sunlight for the plants that you will be planting.
Additionally, you’ll need to figure out what types of bugs and weeds are prevalent in your area so that you can plant accordingly. Finally, you will want to think about how much space is available in your garden and how much time you have on hand for gardening.
With these important considerations under arm, it should be easier to establish an organic garden that fits well with both your needs as well as those of the environment around it.
When you are getting ready to establish an organic garden, you will want to make sure that you either plant seeds or starter plants that will do well in your garden space. Usually, the backs of seed packets or little tabs in the starter pots will have an indication of what type of garden works best for that type of plant.
It is crucial to know the limitations of your soil and avoid trying to grow plants that will be impossible to maintain.
Every garden has a different set of needs, so it's important to know what kind of soil you have before planting.
To check, take a small chunk of the ground and rub it between your fingers. If it feels gritty or sandy, your soil has sand in it.
If there is a noticeable difference between the amount of dry and moist dirt underneath your fingernail when you pull away, then chances are you've got loamy soil with both sand and clay.
If the dirt slides easily through your fingers without leaving a residue on them, then we're looking at clay-rich soil with no or little sand content.
You should consider the type of soil that you have, the amount of sun exposure that the garden area gets, and also the temperature range for the garden area. This way, you will better ensure that your organic plants will be able to survive in the garden space that you have!
Using Organic Compost & Mulch
Compost and manure are materials that you can use to fertilize your soil for a healthier plant.
Organic gardeners use compost and manure for fertilizing their soils which are rich in nutrients. This is made from organic waste or plant matter which is mixed with soil to create a nutrient-rich, fertile, healthy soil.
Compost is a product of the decomposition of organic materials like plants, leaves, and kitchen scraps.
The benefits of using compost or manure on your soil is that it adds much needed nutrients to your garden. For example, nitrogen-rich compost helps crops grow strong and healthy.
Organic gardeners only use compost and manure for fertilizing their soils which are rich in nutrients that help the growth of plants and vegetables. Organic materials that can be used for fertilizing are bone meal, blood meal, oyster shell flour, greensand, granite dust etc.
The manure compost used in organic gardening is obtained by collecting animal or human excrement which are then decomposed with the help of bacteria. The decomposition process is said to create nutrient-rich soil, a rich source of nitrogen, phosphorus, and other nutrients which are required for healthy plant growth.
Composting is a natural process which can be done at home as well. It requires maintaining a good balance of various ingredients such as manure, leaves, straw and dry grass cuttings.
The outcome of composting is a rich fertilizer that can be mixed with soil or used as a top dressing on the soil surface to enhance the productivity of plants in your garden.
Part of the process of establishing and maintaining an organic garden involves placing organic compost in the garden bed. Having healthy soil is one of the key things that are necessary for a good organic garden.
For plants to grow and prosper, they need to be in the right soil. Plants don't just magically produce food. They need a good environment for them to grow. If they are not in the right soil, then they will not produce good crops because they are not getting what they need to be strong and healthy plants.
Soils vary from being acidic, basic or neutral which can affect the health of your plant. A plant’s root system is its life-source so if it is unhealthy due to poor soil quality then it will not have enough nutrients or water for it to grow well.
Soil is a living thing and as it matures, it changes. Organic composting speeds up this process, but your compost pile needs to be maintained for at least 6 months.
After adding organic compost to your garden, you will see over time that the soil texture becomes dark and crumbly. This means that the nutrients from the decomposing organic materials are reaching your soil and keeping it healthy.
Organic mulches are used as a natural and renewable way of providing nutrients to the soil. They have many benefits, one of which is that they are able to retain moisture in the soil which can help prevent water from evaporating.
Another benefit of organic mulches is that they slow down the rate at which the water drains away from the soil. This can help to keep plant roots moist, especially during dry periods and it also helps keep weeds at bay.
You should mulch your organic garden beds with about three inches of organic material. For one reason, this will help to conserve water in your flower bed because the soil will not be directly exposed, and water will not evaporate as quickly.
Organic mulch can be used as a soil conditioner and it also gives nutrients to plants. It can be composted or made from shredded leaves.
Organic mulch is the perfect way to add nutrients and humus to your garden. Mulches are used for many different functions in gardens, but their primary purpose is to protect the surface of the soil from erosion and weed invasion, while still providing an environment with needed moisture and air.
Mulches also provide an environment for microbes that degrade organic matter, which produces added nutrients for plants that have been shown to improve their growth rates. This means that you can use organic mulch as a handy DIY product by composting it in a pile or by shredding up some dead leaves!
In addition, organic mulch also helps to prevent a lot of weeds from growing in your organic garden, which means that you'll have to spend less time pulling the weeds out!
An organic mulch can be a great addition to your gardens. It can make your garden look finished and more complete.
How to Keep Insects Off Of Your Plants
There are a number of ways to go about keeping insects out of your organic garden.
For example, you can add plants that act as natural insect repellants near the garden. You can also use organic pesticides and non-organic pesticides to get the job done.
Usually, pesticides and chemicals are used to deter bugs from eating your plants - but if you have an organic garden, you'll need to be a little more creative in order to keep the bugs away!
One of the suggested ways for keeping bugs away from an organic garden is to use natural deterrents.
Many people have used soap, oils, and other substances to keep bugs away from their gardens and this has proven to be very effective. This natural way of deterring those critters is a lot less taxing on the environment because it uses the earth's resources instead of man-made chemical compounds.
This method of pest control keeps your food fresh and clean by avoiding those pesky insect droppings that might otherwise ruin a good meal.
One of the suggested ways for keeping bugs away from an organic garden is to use natural deterrents, such as pure garlic extract.
Another thing that you can try to keep bugs (particularly aphids) away is to spray the infested plants with soapy water (that is very, very diluted). Then, after spraying the plants with diluted soapy water, you should then spray the plants with clear water.
Spraying is a good and less toxic option for killing aphids. Spraying should be done when plants are in full bloom.
Spraying is better than using pesticides because it will not harm pollinators.
It has been said that this spraying method is effective for even really bad cases of aphids in the organic garden, so it's worth giving it a try!
In addition to being better for the environment, organic gardening is a much more affordable and less toxic way to grow your food.
Organic gardening is a simple, safe and effective way to grow healthy, delicious produce in a sustainable way. Eating local and homegrown food has many benefits for your health, the environment and our economy.