Organic Garden Plants
Choose and Care for Organic Garden Plants
Organic gardening is getting more and more popular among flower lovers, no longer is it just about growing vegetables.
And it’s no surprise: with all the benefits it can provide there are no limitations to the plants you can grow organically.
Of course, it is important to choose your organic garden plants according to the environment in your garden and climate zone you live in.
Following this advice, you will be able to dramatically reduce the use of insecticides, fungicides and other chemical substances in maintenance of your garden.
Region or Country
Naturally, it would not be easy to practice organic gardening if you wanted to plant tropical flowers when you are living in a cold country. Similarly, if you are in the tropics, it would be difficult to grow cold loving plants in your region. Therefore it is highly recommended to exercise some knowledge of native plants and opt for the plants that will grow best in your climate as they have a head start by being native to your own region or country.
It does not mean you should deprive yourself of having a diversity of plants in your garden. No matter where you live, there is an opportunity to choose native flowering plants of all colours, not to mention the variety of shapes, textures and sizes. You will be proud of your organic garden plants if they are carefully chosen and organized.
Choose Healthy Plants
Do not forget to choose only healthy plants for your garden. If you happen to select a plant infected by insects or with a certain disease, it is highly unlikely that the problem will not be transferred to your garden, and potentially to other plants. If you plant infected plants it will not be easy to grow a garden organically: you will have to use chemicals to defeat the insects or disease.
When choosing organic garden plants, it is also important to try to focus your preferences to pest resistant species if you can. I know this sounds complicated and will involve some research, but in the long run it will save you a lot of work and heartache.
Planting
After you’ve bought your plants from the nursery, specialist shop, or your neighbours’ garden, it is necessary to transplant them as soon as possible.
You should have a good supply of compost as it often contains the best nutrients that the most famous and wide spread fertilizers do not have.
Creating a compost of your own will reduce the usage of other substances; therefore the environment in your garden will be much healthier.
Preparing the Soil
When applying compost to the soil it is not necessary to dig too deep. A lot of plants have their roots reaching only about six inches deep, so it is enough just to mix the compost with a layer of soil up to six to eight inches depth. It should be sufficiently deep for your organic garden plants.
In the process of transplanting it is very important to be careful while removing the plants from their containers. Tear away the extra roots that have grown outside the container gently so as not to damage the roots inside the container. The soil should be prepared beforehand. A good amount of organic matter will not only stimulate the growth of a plant and help it to establish as soon as possible, but will also attract earthworms and other beneficial organisms.
Earthworms are great helpers in organic gardens; in fact they are better than any else at airing the soil.
