Longer days and warmer temperatures can only mean one thing: spring is on its way.
Like us, you’re probably eager to get your garden started. But don’t worry if you don’t know where to start.
We have put together a list of 28 organic gardening ideas for the spring that will help you get your garden off to a great start. So read on and get ready to start planting!
1. Plant Early Vegetables Like Spinach and Lettuce to Get a Head Start on Your Garden
The months between March and May are the perfect time to plant greens like spinach and lettuce.
These cool-season vegetables will mature faster than warm-weather crops, so you’ll have them ready to eat before the rest of your produce is ready. Keep in mind that spinach and lettuce need lots of sunlight, so you might want to plant them in your sunniest spot.
2. Try Growing Some Herbs in Containers on Your Porch or Patio
Growing herbs on your porch or patio is a great way to spice up your springtime cooking.
Herbs are easy to grow in containers, so you can move them around your garden as your plants grow. You can even use herbs in your landscaping to add colour and fragrance to your yard.
If you live in an apartment or don’t have much outdoor space, you can still grow herbs in containers.
3. Add Some Colour and Fragrance With eco-Friendly Perennials and Organic Dahlias
Spring is an exciting time; the arrival of spring flowers can brighten anyone’s day.
Adding naturally grown organic dahlias and eco-friendly perennials to your landscape is a great way to add colour and fragrance to your outdoor space. Organically grown perennials are grown in compliance with organic growing standards and are allowed to flourish in pesticide-free open soil.
This makes plants feel most at home in open soil, where they find food slowly and in full wind, growing into large, strong plants. Perennials are plants that are so easy to grow that almost everyone can handle them.
Their flowers come in many different colours. Organically grown dahlias can usually be found almost anywhere during spring and summer.
They are typically found in gardens and flower beds. Their flowers come in many different colours.
Organically grown dahlias can grow in several different types of soil, although it is recommended that you use soil that has been certified by the Soil Association.
4. Plant Trees and Shrubs to Provide Shade and Privacy Later in the Year
Planting trees, bushes, and other shrubs for shade in your garden is a good way to protect nature, and it’s also a great way to provide shade for you and your family.
You can use trees to protect your home against wind, rain, and snow. They can also block the sun from shining directly onto your house, so your home will not be as hot as it would be if it were in the sun all day.
This can also be beneficial to your organic garden by protecting your plants from too much direct sunlight. Not only that, but, of course, this can also help the environment by planting trees and bushes that provide shade for wildlife.
5. Use Organic Methods to Control Pests and Diseases Instead of Using Pesticides
It is no secret that using pesticides can be harmful to animals, and it is definitely harmful to humans too.
So how do you control your pests without using toxic chemicals? There are many ways you can modify your soil, water, and sunlight to control pests without using any chemicals.
For example, there are many different organic methods you can use, such as mulching using compost, or planting trees. The benefits of using organic methods over pesticides are many.
First of all, organic methods will not harm any animals or humans, and they will not cause any pollution, unlike pesticides. By using organic methods, you can also reduce your carbon footprint.
So if you don’t use organic methods already, you should consider doing so.
6. Water Your Plants Regularly, But don’t Overwater Them-let the Soil dry out a bit Between Watering Sessions
It’s important that you regularly water your plants, but you must take care not to overwater them.
Too much water can cause the roots of your plants or flower bulbs to rot and too less water can cause the soil in your pots to dry out etc.
In fact, it might even start to grow deformed roots or be stunted because the soil is too compact.
7. Mulch Your Plants to Keep the Soil Moist and to Keep Weeds at Bay
Mulch is made of organic material such as bark, leaves, grass clippings, or straw.
This material provides protection for the soil from direct sunlight and rain, which helps retain moisture in the soil. When mulch breaks down, it releases nutrients back into the soil, which is excellent for your plants.
8. Add Organic Compost to Your Soil to Help Improve its Quality and Fertility
Many different composts exist, but the optimal ones are made organically.
These are made by using dead plants or grass as the material for their compost. Organic compost has many benefits, including increased water retention and increased nutrient availability.
It will also keep weeds at bay. An ideal organic compost contains about 30% organic matter, such as leaves, grass clippings, and manure, and is far superior to commercial compost, which contains mostly inorganic materials.
Organic compost can help to improve the health of your soil while also boosting its fertility, which is crucial when you want your plants to grow well.
9. Experiment With Different Types of Plants to Find out What Grows Best in Your Garden
Having a garden full of plants that grow well is your goal, and the first step to achieving this is to experiment by trying different types of plants.
You can take a variety of seeds, perennials and flower bulbs and grow them to see which ones grow best together. Don’t stop trying different gardening methods, and don’t become discouraged by failed experiments.
By mixing different seeds together, you will eventually discover a mixture that works for you and produces plants that look unique and will impress all of your gardening friends.
