Tag: Organic Gardening

The Principles Of Organic Gardening

More farmers are switching towards organic gardening because it is much safer for the market to consume. In fact, those who would like to create their own garden at home can do the same thing by following the same principles.

First, organic gardening does not use any fertilizers, nutrients or pesticides to make good quality crops. You could say that this technique simply lets nature takes it course because you rely only on natural materials and rain water instead of tap water.

When we refer to natural materials, one way is to start a compost heap by using vegetables and other waste food. This can even be missed with grass that has been cut by the lawnmower and then mixed together and spread throughout the garden to help your plants grow.

Another is the use of manure which can easily be purchased from the store. If you dont like getting your hands dirty, let someone else do it as some people use chickens to freely roam around the garden. In fact, it doesnt take that much to keep your feathered friends full because you can use meat products and dead animals that are left for a couple of weeks in a bin to produce maggots that you can use to feed them.

Believe it or not, earthworms are also helpful in cultivating the soil so your vegetables or fruits may grow. This is because this creature digs deep into the ground and aerates the soil bringing various minerals to the surface which also provides better drainage. It also leaves casting behind that experts say is five times as rich in nitrogen phosphorous and potassium.

In any garden, the one thing you have to deal with is unwanted pests. This is the reason that pesticides were developed but because they are harmful to humans, organic gardening has to be done with the help of some of natures friends.

A good example is a toad because they are known to eat more than 10,000 insects in three months time. These include armyworms, crickets, gypsy moth caterpillars, slugs and squash bugs. You could also use birds like the house wren that loves to feed on caterpillars and spiders.

The best part about having toads or birds around is that you dont have to buy them. You just have to create the perfect environment to welcome them into your backyard.

In fact some garden insects which you think are bad are actually working for you. Take for instance the ladybug or the praying mantis. These creatures are protective of their territory and will devour anything that comes in their path.

Some plants can also be used to control the pest population. Planting some rosemary, sage or thyme has been known to repel butterflies while marigolds are an effective deterrent against nematodes.

But the most effective means of growing organic crops all year round is through crop rotation. This means you change what you are growing every few months.

By following such principles, you will realize that most of the leftover after each meal and other garbage in your home does not go to waste. This is recycled and converted into energy that you can use to fuel your garden. It is also cheap and is your way of helping the environment.

Organic Gardening Product: From Fruits to Veggies to Flowers

Nowadays, more and more people are getting into organic gardening. Although organic gardening applies to all forms of plants, most often when you say organic gardening product, the first things that come to mind are vegetables and fruits. But, products of the organic way also cover other plants like ornamental and flowery plants. Regardless, may it be growing vegetables, flowers, or even fruits, people are trying to reap the benefits of the organic way.

Organic gardening is a science. It is not just simply planting the seeds and waiting for the plant to grow, flower or bear fruit. The process involves careful planning since organic gardening follows the natural principles of nature in soil cultivation, managing pests, and propagating plants.

However, dont be daunted since we only mention that organic gardening is a science to emphasize that we dont just let nature do the work. We grow our plants or crops by applying a system that is approved by Mother Nature. Thats the essence of it.

There are a lot of elements involved in organic gardening but for our discussion we will focus on general aspects of soil cultivation and pest management.

To succeed in organic gardening, we need to keep the soil healthy. You cant use chemical fertilizers, obviously, since it negates the very purpose of the activity and also the long term use of such fertilizers damages the natural components of the soil. Composting is an essential part of organic gardening. Composts have various benefits for your plants. One, it provides the needed nutrients and improves the overall soil constitution. Second, the compost can help the soil retain more water which means less time spraying your plants with a garden hose.

Aside from proper soil cultivation, the problem that is dreaded by most growers is pest control. From flying to crawling, from walking to boring, managing pests is a vital key in producing quality organic produce or maintaining a healthy organic garden.

In an organic garden, the plants should be able to handle the damage of ordinary insect attacks or damage from common diseases. However, if you feel you need to support your plants there are several ways you could do so. You can spray your garden or plants with solutions that are friendly to the environment such as diluted soapy water or organic sprays from naturally occurring insecticide plants, the neem tree for instance.

Or another way is to equip your garden with friendly insects. You can find out what kind of pests are there in your garden and look for its natural enemies. This way, population of pests can be controlled by your own army of insects. By introducing natural predators, you will no longer fear of pests getting immune from insecticides. But, pest management for an organic garden really involves combinations of techniques.

With proper care, and the right techniques, your organic garden can be sustained. You can be assured that the soil is cared for and healthy, plants will be able to pollinate effectively, water will be conserved, and plants in general will survive longer.

All these elements when combined together will result to a hefty harvest of an organic garden product of your choice. Your vegetables or fruits will be fresher than before. You will have a garden with vibrant and healthy flowers.

Organic Gardening is Perfect for Mother Nature

Organic Gardening is perfect for you and perfect for the environment. With the world’s problem now with global warming, one must wonder and suggest ways of helping find answers to such. Big or small, everybody can have their share in the solution.

Organic farming may be one because it is like recycling what is already available in the environment to be able to produce the greens. The gardener is helping the environment by growing plants and more so, by helping in diminishing waste in a natural way.

Synthetic is Out
With organic gardening, one must rely only on his/her ability and on whatever nature has for them to be able to come up with the crops. This requires more work, patience and long hours and trial and error procedures on the part of the farmers but once they see the results, they won’t feel bad at all.

With organic farming, the gardeners depend on the environment to supplement their crops. For example, composting fallen leaves, clipped grass, animal manures and other resources would create fertilizers. In making compost, one may opt to do it by oneself, periodically checking on the compost to see if it needs more water to it, or more materials should be added on it. Or they may just pile up what others may consider as trash and let nature, the microorganisms, earthworms and the soil itself do the composting naturally.

The latter is easier to do but takes longer period of time and the result will not be as good as the compost done the way that was first discussed. A good compost will serve as the plant’s fertilizer and likewise a pesticide. If you opt to do the latter, make sure to use only the decomposed materials from the pile so as to come up with better use of such with your crops.

Choose Your Plants
In organic gardening, it is best to know first the condition of the environment that you are in. Study the soil and weather before choosing the right produce fit for your site. This way, it will not be as hard maintaining the crops.

Gardening Systems
There are certain terms in organic gardening that has evolved through time because this is being done since the early years.

Rudolf Steiner quoted Biodynamic farming. While a no-till approach for small time production of grains was invented by Masanobu Fukuoka, a Japanese writer and at the same time, a farmer. This he also called the Natural Farming. Other gardening techniques for small scale production are the French Intensive, Biointensive and Small Plot Intensive kinds of farming.

The abovementioned are formal organic farming systems that have specific requirements and techniques.

Gardening Tools
To complete your gardening set-up, you would have to have tools. Now don’t be swept by the oh-so-many fancy gardening tools that are available in the market. Some are just to fancy as to having a real use with what you really need to do.

But to start with your organic experience, you might want to try having some or all of the following. A folding saw with a rubber handle is recommended as long as its blade is replaceable. A Moth-Blocker will be most beneficial, on the other hand, for crops like that cauliflower and broccoli because this will hinder the moths from laying its eggs on the produce. A Row Cover or Shade Fabric can be bought or can be done at home if you know how to do such. This will provide the needed shade for your plants. Of course, you have to invest on a good digging tool because you will need this a lot, just like a hat, which you should also have to protect yourself from the sun’s rays.

With everything ready and with the proper information that you are now equipped with, organic gardening is perfect so you may want to start with it as soon as possible. Mother Nature will surely thank you for doing so.