Organic Gardening tips

1. Mulch your flower beds and trees with 3" of organic material - it
conserves water, adds humus and nutrients, and discourages weeds. It gives your beds
a nice, finished appearance.

2. Mulch acid-loving plants with a thick layer of pine needles each fall. As
the needles decompose, they will deposit their acid in the soil.

3. The most important step in pest management is to maintain healthy soil.
It produces healthy plants, which are better able to withstand disease and
insect damage.

4. Aphids? Spray infested stems, leaves, and buds with a very dilute soapy
water, then clear water. It works even on the heaviest infestation.

5. Compost improves soil structure, texture, and areation, and increases the
soil's water holding capacity. It also promotes soil fertility and
stimulates healthy root development.

6. Look for natural and organic alternatives to chemical fertilizers, such
as the use of compost. Our use of inorganic fertilizer is causing a toxic
buildup of chemicals in our soil and drinking water.

7. When buying plants for your landscape, select well-adapted plant types
for your soil, temperature range, and sun or shade exposure.

8. Landscaping your yard is the only home improvement that can return up to
200% of your original investment.

9. Plant trees! They increase in value as they grow and save energy and
money by shading our houses in the summer, and letting the sun shine through for
warmth in the winter.

10. Think of trees and their locations as the walls and roofs of our outdoor
rooms, when you are planning their locations and sizes.

11. Grass won't grow? Find an appropriate ground cover for the exposed earth
and fill the problem space, creating an interesting bed shape.

12. Plant vines on walls, fences, and overhead structures for quick shade,
vertical softening, and colorful flower displays.

13. If gourmet cooking is in your plans, organically grown herbs make
wonderful landscape plants. They flavor foods, provide medicinal properties, and
offer up fragrances. And most thrive on neglect.

14. Shade gardens are low maintenance - they require less watering, slower
growth, and fewer weeds to fight.

15. Everyone loves flowers! Annuals are useful for a splash of one-season
color. But since replacing them each year is expensive, concentrate them in
just a few spots.

16. There is no need to work the soil deeply when adding compost or soil
amendments. Eighty five percent of a plant's roots are found in the top 6" of
soil.

17. The best organic matter for bed preparation is compost made from
anything that was once alive, for example leaves, kitchen waste, and grass clippings.

18. Dig an ugly hole when planting a tree or shrub. A hole with "glazed"
sides from a shovel will restrict root penetration into the surrounding soil.

19. Planting from plastic containers? Carefully remove the plant and tear
the outside roots if they have grown solidly against the container.

20. Think of mulching as "maintaining the forest floor": add 1" to 3" of
compost or mulch to planting beds each year.

21. Natural fertilizers, compost and organic materials encourage native
earthworms. Earthworms are nature's tillers and soil conditioners, and
manufacture great fertilizer.

22. Bare soil should not be visible around a new planting. Always cover with
a layer of mulch, any coarse-textured, loose organic material.

23. Think "biodiversity". Using many different kinds of plants encourage
many different kinds of beneficial insects to take up residence in your yard.

24. Organic pest control is a comprehensive approach instead of a chemical
approach. Create a healthy biodiversity so that the insects and microbes will
control themselves. Using natural products and building healthy soil is the
best long-term treatment for pests.

25. Weeds? Spot-spray with common full-strength household vinegar, on a
sunny day. It's an organic weed killer that's safe for you and the environment.

26. Mulch! The rain and irrigation water runs off the land, eroding and
depleting your unprotected soil.

27. Residential users of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides apply more
pounds per acre of these chemicals then farmers do. As these pollutants run off,
they harm aquatic life and contaminate the food chain. If you keep your soil
healthy, you won't require chemical fertilizers.

28. Some mulching benefits are protection of roots from the sun's heat, and
protection of plant crowns from winter cold.

29. To prevent diseases and pest infestation , avoid piling mulch against
tree trunks. Spread mulch out as far as the drip line.

30. For effective weed control use a layer of coarse mulch 3" or more in
depth. Some hardy grasses may need to be rooted out for successful removal.

31. For a good start, water the ground thoroughly before and after applying
a mulch cover.

32. Use plants in your landscape that are either native to your area, or
were imported from areas with similar climate and soil. They require a lot less
water and care, and won't die off in the winter.

33. Compost is what happens when leaves, grass clippings, vegetable and
fruit scraps, woodchips, straw, and small twigs are combined, then allowed to
break down into a soil-like texture. Use it instead of commercial fertilizers.

34. Formal gardens are for you if you love symmetry. They work best around a
focal point like a fountain, sculpture, specimen tree, or group of plants.

35. Some flowers, including sweet peas, iris, foxglove, amaryllis, lantana,
lupines, clematis, dature, poinsettia, and oleander, are poisonous.

36. When buying annuals or perennials, select plants that are budded but not
yet in bloom, so their energy the first two or three weeks in your garden
will be directed toward making larger and stronger plants with better-developed
root systems.

37. To increase water conservation, look for drought-resistant plants.
Usually these plants have silver leaves, deep taproots and small leaves.
Succulents are also able to withstand dry weather.

38. When planting, take into consideration the plant's size at maturity.
Layer by height and bloom time for emphasis and constant color.

39. Soaker hoses deliver water directly to the base of the plant, reducing
moisture loss from evaporation. Early morning is the best time of day to water.

40. Compost balances both acid and alkaline soils, bringing PH levels into
the optimum range for nutrient availability. It contains micronutrients such
as iron and manganese that are often absent in synthetic fertilizers.

41. Avoid frequent, deep cultivation, which can damage plant roots, dry out
the soil, disturb healthy soil organisms, and bring weed seeds to the surface
where they will germinate.

42. Use the least-disruptive and least-polluting protections against a pest.
Try the following methods as applicable: first physical removal, barriers,
and traps; next, biological controls; then, appropriate botanical and mineral
pesticides.

43. Red, orange, and yellow in your landscape will draw the eye and bring
objects closer.To make a small garden feel larger, place warm colors in the
front of the space and cool colors in the back.

44. Cover street noise - sound pollution can be minimized by the use of
water features, such as a waterfall, or a pond with a fountain jet. Wind chimes
also help, as can bird feeders that attract songbirds.

45. Newly planted trees need supplemental water to avoid transplant shock,
so water deeply on a weekly basis throughout the growing season.

46. Give order to your garden by defining the boundaries with fences, stone
walls, or hedges. Include paths for movement.

47. Less than 2 percent of the insects in the world are harmful. Beneficial
insects such as ground beetles, ladybugs, fireflies, green lacewings, praying
mantids, spiders, and wasps keep harmful insects from devouring your plants.
They also pollinate your plants and decompose organic matter.

48. Plant newly purchased plants during the late evening or on a cloudy day.
They have a much better chance of surviving if planted during cloudy, rainy
weather than dry, sunny weather.

49. Compost introduces and feeds diverse life in the soil, including
bacteria, insects, worms, and more, which support vigorous plant growth.

50. Bright light washes out the cool colors, blue, green, and purple. They
are best used in shaded areas for maximum impact.