Gardening is a wonderful way to grow more than flowers; you can also grow vegetables and fruits in your backyard. Why settle for a few fresh herbs here and there when you have the power to grow the ingredients for an entire salad? Glean some great gardening information from the following article that will help your garden be the best it can be.

Pest control is very difficult if you are dealing with your veggie garden. Do not spray harsh chemicals on the vegetables you are going to eat. Frequently check your garden for pests. If you catch pests right away, the easiest way to eradicate them is to pick them off plants by hand.

You can use a mix of water and ammonia and spray them on snails. The ammonia is safe for your plants, and will be absorbed into the ground and converted into nitrogen. The snails, on the other hand, will be killed by the solution and no longer damage your garden. For the best possible results, do this every day.

Try to grow some wheat or cat grass around your cat's favorite plants. Another option is to place offensively smelling objects on the topsoil near and around the plants you want to protect. Citrus peels or mothballs are a couple of examples.

Protect the soil around your vegetable plants with an inch or two of organic mulch. Mulch is used to keep extra moisture and provide nutrients for your plants. Mulch will help a lot in preventing weeds from growing. This could save you lots of weed-pulling time.

Both cat grass and wheat grass are good for giving your errant feline pause. Another option is to place something smelly, like citrus peels or mothballs, on the soil surrounding the plants that have previously been eaten.

Before actually putting plants into your garden, check the type and compostion of your soil. A soil analysis is inexpensive and can be used to figure out which nutrients should be added to provide a healthy garden environment. Many Cooperative Extension offices will provide this service, and it is well worth knowing exactly what the soil needs to avoid ruining a crop or two.

Choose the varieties of plants that will produce a higher yield. Normally, hybrid plants that are disease-resistant and cold-tolerant have a greater yield than traditional varieties.

You do not need store-bought chemical treatments for plant mildew. A great home remedy is to mix baking soda with water and a little bit of liquid soap. Spray the mixture on the plants once every seven days or so until you no longer see the mildew. This is a natural solution for ridding your plants of mildew safely.

With these tips, you're better equipped to grow the most beautiful garden you can imagine. In learning how to create your dream garden, you'll also be growing as a person. That's because learning how to nurture your plants will not only help you reach the goal of having a great garden, but it will help you learn to nurture yourself.