Steps to a chemical free garden
Today many homeowners whether they are avid gardeners or not, want to cut down on the amount of chemicals that are used in their yards and gardens. The good news is that with some creativity and planning that can be done! Taking steps to a chemical free garden means that everyone can enjoy the outdoors surrounding your home, without worry of coming into contact with the toxic chemicals that are found in commercial pesticides. Here are some tips to get you started-
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- Variety is a key to successful chemical free gardening-You need to build your garden on diversity. The reason for this is that too many of the same kind of plant, makes your garden look like a landing strip to bad bugs. You will want to mix and match: perennials and annuals of all sorts, deciduous and evergreen shrubs and trees and tomatoes that mature at different times, in the growing season. If you want to plant a lot of the same kind of vegetable, you will need to try dividing it up in different parts of the yard.
- Don't get bugged by bugs-You need to identify infestations, since they may not be serious. Remember that all bugs are not bad, for you garden. For example-many homeowners worry when they see a large swarm of the box-elder bug on a tree trunk. The reality is that the box-elder bug is a nuisance that causes little to no damage, to your garden. However, if you're not sure what a bug is, you can take it to your local extension agent for identification.
- Choose wisely and carefully, and choose pest-resistant plants. Before buying an edible or ornamental plant, it is important to do a little research to find out if it's particularly susceptible to insects or disease. There are a number of ways that you can do this by checking online, with friends and neighbors or with your extension agent. This way you can find plants that have shown resistance, to bugs in your area.
- Raise it up-You can prevent a lot of problems in your garden simply by using raised beds. It has been shown that veggies grown in raised beds, are often less likely to get root rot, white mold or other issues. Best of all raised beds are a breeze to weed. Turf grass doesn't creep in from the sides, and you can pluck out weeds before they have a chance to take hold.
- Get back to basics-You can control many of the problems in your garden, without chemicals, simply by using good cultural methods. You should mulch to reduce weeds and conserve moisture. In addition, it is important to rotate veggie crops (don't plant the same thing in the same spot every year), and finally, be sure to discard (and don't compost) clearly diseased foliage and fruit.
- Size does matter-You can significantly cut back on your need for chemicals by reducing the size of your lawn. Instead you can install low-maintenance edible and/or ornamental beds. If you feel you must have a lot of grass, you need to learn to live with imperfections. Keep in mind that natural fertilizers applied at the right time, plus periodic reseeding, can help create a healthy expanse of turf.
- Less really is more-Experts advise that if you must spray, then spray less rather than more. The bottom line is that you should skip chemical sprays altogether. In gardens where no pesticides are used, it has been found that many infestations of bad bugs are self-limiting. Finally, you should avoid using broad-spectrum insecticides; since they kill the good bugs along with the bad.
