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Gardening is basically about growing and it doesn't matter if you're trying to grow a tree or a head of lettuce. You're still a gardener if you're growing plant life. If you garden at all and want some tips on how you can do it organically, make sure you read the article below and use these gardening tips.



To maximize the benefits of compost, put it in your garden about two weeks before you plant. Compost actually needs time to integrate with soil and once you combine the two they need time to stabilize. Plan to gather enough compost to fertilize your garden a couple of weeks ahead of planting to produce healthier and stronger plants.



If you have plants that are tall, support them with stakes. This will prevent tall plants from drooping over when they are heavy with blooms, which can look very messy. Support climbing shrubs with a lattice to keep the rambling vines under control and to prevent them from invading another plant area.



Divide up your perennials while they still look healthy. It's best to divide a perennial at the end of the growing season during which it hits its peak. As the plant starts to overgrow, the center of the plant will start to have dying stalks and weaker flowers. Allowing perennials to grow too long may also lead to them overtaking neighboring plants.



Make a handy twine dispenser from old clay pots. To always have gardening twine ready to use, take an old clay pot, and place it in your garden where you want your twine dispenser to be. Then place your ball of twine in it, and turn a second clay pot upside down. Thread the twine through the drainage hole of the upside down pot and place it on top of the bottom pot. You now have a handy dispenser!



Make sure to protect your hands when working in your yard. Dirt and chemicals can be very harsh on your skin. However, the solution to this problem is very easy: gardening gloves. Gloves range from cheaper cottons (that wear easily) to more durable leather (which are visit this page ). Look around your local garden supply center to find a pair of gloves that you feel comfortable working with to save your hands.



When you are trying to decide your plant watering schedules, make sure you are testing your soil regularly. Persistent over-watering is just as likely to kill your plants as under-watering. An easy way to check is to put your fingertip in the soil, if it is moist, do not add water.



You can use small clay pots or milk jugs to protect your plants from a late season frost. A bed sheet is also an effective cover on shrubs or large areas. Typically, young sprouts are the most vulnerable. If you forget or your efforts fail, you may be forced to replant the crop.



Split up irises. Increase your iris population when you divide up overgrown clumps. Lift bulbous irises when the foliage is dead. The bulbs will split up naturally in your hand, and when replanted, will often flower the next year. Split rhizomes with http://www.livingdesert.org/animals/wildlife-rehabilitation/tree-trimming-tips/ . Throw out the center and cut pieces on the outside that are new. Each new piece you cut should possess at least one healthy offshoot. Do this cutting beside your garden bed, so that you can place your new groupings into the ground immediately.



When you are organic gardening in a humid environment, water your plants in the early morning hours. This will help you prevent mildew. Watering in the morning also prohibits fungal growth that can occur in humid climates. You do not want mildew or fungal diseases to spread, it can lead to poor growth and unhealthy soil.



Keep an eye on your lilies. Unfortunately, lilies are prone to virus disease, such as lily mosaic. If you can, purchase bulbs that are guaranteed 'virus-free'. During the growing season, keep a sharp look out for any aphids, as they spread the disease. Make sure to spray with insecticidals soap at the very first sign of them.



You can enjoy fresh corn from your garden for an extended time during the summer by making several plantings. About a week after you plant your first few rows, make another planting of a few more rows. As the harvest from your first planting begins to dwindle, your next planting will be nearing maturity. Depending on the length of the summer season in your area, you might be able to make several plantings.




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It may seem tempting to want to use chemicals on your organic garden, but these will do more harm than good, along with defeating the purpose of an &organic& garden. If you think about, all of these types of pollutants run off and contaminate whatever they touch. By keeping your soil healthy, you won't need any chemical fertilizers anyway.



Having an organic garden in your backyard, doesn't mean that you will be constantly tied to it. On the contrary, gardening in an organic way can be more satisfying than any other method, because you are more in tune with nature, and the plants themselves. Use the ideas from this article to see just how easy it can be.