10. Use Raised Beds or Containers if you Have Limited Space in Your Garden
If you have limited garden space, don’t worry – you can still have a nice garden!
You can use containers or raised beds to create some additional garden space. Containers can be planted directly into them, and you can create raised beds by piling up soil.
This can also be handy if you live in an apartment complex where gardening is not allowed, especially if you have a balcony!
11. Get to Know Your Local Wildlife and how They can Help or Harm Your Garden
It’s important to learn about your local wildlife and habits.
Some animals can be a great help in growing your garden, while others can be dangerous. For example, butterflies and bees pollinate flowers and help grow plants.
If you leave some plants in your garden, they will attract more butterflies or bees, and your garden will grow better. On the other hand, squirrels, foxes, and badgers can damage your plants by digging them up or eating them.Feel free to peruse our blog post about Beneficial Animals and Insects in order to learn more about the benefits of utilising these creatures in your garden.
12. Plant a Vegetable Garden to Feed Your Family Fresh Organic Produce
Cultivating your own organic vegetable garden is a nutritious and healthy way to feed your family.
Vegetables are delicious and good for you, and many people are thrilled to grow their own because they are fresher and less expensive than store-bought produce. Fill your garden with delicious vegetables such as lettuce, carrots, beets, radishes, strawberries, tomatoes, potatoes, herbs, and much more.
Growing a fresh organic garden is a great activity to do at home. Not only will you enjoy delicious food that is completely organic, but you will also feel good about knowing that you are growing your own healthy produce.
13. Start a Compost Pile to Recycle Your Kitchen Scraps and Yard Clippings
Composting is a great way to recycle your kitchen scraps and yard clippings. Unwanted fruit and vegetable waste can be used in a compost pile to make nutrient-rich soil. Composting also attracts useful earthworms that help to decompose organic matter in a compost pile, releasing nutrients that plants need to grow healthy, strong roots.
14. Construct a Rain Barrel to Collect Water From Your Roof to Use in Your Garden
Rain barrels are a simple but effective way to collect and store rainwater and can be used for watering a garden, or watering flowers, and can later be used to water your organic garden.
They can be purchased at hardware stores or made out of an old barrel using a few tools you probably have around the house. Barrels can also be more environmentally friendly than using municipal water, as rainwater is free and doesn’t cost you anything.
Not only that, but it doesn’t need to be treated, which is more beneficial for your garden and plants. This is because municipal water can sometimes contain a lot of chlorine and other chemicals, which may kill your plants and harm their health over time, while rainwater is naturally the best source of water for your plants.
15. Plants and Flowers That Attract Butterflies and Other Pollinators to Your Garden
There are many ways you can attract pollinators to your garden, but some plants are specifically pollinated by different types of butterflies.
For example, some flowers are likely to attract certain types of butterflies while others may attract other pollinators. Different types of butterflies may prefer one flower over another.
If you would like to read about this in more depth, then read our blog about how to “Attract Bees and Butterflies to Your Garden” and see some of the plants that are beneficial to attracting pollinators.
16. Grow Vegetables and Herbs in a Greenhouse for harvesting earlier
If you want to harvest your vegetables earlier, then growing them in a greenhouse could be a good option. For example, you could use a polytunnel, conservatory or conservatory to grow your vegetables early in the year.
The benefits include being able to harvest them earlier than usual, which means you could grow more vegetables of the same type. This is especially useful for crops like cabbage and tomatoes, which get sweeter as the days go on.
Be careful to select the right type of greenhouse for your needs.
17. Build a Natural Windbreak (from hedges, fruit shrubs etc.) to Protect Your Plants From Wind Damage
Wind can be great for your crops, but it can also cause damage to them.
A windbreak can be a cost-effective way to protect plants from wind damage. For example, you could plant shrubs or plants that can grow to about 1-2 m high to create a windbreak around your garden.
Once the shrubs or plants are big enough, you can use them to protect specific plants or vegetables. This is particularly useful for plants like cabbages, tomatoes, and avocados, which grow and produce fruit once trees or shrubs are old enough to look after them.
18. Install a Drip Irrigation System to Water Your Plants More Efficiently
Drip irrigation is easy to set up and helps you water your plants more efficiently.
Drip irrigation systems direct water to your plant’s roots through a series of tubes, which are connected to a tube that delivers the water to the roots of your plants. This drip water system is controlled by a system that measures how much water your plant needs and releases it at the appropriate rate.
Drip irrigation is environmentally friendly because it doesn’t waste water, and it minimises the risk of disease spreading like traditional watering methods (such as spraying).
19. Use Natural Pesticides (Companion Planting) Like Garlic or Hot Peppers to Control Pests
Companion planting is an agricultural technique in which you plant different crops next to each other in a way that repels or controls pests.
Garlic and hot peppers are great for controlling pests because they repel slugs, beetles, and other insects. If pests do manage to reach your crops, you can plant garlic or hot peppers around them to act as a barrier.
