Whether you are websites or black thumbed, adding a garden to your home can add value to your property, when it comes time to resell. Not only that, the hobby of gardening can be a relaxing stress-buster when required. Below are some ideas on how to turn your back yard into a little green piece of paradise.
To discourage garden pests of the rodent variety from eating your beautiful perennial flowers and tasty vegetables, brush your dog or cat and use bits of the accumulated hair near the base of the plants being bothered. Garden rodents such as moles, gophers, rabbits and chipmunks can smell a predator and while your little Yorkie may not look like much of a threat, it only takes his scent to ward off the garden troublemakers. Don't have a dog or cat to brush? Volunteer to brush a neighbor's pet for the cause!
To save space in your garden, try planting your crops in blocks rather than in the traditional rows. Rows end up leaving too much space between plants for needless pathways. Blocks help keep plants tight together without sacrificing production. Small variety kitchen vegetables do best in blocks that are arranged in a wide bed.
For garden plants that crave and need a lot of water, use five gallon buckets to keep those thirsty fruits and vegetables happy. Simply drill or punch several 1/8& to 1/4& holes into the bottom of a five gallon bucket, fill with water and set near the parched plant. Gravity allows for a slow and steady watering of those plants and if you live in an area where you get frequent rain, you will be capturing plenty of rain water to keep those buckets fairly full all season long.
When you're picking vegetables from your garden, choose to harvest them when they are at the peak of ripeness for the best flavor and the most nutrition. It is best to pick vegetables and fruits in the early morning, because they are still full of moisture and nutrients. With only a few exceptions, anything that you're not going to use right away can then be preserved by chilling in the refrigerator.
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If you spend a lot of time taking care of your garden, get yourself a gardening wheelbarrow. You can put all the gardening supplies that you need on the wheelbarrow and easily push it around to various parts of your garden. This will save you time from looking for various supplies every time you need to tend to your garden.
If you find that your garden is producing more vegetables than you can eat, you might try finding recipes that call for the produce in different stages of maturity. For example, if you anticipate that you'll have more squash than you need, you can harvest the squash blossoms. This makes your garden more diverse in its offerings that you can enjoy.
Use mulch to fertilize your beds. You have to make sure you spread mulch evenly, as you need a certain quantity and do not want to waste any of it. Sprinkle mulch as best as you can and use a rack to spread it flatly and evenly. Make sure you cover all the areas that need it.
Create a zen garden by adding a water feature. Water features come in all sizes and designs. it is possible to have a very small water feature that is suitable for a patio or a very large pond. Several manufacturers make kits do-it-yourself kits that can be installed in just a few hours.
Treat yourself while you garden with a little petroleum jelly. Before donning your gardening gloves, apply a bit of petroleum jelly or your favorite moisturizing cream to your hands. The gloves protect from the dirt, while your hand movement works https://www.in.gov/dnr/forestry/files/09_Prune_Your_Trees.pdf into your skin. You will finish your gardening with silky soft hands!
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.
When you have an abundance of seeds from your garden, a helpful way to store them away without drying them out is to use old, nylon stockings as a storage bag. After you add the seeds to the stocking, simply tie a knot at the top and hang the stockings in a warm, dark place to store until spring.
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.
Organic gardening can be a very effective skill to have in your arsenal for whatever needs you may have in regards to your diet. You may already have a healthy diet and want to know how to incorporate your own grown food into it. No matter your reasons, hopefully the tips above gave you some ideas.
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