So you have gone through the trouble to plant a garden to be proud of. You have planned it, collected the proper supplies, and sown your seeds. You are all done now, right? Wrong! You have to help that organic garden thrive.

There are five simple things that most new gardeners overlook when they plant their first garden. Once everything is planted, the real care begins. You have to tend your garden well in order to produce the best results.

Tip #1: Water your garden. Watering is the number one responsibility you have when it comes to a garden. The best practice is to get into a routine and water consistently every day at about the same time. Don’t let a rain fall get you off track, you still have to water the next day.

Tip #2: Water in the morning. I know this goes hand in hand with number one, but this one is equally important. If you water in the afternoon, the heat from the sun can evaporate the water before your plants have fed. It is best to water prior to 10 am when possible.

Tip #3: Weed your garden. It sounds like a no-brainer, but weeds are a vampire to your garden. They suck the nutrients and the water out of the soil. You have to get out there every day and pull weeds before they are allowed to take root. Dig them out when possible to remove all traces.

Tip #4: Rid yourself of pests. Since you are growing an organic garden, over the counter pesticides are a no-go. You can make your own homemade pesticide though that will assist you if your garden is being overrun. Mix two teaspoons of dish soap with one cup of vegetable oil. Add a couple of teaspoons of this to a spray bottle with water in it. Then spray the heavily infected areas with this solution to control pests.

Tip #5: Care for your spot all year round. If you let the garden just be overrun with weeds, leaves, etc in the off season, you are asking for trouble. Even if you are just seasonally growing, you should keep that patch of earth clean. Caring for your garden area all year round will lead to a more bountiful, disease free harvest the next season.

Armed with these 5 tips and a “can do” attitude you are well on your way to a healthy organic garden.

Planning your organic vegetable garden isn’t a difficult step, but it is important.  If you start without a good plan, your garden could fail miserably.  A good organic vegetable garden can provide a cost savings versus purchasing at the supermarket.  When you cut out the profit to the farmer and the middle man, you save a lot more than you can imagine.  It takes a little time, but with some effort you could end up selling your very own vegetables to help subsidise your own income.  

So, the first thing you want to do is decide what to plant.  That is an article in itself and I assume you already have an idea.  If not, as soon as you are done reading this article, look up different vegetables to plant.

The worst thing you could do is rush into your yard and start plugging holes into the ground without a plan.  There are some things to consider when it comes to your garden location that could cost you time and money if you aren’t careful.  So, once you have all of your supplies and you have decided what vegetables you are going to grow, it is time to plan out your garden.

Start with a sketch of what you would like your garden to look like.  Get a piece of paper and a pencil and draw out your plan.  Plan out exactly where you would like your garden to be, but be sure to pick a spot that will get plenty of sunshine.  Your best bet is to watch your yard for about a week prior to digging up your garden.  This will give you a great idea on what section of your yard is bathed in sunlight.  

There are other things that you should be mindful of when selecting your site. Don’t use areas that have recently been repaired or that are near metal fences. The chemicals you recently used and the metal from the fence could be infecting the area and would contaminate your crops.  Another pitfall to avoid is divets in the ground.  If there is a large enough area that is low, it could cause water to pool after watering or a rain.  That stagnant water will drown your garden before it gets to start.  

When you think you have the perfect spot, immediately stop using any chemicals in the area. When planting your seeds, aim for an efficient layout.  Beans or peas can be grown near corn.  This would allow you to use the corn stalk as a stake and save you the money and hassle in buying stakes.  A quick pest control tip is to plant onions, garlic, or basil.  The odor from these plants is a natural insect repellant.  Use them as a barrier on the outside of your garden to help control the pests.

So, there you have the simple steps of planning your organic garden.  Happy planting and feel free to offer me the first tomatoes.  

If you are going to move to an organic way of gardening, one of the most frustrating factors you will face is handling diseases, pests and assorted problems that will be there no matter what method you use.

Many natural methods will solve those common garden problems and one of the most used methods is companion planting.  

Companion planting is the procedure of placing particular vegetables,flowers and herbs near by other types of plants that will help keep safe from pests, diseases and fungus. This method also helps each plant to produce maximum flavor of vegetables and its blooms on flowers. this comes about because the plants are not burdened fighting each of the predators trying to invade them. All their energy goes into production.

In your vegetable garden companion planting is quite important in keeping those nasty pests and bugs off your plants. When you plant two vegetables close together make sure they are compatible. Maximum taste is attained on both plants and will compliment in all aspects.

Lets say you put basil along side your tomato plants this will better the flavor of the tomatoes. Especially if plan on using them for your making of spaghetti sauce.

Chives have shown to improve the well-being of tomatoes and carrots. It will improve the taste as well as the growth of the plants. The aphids on tomatoes will stay awaay because of the chives and carrot rust is kept at a distance.Roses will not get black spot as long as chives is there, the draw-back is that chives need to be located there for at least 2 years before they are compatible.garlic will work a little faster and may be a better choice.

On the other hand some plants are not good for each other, for example, planting cabbage near strawberries and tomatoes may affect the production and growth in a bad way.

Using potatoes, celery and dill together will compliment each other in a postive way. Beans are a good companion for these plants also and they will add nitrogen fixed from the atmosphere.

Calendula, aka marigolds, are known to repel pests, rid bad nematodes in the soil. You may want to plant these throughout the garden or flower beds. Use only the ones with a hefty scent in order for them to work better. Some folks do not like the odor of marigolds. Mexican marigolds are said to be the best insect repellant of them all but keep away from cabbage and beans. For centuries people have used this plant for this reason.  Nasturtiums are best planted around radishes, tomatoes, cucumbers and under fruit trees. They will repel whiteflies, squash bugs, cucumber beetles and wooly aphids. And the leaves, seeds and flowers are edible and are used in salads.

By using companion planting, a lot of gardeners discover that they can reject damaging pests without losing the beneficial friends. Be open to trying out and see what does well for you. Use the plants that are native in your area though. Companion planting will help you work in agreement with nature.

A plant newly potted will need some time so that it can grow new roots in order to absorb or take in the fertilizer that you will apply. How you fertilize and what type of fertilizer you use is dependent on what kinds of plants or crop you grow in your greenhouse, because every crop has a particular requirement with regards to nutrients, and this requirement should be met. For house plants, it is usually much easier to fertilize a large group together. Generally, plants need to be fertilized every one or two months while there is rapid growth and all throughout the winter season, twice or once only. Alternatively, you can apply the fertilizer more frequently when using a liquid fertilizer diluted in water; this familiarizes certain plants that otherwise be injured when you use a fertilizer of full. Generally half of the recommended strength or dosage means that you use only half fertilizer in every plant. Annual plants can flourish very rapidly and will require fertilization every two weeks throughout their “short season”. A few flowering plants such as the Azalea must not be applied fertilizer while in their blooming or flowering stage. Most fertilizers that are generally used have considerable amount of nitrogen (50 percent); they contain the preferred amount of nitrate f and are usually labeled and identified as “peat-lite”. This type is preferred and recommended for greenhouse hobby use. The N-P-K ratio can be verified by reading the label that is found at the fertilizer bag. Fertilizers are usually applied at the amount or ratio of “200 ppm nitrogen” fertilizer like “21-5-20″ or “20-10-20″. This is completed by continuous liquid application; this ratio is the basis for mostly all pot grown “greenhouse plants”. The rate may be adjusted downward or upward depending on the plant that is grown. Any pre-mixed or ready mixture of fertilizer for the kind of plants that you grow is acceptable; for most flowering and foliar plants. An N-P-K ratio analysis that is similar to “1-2-1″ will supply a balanced growth. Soluble fertilizers can be conveniently applied and deliver faster results compared to solid fertilizers or “slow release” gravel-like fertilizers. Just apply the solution in a manner like you are watering your plants, however, instead of water, use the fertilizer solution, making certain that the plant soil is slightly moist before application. You should never apply fertilizer solution onto plants with dry soil the roots can be injured by the fertilizer chemicals; moist soil further dilutes the chemicals. Apply fertilizers always following or much weaker dose than the suggested dilution strength, and not stronger, as seedlings, newly established cuttings, and developing plants will derive benefit from much weaker solutions; stronger solution will only injure young and soft roots. There are many injections or siphon devices available in the market to make application of soluble fertilizers much easier; however, when you use them, be certain that you install “backflow preventers” in order to keep the nutrients or chemicals in the fertilizer solution from contaminating your water supply in the home. Likewise do not water your plants with a “water-softened” water due to its “high salt” content. Recommended fertilizer products A mixture of floramicro, florabloom and floragro, will enable you to combine a wide range of many different nutrient blends or solutions in order to fulfill the specific requirement of virtually any kind of plant that you grow, and at different stages of the plants life.  This is accomplished by changing the mixture combinations as well as the general strength of your solution. You can combine different ratios and different strength of nutrients by adjusting the water quantity when blending floragro, floramicro and florabloom. Calcium Nitrate in Greenhouse Grade may be used in large scale growing. It can be economical to buy fertilizers in 50-pound quantities. Calcium Nitrate in Greenhouse Grade and Hydro-Gro are great combinations to achieve complete nutrient blend. Greenhouse plants need your attention. Check on them each day to be sure that they are free from disease and pests and act immediately if there is any problem. It is a wise idea to know the characteristics of each type of plant that you grow in your greenhouse. Have fun taking care of your plants!

A good greenhouse need not be always big and spacious. Although those requirements are ideal for big plant growers and commercial greenhouses, those who only have a small area for a greenhouse can also have their own by building a mini version of a greenhouse. Gardeners who are much into planting and growing crops but have a limited garden space have an option to build a mini greenhouse. This mini greenhouse can actually be placed anywhere such as on balconies, patios, backyards, and decks as the typical size is just around 6 square feet. Though small, it also provides the same benefits that the regular greenhouses do. Mini greenhouses are also ideal for those are just beginners in the greenhouse technology. Before venturing into building a big one, it is best to learn how greenhouse works and know the different things needed to have an ideal growing condition for the plants. And this learning process for beginners can be done by starting with mini greenhouses. A mini greenhouse can be used to start plant growth before the cold season in a particular area. Once the weather gets better and warmer, these healthy plants and crops planted inside the greenhouse can now be transplanted outside into the garden. This will allow for early harvesting of crops. A huge selection of seeds can also be planted in the greenhouse which makes planting a lot more fun for hobbyists and gardeners. There are a good variety of herbs and lettuce that can be grown healthily and successfully in mini-greenhouses even for the whole year. Other delectable vegetables such as Swiss chard, spinach, and kale can also be planted and grown inside the mini-greenhouse. These would make for a great bowl of salad with freshly-picked greens even during the cold season. That would be wonderful for you and your guests. Mini greenhouses are also useful with tender perennial plants. The greenhouse can protect them from ice, snow and frost during the winter season. They can be placed in plant containers and stay healthy inside the mini structure until spring begins. Once the weather becomes friendly enough, these plants can then be again transplanted into the garden outside for a much healthier environment. The decorative plants commonly found inside the house can be given a healthy change by placing them inside the mini greenhouse and placing them outside during the summer months. This mini structure can offer tropical plants a humid climate. Miniature greenhouses, just like the regular ones, maximize the amount of sunlight and make the most out of the heat absorbed. It also provides the needed protection of plants from rain, wind, destructive insects and other pests in the garden such as rabbits. Since mini gardens or greenhouses can be as light as possible because of their small structure, they may be easily blown by wind or knocked over by pets and kids. Thus, it is recommended that these small gardens be placed or mounted in to a wall or garage than be a free standing structure. It is best to place them in a location where there is enough sunlight but be safe from other outside factors as well. There are also do-it-yourself greenhouse kits available in the market that include complete instructions and step-by-step guide for a beginner to build a mini greenhouse in not time. These kits can also be inexpensive and can commonly accommodate up to three shelves. So should one really choose to have a full-sized greenhouse or just go with a miniature one? Even if a big space is available for a full-sized greenhouse, having a small one may be more practical. If the main purpose of having a greenhouse is to grow only a few plants, germinate seeds, or provide protection during the colder season, having a mini greenhouse is just fine. Also, the cost to maintain small greenhouses are significantly lower than the full-sized ones because of the several factors that need to be maintained. Thus, it is recommended that gardeners have a greenhouse, even a mini one. This structure can prove to be a good investment and yield better results than just doing the traditional gardening. And if one really finds happiness in caring for plants and harvesting a few crops, greenhouse-gardening can definitely offer lifetime enjoyment.