Grow A Vibrant Garden The All Natural, Organic Way
Gardening is one of the great perks of owning your own home. Working your own patch of land and making something beautiful out of it can be tremendously rewarding. If you'd like to get a leg up on your gardening without resorting to harsh chemicals, there are plenty of organic, all-natural gardening tricks that can keep your plants thriving.
1. Mulch
To some homeowners, mulch is nothing more than ground cover used to break up the landscape and provide variety. Proper mulching plays a much larger role in your garden, though! The best time to lay down mulch is at the start of the cold season. Mulch will protect both your plants and your soil, helping them conserve moisture and warmth. When spring comes and the growing season begins, mulch continues to assist you. It will improve soil conditions and protect delicate young plants from insects. Replace your mulch each year to keep it working properly.
2. Soil Selection
Speaking of pest control, you can do a lot to limit the spread of slugs and other pests if you take some care with the composition of your garden soil. If you research the local pest population, you'll likely discover that your local insect life has a surprisingly narrow tolerance in terms of moisture content and pH balance. You can plan out a gorgeous garden in practically any climate using soil and plant selections that are different from the ordinary native life. This not only looks exotic but also discourages the local insect population from taking hold in your garden.
3. Compost
Good fertilizer is essential for any vibrant garden. You don't need to rely on store-bought fertilizer or complex chemicals to get the job done, though! Start a compost heap in a convenient corner of your yard. This waste-management program uses the natural decomposition process to convert organic waste from your home and garden into healthy, nurturing, fertile soil. You can learn much more about composting online, but the key concept is to turn your compost frequently to encourage rapid decomposition.
4. Liquid Fertilizer
There's just one problem with using a compost pile to get the fertilizer you need: Compost is bulky. It's somewhere in between fertilizer and soil, and you can't slap it onto your planting beds over and over without turning them into compost piles themselves. There's an easy solution with a silly name: compost tea. Liquid that filters through your compost pile will pick up many of the healthy nutrients it produces. If you assemble your pile so that it's easy to drain, you can collect this powerful liquid fertilizer and use it to give your plants a boost all through the year.
5. Variety, Always Variety
A great garden is one with a wide range of plants. You need to look further than just the set of plants you choose for one growing season, though. Take the time to plan out a new garden mix with new species every year. At the very least, alternate between two sets of plants. Varying your garden's make-up from year to year prevents the local insects and wildlife from acclimating to your little environment. If you maintain proper variety, you can have a healthy, exotic garden for many years to come.
These five suggestions are just the tip of the organic gardening iceberg! Give them a try in your own garden and see if you can't improve your results by going natural. If they work out for you, you'll have no trouble finding tons of other great organic gardening ideas. Once you shift towards organic methods, a whole new world of environmentally-friendly gardening will open up for you.