For details on “Companion Planting” check out our blog post on this topic.
20. Plant a Variety of Eco-Friendly and Pesticide-Free Perennials on Your Balcony to Attract Bees and Butterflies.
Bees are an important pollinator species, responsible for transferring pollen between individual plants.
Pollination is crucial to the healthy growth of plants. Lack of pollination can result in damaged seeds or the inability of the plant to produce flowers or fruit.
Butterflies are another important pollinator species, responsible for transferring pollen between individual plants. Butterflies also feed on nectar and are important pollinators of plants that produce this sticky liquid nectar.
So, in order to attract them to your balcony, plant herbs such as thyme and lemon balm. These plants will attract butterflies and bees, as well as birds, to your balcony.
You can even plant other herbs such as sage and lemon verbena to attract even more pollinators.
21. Grow Fruits, Vegetables, And Herbs In An Edible Landscape Garden
Edible landscape gardens are beneficial to the environment as well as your health.
They allow you to grow fruits, vegetables, and herbs in your own garden or patio space. Edible landscape gardens are convenient because they require little maintenance and watering.
They are easy to grow, and they produce fresh, healthy food. Edible landscape gardens are also beneficial to the environment and are easily biodegradable, which means they release nutrients and oxygen back into the environment when they are broken down.
22. Raise Chickens in Your Backyard to get Fresh Eggs and Organic Fertiliser
Chickens are an excellent choice for backyard gardening because they require less space than some other types of backyard animals.
Fulfilling the earth’s growing needs is vital to its preservation and sustainability. Chickens, being a natural source of organic fertiliser, are able to break down grass and plants, allowing their droppings to foster the growth of other kinds of plants, such as vegetables, trees, and flowers.
Cultivating chickens in your garden is beneficial to the natural environment because they consume large amounts of harmful bugs and other pests that damage your garden plants.
23. Collect Rainwater in a Cistern to use in Your Garden or Landscape
We already explained that you can collect rainwater from your roof with a barrel, but you can also use a cistern for other purposes.
In fact, by lowering your dependency on mains water, using a cistern can save you money. Place the cistern below your garden if you wish to collect rainwater for your garden.
This way, all of the rainwater that gathers in the cistern will flow downhill into your garden. Cisterns are also excellent for watering your garden because the water is quite clean.
24. Build a Trellis or Arbour to Support Vegetables and Climbing Plants
A trellis is an affordable and useful addition to any garden.
It is basically just a horizontal frame covered with lattice or netting that is used to hold up climbing plants that are trained to grow in a particular pattern. Trellises come in a variety of different sizes, shapes, and designs, so you can find the perfect one for your home and your garden.
This can be beneficial if you are trying to grow a lot of plants in a small area, because you will have a lot more space to work with.
25. Attract Birds to Your Garden With Feeders and Birdhouses
You should consider getting some bird feeders and birdhouses for your garden.
This will attract a number of different bird species, such as sparrows, bluebirds, cardinals, finches, and woodpeckers. A bird feeder or two will not take up much space and can be a great way to get your neighbours to chat with you.
When you use bird feeders and birdhouses in your garden, the birds will love to spend time in your yard because they will be able to eat the nutritious seeds and insects that live there. This is great news for your flowers and vegetables, because by attracting birds to your garden, you will also increase their lifespan because pests won’t be eating your plants as often.
26. Rotate Your Crops to Ensure That all of Your Plants are Getting the Nutrients They Require
If you are frequently planting some vegetables, such as potatoes, corn, and squash, then you will want to rotate your crops so that they each get to grow for one season.
Crop rotation is very important if you want to make sure that your garden grows healthily and that all of the plants stay healthy. It is vital that your crops get the nutrients that they require to stay healthy.
27. Construct a Green Roof to Keep Your Home Cooler in the Summer and Reduce Stormwater Runoff
Constructing a green roof on your property is a great idea because it will save you money on your energy bills.
Green roofs reduce the amount of rainwater that flows off of your roof, and this reduces the amount of rainwater that flows into storm sewers and into local streams and rivers. They will also give you something to talk about with your neighbours because green roofs look great and they add interest to your property.
28. Join a Community Garden so you can Share Resources and Gardening Tips With Others
Cultivating a garden with fellow enthusiasts is a great way to meet and interact with other gardeners in your area.
The shared resources of a community garden mean that you won’t have to spend as much money on equipment and tools that you can share with others. Also, this is a great way to not only share your own findings, experiments, and knowledge as well as give advice, but you might just learn something new yourself from other avid gardeners in the community.
Conclusion
Once you’ve chosen a spot for your garden and decided on the type of garden you want to create, it’s time to start preparing the soil.
You can do this by adding organic matter like compost or manure to the soil. If your soil is clayey or sandy, you may also need to add some extra nutrients to get your plants off to a good start.
