Producing a bountiful organic garden may be easier than you think. If you would like to try growing one, there are several pointers you may want to consider. Here are some of the steps to growing a beautiful organic garden.
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Plant the Correct Plants
Planting certain crops together helps to keep weeds away and helps the plants to thrive. If you are going to plant onions, then consider planting interspersing them with Swiss chard, lettuce and carrots. Peas love to be planted alongside beans, carrots and corn. Squash plants thrive when they are planted alongside other vine plants like cucumbers and melons. Alternatively, corn provides good shade for peas and beans.
Control Weeds
It is important to control weeds early in an organic garden. Mulching the garden before you start helps to prevent weeds from growing. Plant vegetables and flowers so that their leaves barely touch at maturity. Try covering the ground with a groundcover plant between rows. Use drip irrigation to get the water only where you need it. Spray weeds with a combination of olive oil and apple cider vinegar.
Use Beneficial Insects
Many vegetables and flowers will not pollinate without bees. Lacewings discourage aphids and mealybugs from munching on your vegetables. Ground beetles come out at night keeping slugs, snails and cutworms from feasting on your food in the garden. Soldier beetles help to grow aphids. Ladybugs often consume up to 60 insects a day helping to stop insect problems in your organic garden.
Unfortunately, not all creatures that enter your garden will be beneficial. Snails and slugs, for example, should be kept at bay as they will try to eat anything that is leafy and possibly other plants as well. Here are a few things that will keep snails and slugs away:
- Crushed Egg Shells
- Coffee Grounds
- Mint Plants
- Salt
- Powdered Chalk
Some of those ideas might sound weird to you, but you’ll definitely find them useful if you find yourself having a hard time keeping snails and the like out of your garden.
Build Good Soil
Mulch not only helps to control weeds but also helps to build good soil. Mulching around your plants helps to keep the soil cooler, so your plants grow healthier. Incorporating organic matter into the soil can help water and nutrients reach your plants. Using organic mulch and matter also means you can spend less time hoeing and tilling. Consider getting your soil tested so that you know what you need to add to it to keep the pH balanced.
Feed Your Plants
You will need to feed your plants with an organic fertilizer, like that available from Nature Safe. After getting your soil tested, you will know the proper amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium that your garden needs to thrive. Nitrogen helps foliage thrive. Phosphorus helps keeps roots strong. Potassium helps your plants to reproduce.
Use these pointers and soon you will have a bountiful harvest. Enjoy eating the food that you have grown organically in your own garden.
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