Organic Gardening

It’s that time of year again, spring planting! This past weekend we got our seedlings planted. We planted the tomatoes, squash and some herbs that I had started inside and then cucumbers, radishes and peas from seeds. My peppers are still a little too small to plant outside.

All of my plants are started indoors from organic seeds that we get from a local supplier . I prefer organic and heirloom when ever possible. For our flowers other than some bearded Iris everything is native Texas or heat tolerant. Choosing plants that are native to you region is the first step to a healthy organic garden. It helps cut down on disease and the need to even use pest control because the plants are less susceptible.  A healthy plant isn’t as attractive to pest as a sickly one.

After choosing native plants or varieties adapted to your area you want to build up your soil with compost. We have compost bins that we use but you can also buy it ready made at many gardening stores. Along with compost I use a blood and bone meal combination. The mixture is lightly turned into the soil prior to planting.

How you plant your plants is very important to insure healthy plants that don’t require intervention from you. Your plants need room to grow and breath. It is tempting to pack them in but you will have less pest problems and receive a higher yield if they are spaced correctly. Remember healthy plants require less fertilizer and less pest control

The last thing we did was to spray the garden and yard with Seaweed emulsion. I have found over the years that my garden is healthier when we stick to organics even outside of the garden. Once it warms up we have a variety or geckos, bees, butterflies, ladybugs, praying mantis and more.  They each have prey and keep the “bad” bugs in check.  Most garden and home improvement stores have begun carrying organic pest control options but the prices are often inflated. We purchase ours online (free shipping) from Do My Own Pest Control. Their prices are fair and they have a large variety of products including non-organics and tools to apply them with.

As for pest control in my garden I try not use any chemicals even organic ones other than homemade pepper spray and that is as a last resort. When I see tomato horn worms I simply have my husband pull them off 😉 I release Ladybugs, ladybug larvae and Praying Mantis egg cases and allow them to keep things in check.

 

* Ladybug larva consume double the amount of aphids compared to full grown ladybugs.

 

If you are looking for more help with your garden Craftsy has a great class on gardening called  .

 

Do you garden? Have you planted yet? What is your favorite organic gardening tip?

Margret shares organic gardening, sewing and delicious recipe posts at Hearts & Home. You can find her here: Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube