Organic gardening will require some extra research and active avoidance of chemicals. If you choose to follow the natural gardening route, you may need to learn about factors, such as the soil's pH balance and natural ways to fight off garden pests. It can be difficult to switch to organic gardening methods for a beginner. By reading the tricks in this article, you will find yourself better prepared to grow your food organically.

Don't over-plant your produce. If you plant more of a particular variety than you can use, store, and give away, it will simply go to waste. Plan out your garden so that you will have enough, without planting so much that your efforts will simply end up getting thrown away or rotting on the vine.

To avoid drowning your plants, follow weather reports as much as possible. If rain is expected, there is no need in watering your garden. This will save you money on your water bill and avoid watering your plants exceedingly. If dryness and heat are expected, water your plants accordingly.

When raising new plants, it's helpful to identify the best soil composition that fits your plant. Plants require 3 major nutrients to grow phosphorous, nitrogen and potassium. Learning the special composition for your soil will usually lead to the best plant growth possible. On the other hand having the wrong composition will generally result in average or stunted growth.

You can dry herbs by putting them in your car. You can neatly arrange them on a sheet of newspaper in a single layer. Then close the doors and windows and let it air dry. The warmth in the car will dry the herbs quickly. The herbs themselves will create a very nice aroma.

Clean your garden tools before you put them away. It seems strange to worry about keeping a gardening tool clean, but it's actually very important for the health of your plants. Tools that are put away while coated in dirt can harbor microbes and even insects that can be deadly to your plants.

Put compost down on the soil in your garden about two weeks to a month before you plan to plant. This allows the compost enough time to integrate with the soil. Giving the compost time to stabilize means that your soil pH will be steady enough to test, and your plants will be ready to thrive when you plant them.

Utilize proper tools and keep them in tip-top shape to lessen the stress on your body when you're gardening. Spades and hoes should be periodically sharpened to keep them working at their best. If you have the space, choose tools such as long handled spades that allow you to stand while working. The better you feel after gardening, the more often you'll enjoy getting your hands dirty!

To cut down on the time you spend pruning and pulling weeds, make sure that all the tools you use are sharpened and cleaned. A dull or dirty tool will make basic gardening tasks much more challenging, and can significantly increase the work you have to put into your garden. Caring for your tools regularly is more than worth the effort it takes.

As you plan your garden this year, change the layout so that it's different from where the various plants were located last year. For Tree Cutting , place your tomatoes in the part of the garden where the corn grew last season. This rotation of crops will help keep your soil from becoming depleted of the nutrients needed by each type of vegetable.

Mulching around your plants is a great water saving tip. You can use purchased mulch, but it is easy to make your own from what you find in your yard. Use fallen leaves, pine cones, sticks, and tree bark, and lay them out heavily around your plants on the dirt so that water does not evaporate so easily after you water.

Now, you shouldn't get your hopes up and believe that a few tips are going to turn you into an instant professional gardener. However, these tips are a great starting point if you do plan to grow organically. As you implement these tips and hone your skills, you'll be a professional green-thumb-holder in no time.