Have you ever tried to grow your own vegetables in a backyard garden? With the growing trend to become self-sustaining and lead a &greener& lifestyle, many people have found ways to provide their own vegetables, fruit and eggs, right from their own backyard efforts. Living off the land is not as difficult as you think, it just takes a little bit of knowledge, some space and a couple of seed packets to get started.
Remember to aerate your soil. If you loosen or puncture the soil, it will increase air permeability and water penetration. Aerating can be as simple as turning the soil over with a trowel, or in the case of lawns, making small holes in the grass. This can be done with an aerating machine, a garden fork, or even by walking on the grass wearing a pair of spiked golf shoes. This brings oxygen into the roots and promotes healthy new growth.
Cover fences and walls with climbing plants. Climbing view it now are known to be very versatile, and can help hide any ugly wall or fence, and this often only takes one growing season. You can direct them over certain branches or boards, or you can send them through plants you already have. Some varieties will climb and attach using their tendrils or branches, but some will need to be trained or supported with ties. Honeysuckle and jasmine are very beautiful varieties of such climbers.
Keep a garden journal and take photographs of your garden as it grows. It's easy to start the season with high expectations for your gardening. But as the time wears on, it's just as easy to lose steam. A journal and photos can help inspire and engage you along the way!
If space is an issue, try vertical gardening. Even with the limited space of condos and townhouses, many people have thriving gardens in the small area they have using vertical gardening. By using trellised gardens one can grow pole beans, tomatoes, and cucumbers in a small place during the summer, and in the fall a wide variety of greens can be grown in the same space.
Make sure you are realistic about your gardening abilities. It is easy to get excited about the possibilities that your garden holds. However, it does not make sense to purchase seeds that will not thrive in your climate. Research what type of plants you can successfully grow and stick to your list when shopping.
You can plant wheat grass or cat grass near the plants that the cat eats. You may also place something offensively smelly atop the soil, like citrus peel or mothballs.
Make sure your garden will get sun before planting the seeds. Plants love the sun and will grow better when exposed to it. If it is not too much trouble, consider moving your garden to another area to get the maximum amount of sunshine. This way your plants will grow bigger.
<img src="http://arborspecialties.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Tree-Pruning-With-Bucket-Truck-Hero.jpg" />
Make sure to water your garden properly. You can water efficiently by using a soaker hose which will eliminate the necessity of watering each plant one by one with a nozzle, or having to use a water can that you have to refill over and over. Turn down the water pressure to its lowest setting, as anything higher could harm the plants. Allow it to water your plants for a couple of hours, so that you are free to do other things.
If you don't have the space to grow a garden in the ground you can still enjoy the benefits of gardening by using containers. Almost any plant can be grown in a container and many plants now are specifically designed for container growing. With a large container you could have a mini-garden right on your porch.
If your organic garden uses containers, you may need to swap seedlings to larger containers as they outgrow them. When you do this, make sure to handle the seedlings by the leaves and roots. To be more specific, https://www.stihlusa.com/information/articles/hiring- should avoid touching the stems as they are extremely fragile and can be easily damaged. After you have swapped containers, it is recommended to water the roots as this will help them merge with their new environment.
Be sure that you have earthworms in your soil. Earthworms are vital to good organic gardening, because they aerate the soil. Also, the by-products of earthworm digestion are actually great plant food. Earthworms encourage soil bacteria that provide needed nutrients to your plants while competing with harmful insect pests, reducing the need for chemical pesticides and fertilizers.
Attract positive bugs to your garden. Bugs like lady-bugs actually hunt natural predators to your plants; aphids and caterpillars are just some of the nasty critters that can go through a garden and eat the leaves of the plants. Lady bugs are the natural predators to such pests and help the growth of a good healthy garden by consuming pests.
As gardening grows in popularity, more and more people are looking for ways to get the most out their gardens. If you use the tips and techniques you've read about in this article, you will soon find your garden flourishing like never before. Just put these ideas to work for you!
devonarenato Community Member 
|
|
