ORGANIC GARDENING TIPS
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| 101. Diatomaceous earth makes an excellent organic insecticide - it is an abrasive white powder used to damage the cuticle, skin and joints of insects. It also makes an excellent slug barrier. |
| 102. Plant a new pot with lettuce, spinach, or other greens every week to keep salads going all season. The pot makes an excellent, lush green centerpiece for summer dinners on the deck or patio. |
| 103. For an organic approach to pest control, build up your soil to encourage healthy microbes and other soil microorganisms, and earthworms. Healthy soil means healthy plants that are better able to resist pests and disease, thus reducing the need for harmful pesticides. |
| 104. Compost improves soil structure, texture, and aeration, and increases the soil's water holding capacity. It also promotes soil fertility and stimulates healthy root development. |
| 105. Mulching protects roots from extremes above ground, both the sun's heat in the summer and the cold in the winter. |
| 106. Be sure to keep edible flowers away from pesticides and all but organic fertilizers. They are meant to be eaten! |
| 107. For a great looking container houseplant, arrange three tall plants (not necessarily the same plant) in the center and surround them with smaller, bushy or trailing plants. Be careful to choose plants with similar tastes in soil, water and sunlight. |
| 108. Tree netting is a great way to protect trees from birds. Put it out as soon the blooms begin, and be sure to fasten the bottom around the trunk of the tree to keep birds from becoming trapped underneath it. |
| 109. Pick and handle your vegetables carefully; any nicks, cuts, or bruises lead to decay and shorter shelf life. |
| 110. The top of the fridge is a great place to set trays of started seeds; the seeds love the heat. |
| 111. Keep the soil in seed flats evenly moist, not too wet, not too dry. Too much moisture will rot the seeds, while seeds that have started to sprout and then dry out will die and can't be revived. Setting the tray on a water-filled bed of pebbles or gravel also works. |
| 112. When arranging a fresh bouquet from your yard, be sure strip the foliage from the stems as much as possible. Leaves in the water will create bacteria and shorten the life of the arrangement. |
| 113. Use newspapers as weed barriers when creating a new bed. They are printed with soy ink and decompose nicely, and are simple to lay out again when decomposed. Don't use slick colored advertisements or colored pages. |
| 114. Know where your new plants and soil is coming from; make sure you are not introducing nasty pests and disease, as well as unwanted weeds. |
| 115. A five percent increase in organic material quadruples the soil's ability to store water. This is especially important information in dry climates. |
| 116. Make compost tea by mixing equal parts compost and water and let it sit. Pour this liquid directly onto the soil around healthy, growing plants. Dilute this to 4 parts water to 1 part compost for use on smaller seedlings. Any compost that hasn't gone into solution can be used to make more tea or used in your garden. |
| 117. Test any old seed you have stored by germinating it between moist paper towels. This saves precious time and effort. |
| 118. Plant angelica, cilantro, dill, fennel, and parsley and allow them to flower to encourage beneficial insects to visit your garden. |
| 119. Purify your house with these common houseplants: Spider plants, English Ivy, Bamboo Palm, Fiscus, Mother-in-law's tongue, Peace Lily and Pothos. |
| 120. Dry your herbs at the end of the summer by tying sprigs together to form small bunches. Tie them together with a rubber band and hang, tips down, in a dry place out of the sun. Keep the bunches small to ensure even circulation. Store dry in labeled canning jars, either whole or crumbled. Freezing is also a good way to preserve herbs. |
| 121. If you have tomatoes still ripening on the vine and you are about to frost, save your tomatoes! Pull the plants and bring them inside. Hang them in a warm dry place. The tomatoes will ripen on the vine. |
| 122. Pick flowers for pressing after they have dried from morning dew. |
| 123. At a loss for a color to put in your landscape? Try white. It goes with everything and catches the eye nicely. |
| 124. Seeds need darkness, heat and water to germinate. Seeds contain the nutrients they need to get started, they just need water to get the process started and continue. Seeds typically germinate best between 60 F. and 75 F. |
| 125. Keep your garden simpler by keeping clumps of perennials such as chives, scallions and herbs going year after year. |
| 126. Hide your compost pile by planting a circle of sunflower seeds around the perimeter of the pile. The sunflowers will be well-fed and happily hide your compost pile. |
| 127. Gently brush your hands across your tiny seedlings several times a day. This stimulates them to grow slightly slower, resulting in stronger, sturdier stems. |
| 128. Use sphagnum moss in your seeding mix to help prevent damping off. |
| 129. Over watering is worse than under watering. It is easier to revive a dry plant than try to dry out drowned roots. |
| 130. Weeds are not usually welcomed to landscapes and gardens, but many weeds attract beneficial insects, birds and butterflies. |
| 131. Paint the handles of your gardens tools a bright, contrasting color other than green to help you find them amongst your plants. |
| 132. To make cut daffodils last longer, cut them near the ground in the afternoon rather than the morning. They contain more sugar then, which acts as a preservative. |
| 133. Praying mantis are fascinating beneficial insects. They eat any insect they can physically catch and hold down to eat, mainly aphids, crickets, and grasshoppers, and they are the only insect fast enough to catch and eat mosquitoes. |
| 134. Attract ladybugs to your garden with nectar-producing plants such as dill, parsley, and fennel. |
| 135. Know your insects - learn what different stages in the life cycles look like of beneficials and pests so you don't accidentally wage war on a happy colony of beneficials. |
| 136. Control powdery mildew with milk. Dilute 1 part milk in 9 parts water and spray on the plants. |
| 137. Cleanliness is absolutely necessary in gardens and greenhouses, especially when starting seeds. Clean your flats or pots with warm soapy water and sterilize before reusing. |
| 138. Mint is extremely easy to grow and very rewarding. It is also, however, extremely invasive and tends to take over. To avoid this, surround the mint with a barrier at least 6 - 12 inches deep in the ground. Ceramic pipe, wooden boards, or aluminum sheeting make good barriers. |
| 139. Add variety and interest to your landscaping by creating a "garden skyline;" create raised beds, pedestals, and shaped containers to lift plants up. |
| 140. When you first see evidence of pests in your garden, don't go for the harmful pesticides first. Begin your attack by picking them off by hand, spraying them off with the hose, or clipping them off with pruning shears. |
| 141. Put your hanging plants on pulleys to allow for easier watering. |
| 142. Avoid planting trees that shed leaves, fruit or nuts near the driveway. |
| 143. Try to group plants with similar sunlight, nutrient, and water requirements together. |
| 144. Any dried seeds you have collected from your garden can either be planted immediately or stored in airtight containers in a cool, dry place to wait for the next season. |
| 145. Zinnia seeds are among the easiest to save - just allow the blossoms to dry on the plant, cut them off, and store over the winter. The next spring, pull the blossom apart and sow the seeds. Zinnias do much better sown directly in the garden than by transplanting. |
| 146. For best results, mix your compost with the soil at least 6 - 8 inches deep and at a ratio of about half and half. When plants are placed in pure compost, the roots have difficulty getting past the soil/compost barrier, resulting in weaker plants. |
| 147. Add year-round variety to your garden with ornamental grasses. They often have varied color and texture, and become beautiful plumes to enjoy during the winter. |
| 148. Mix small seeds you are going to broadcast seed with sand before spreading. This makes for more even seeding. After sowing, spread with a light cover of mulch or soil. |
| 149. Ivy is an excellent, easy container plant. It can be trained up a topiary or simply left to hang naturally, and is very easy to grow. |
| 150. Vines crawling up walls, fences, or other vertical structures soften hard lines and add vertical color to otherwise drab views. |
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