Organic gardening is quickly becoming popular in the gardening world, and rightly so, as organic gardening is helpful not only for the food you ingest but also for the environment.
Organic gardening deals specifically with the type of gardening that is all natural and stays away from all harmful chemicals and pesticides when growing anything from fruit and vegetables to flowers. This type of gardening is widely believed to be beneficial to the soil and in turn the fruit and vegetables being produced from the soil. This basic guide is designed to help you set up and maintain an organic garden.
Natural Fertilizer
Fertilizer is one of the most important things you can do to prepare your soil for plants and to keep your plants healthy. While it may be more expensive, natural fertilizer is a key to organic gardening and will help you to keep your plants flourishing without using pesticides. If you do not want to buy store bought fertilizer then you can always consider using compost which can be collected in a home compost pot and used to fertilize the plants. If you are going to go this route make sure you research the correct way to start a compost pile in guides many of which are available on a web search. Another great option is animal manure if you live on or near a farm.
Recycling Rain Water
This is obviously easier in parts of the world that get a good amount of rainwater each year. But simply investing in a large bucket can help you to collect a large amount of rain water that can be used to water your plants and can save one of the worlds most valuable resources which is water. If you are going to do this, you can collect the water by setting up a funnel from the rain gutters that go around the outside of your house as this water is not to be drank just to use for watering plants.
Insects
Insects can be a problem in the modern organic garden. Without using chemical and pesticides that get rid of insects you have to think of other ways. Some of the most common are purchasing large amounts of insects such as ladybugs that will live in your garden and eat aphids and other bugs that cause problems. For bigger bugs you can try to attract birds via bird houses or bird baths that will hang out and eat the bad bugs in your garden. Investing in these techniques will help to keep your garden bug free during the growing process. Just remember… many bugs are beneficial maybe for pollinating or controlling unwanted bugs/insects and will attract lots of beautiful wildlife for you to enjoy
Weeds
Weed control is just as important in an organic garden as it is in a normal garden. Instead of using pesticides you can learn and practice different types of cultivation, a firm favorite of mine being the use of mulching to try and keep the weeds down. Mulching will also retain moisture and nutrients in the soil as the mulch begins to decay and turn into lovely rich compost. Top up your mulch now and then with shredded leaves and twigs and wood-chippings if you can. An addition of other goodies like chicken poop is an excellent way to provide the much needed nitrogen into the soils. If you are taking the time to develop an organic garden it is worth getting your hands dirty and cultivating the garden the right way, the way that works best for you. Setting aside an area for the weeds/wildflowers to flourish will attract beneficial insects and bees to your garden. Not forgetting that many wildflowers are edible and may have uses as herbal medicines and much more.
No till is best when it comes to organic gardening….