Lessons About Organic Gardening

Organic gardening is not really any different from normal gardening apart from the fact that it should not involve any artificial fertilizers or pesticides. This obviously creates many problems in that these chemicals are used to control diseases, insect life and unwanted plant growth. Organic gardening also involves a lot of effort to ensure that soil is healthy and the plants are well cared for.

Beginning Organic Gardening

At the centre of organic gardening is healthy soil. An organic gardener will need to add organic matter at regular intervals to make sure that the soil retains its nutrients. The best way to ensure the health and strong growth of organic plants is to use a variety of composts. These may consist of old leaves and flowers, leftover vegetables, fruit skins, mown grass and animal manure, and a lot else as well. The best organic soil needs to have a darker color, a rich smell and should be packed with worms. You may need to supplement the soil with natural nutrients that even the richest composts can fail to supply - the best sources are bone meal, green sand and natural rock-based phosphates. A basic soil analysis is the best way to discover its pH value and therefore what you'll need to add to the soil.

Even the most ardent organic gardeners will be sorely tempted to use a pesticide when faced with the problem of a particularly damaging insect infestation. It is best to get rid of insect problems before they even start by creating the right environment. Plants should have exactly the right quantities of moisture in order to ensure that they are healthy enough to carry on growing after being damaged by insects, and indeed the healthier plants will be less likely to be attacked. Also try to use different kinds of plants to make sure that a particularly bad infestation doesn't ruin the look of a whole garden.

Easily the best insurance against infestation is to encourage animals that eat various insects but do not damage the plant itself: a small lizard, frog, bird or ladybug can cut a swathe through the insect population. Make sure you have lots of water for these animals to drink, and encourage plants that have nectar-rich flowers. You could also use various kinds of adhesive trap, or perhaps a physical barrier like a collar around the plant stem. Some gardeners prefer to use natural products that repel insects such as hot pepper, garlic and certain kinds of soap.

The best way to ensure that the plants do not become diseased in an organic garden is to choose those varieties that do not succumb to disease in the first place and plant them in the most optimum environment. Damp, still air will encourage disease, so make sure the garden has the correct amount of water and is in the best position.

Weeds are another great enemy of the organic gardener. A layer of organic matter on top of the soil can inhibit weeks but various kinds of waste paper will achieve this effect even more efficiently when placed under this layer. Gluten from cornmeal should also inhibit all but the most tenacious weeds as long as it is used before the plants are seeded and you could also solarize the soil. Many people prefer the more traditional method of using a hoe, or just manually ripping out the weeds. Ultimately however, you have to just keep going in order to control this kind of problem. It you can treat the weed as a constant enemy it often disappears within a few years.

The main advantage of organic gardening is of course the fact you will not have used any dangerous and environmentally damaging pesticide, and the correct methods will ensure the optimum health of your plants. Organic gardening does involve greater effort and attention to detail than a normal garden but once you are used to it and you understand your own garden it will certainly repay the investment.

Resources:

http://www.avant-gardening.com
http://www.organicgardening.com
http://www.organic-gardening.net