Wednesday, 23 October 2013

Organic Backyard Gardening Advice For New Organic Gardeners

By Mark Lucas


A garden can provide far more than just decorative appeal. Backyard Gardening can be an activity for a lot people. It is not limited to simply green-thumbed enthusiasts. It is a way to provide the person tending it with peace, tranquillity, and an appreciation of life itself. Once you develop some skill, you can make a profound effect.

Sod should be laid properly. Your soil should be prepared before you lay the sod. Remove any weeds, and break the soil up into a fine tilth. Flatten the soil back into place, gently but firmly. Thoroughly moisten the soil. Avoid laying your sod in straight rows with all of the seams lining up. Instead, stagger the rows for a more pleasing visual effect. Pat down the sod and fill any gaps with soil. Your sod should be watered everyday for at least two weeks, then it will root itself and walk on it.

Use perennials resistant to slugs and snails. Creatures like snails or slugs can destroy a plant in a single night. These pests normally go after plants with thin little leaves and plants that have yet to fully mature. Some perennials are not preferred meals for snails and slugs, especially if their foliage is hairy and tough, or tastes bad. Consider planting these varieties of perennials to discourage slugs and snails from eating your flowers. Euphorbia and achillea are examples of slug-proof perennials.

It's sometimes possible to save certain plants from winter cold by bringing them inside. It's a good idea to save any expensive plants or those that will thrive in indoor heat. Dig carefully around the roots and transfer the plants to a pot.

During fall, you should plant cold weather vegetables. Instead of using regular clay pots this year for planting lettuce and kale, try a pumpkin container instead! Clean out the pumpkin just like you would if you were making a jack o'lantern. Spray Wilt-Pruf inside the pumpkin and along its edges so that the pumpkin won't rot. Now this is completed, it is time to get planting!

A simple way to lower the alkaline content of your soil is to dilute it with coffee grounds. Basically, the grounds resupply the soil with acid. This is one of the most inexpensive ways to achieve this result. When you use them, you will start to notice that your vegetables are tastier and more vibrant in color.

Grow some plants that cats like to eat - try catnip or wheat grass. Additionally, use your cat's keen sense of smell to your advantage. Citrus fruit peels and mothballs both smell horrible to cats, so put them on the soil near the plants your cat likes to eat.

Use natural pest control when possible. Planting marigolds or onions around the border of your vegetable garden will help repel slugs. Insects can be deterred if you use wood ash instead of mulch around trees and shrub seedlings. With these natural methods, there is no need to purchase expensive, harsh pesticides.

Use the knowledge you have gained here to resuscitate your garden today. You will be glad you did when you see your plants alive and blooming. Backyard gardening could become your new hobby and be a real source of happiness for you.




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