aquaponic organic

There are several basic, simple processes that you can follow in order to improve the viability and fertility of your backyard gardens and create beds naturally. Here are practical and simple tips that you can use in your landscape and garden to grow fruits and vegetables you need without harmful chemicals and pesticides.

1. Composting

Composting is the backbone of any garden. There are many ways to make compost. It could be in a bin, barrel, a tub, or old pile located in the middle of your garden. Add your kitchen remnants like egg shells, coffee grounds, potato peels, and more. Finished compost needs to be fine not to mention cool to touch and sweet-smelling. If ever you're turning the pile and you still feel the heat, it means that it's still cooking and not ready yet to be used on or near plants.

2. Cover Crops

If you want a long-term garden success, cover crops are the key. They are extremely simple to plant and just like farmers working on big farms, your garden and raised beds will get the same advantages and benefits of a well-cultivated cover crop. They could add tons of nutrients especially nitrogen to the soil, build organic matter back to the earth, and keep other weeds from becoming established on your beds. Cover crops also play an important part in keeping soil erosion at bay.

3. Crop Rotation

Did you know that if you continue planting the same tomato, pepper, cucumber plants, and other plants, fruits, or vegetables in the same location each and every year, you will not be achieving the same results? It is because plants utilize certain nutrients from the soil and it becomes stripped off of specific nutrients if you keep on planting the same crops at exactly the same position. So the best solution is to rotate your crops every year aside from supplying compost and cover crops to help recharge the soil. It will also give the soil more time to get better from the particular crop that was previously grown.

4. Mulching

Weeds also compete in using nutrients and consuming the water with your plants. The fewer weeds you have the more nutrients your vegetable plants will get. You can eliminate these weeds without the need to spray and still keeping your garden beautiful. Mulching is an excellent way of getting rid of unwanted weeds in your garden. Finished compost is great for mulching. It conserves the humidity in the soil while blocking weeds and adding valuable nutrients into the soil as it decomposes. When you don't have compost yet, you could mulch with shredded leaves. You can also place straw and basically you get the same things.

5. Watering

Always remember that proper watering is very important regardless of how great the soil is. Very little water makes the plants wither. Too much amount of water won't help in developing good as well as deep-root structure that are needed for healthier and mature plants.