subject: An Introduction To Organic Gardening [print this page] Organic gardening is basically gardening without the synthetic fertilizers or pesticides which are often used in traditional gardening. This can make certain thing difficult, such as controlling disease, insects, and weeds, however, organic gardening is friendlier to the environment.
Organic gardening starts with the soil. Gardeners must add organic matter to the soil regularly in order to keep the soil nutrient rich. Compost is the ideal soil additive. Compost can be made from leaves, dead flowers, vegetable scraps, fruit rinds and grass clippings. Peat moss, and composted manure are also great soil conditioners. Healthy soil has a dark color, sweet smell, and is full of earthworms.
One thing that makes even gardeners that are very serious about organic gardening reach for pesticides is insects on their plants. The best way to defend plants against insects is to take preventative measures. One thing that can be done is to make sure plants are healthy and not too wet or dry because insects tend to be attracted to unhealthy plants. Planting numerous varieties plant is recommended to keep pests of a particular plant type from taking out the entire garden.
Perhaps the best way to defend against insects is to make your garden enticing to insect predators, such as ladybugs, birds. You can do this by keeping a water source nearby or by growing plants that attract insects who feed on nectar. There are also some household items that prevent against insects such as garlic, and hot pepper.
To avoid plant disease in organic gardening, choose disease resistant plants and plant them in their prime conditions. Many diseases will spread because of constant moisture and bad air circulation, so the site of your garden and the way it is watered can help ensure against diseases.
Weeds can be an annoying and frustrating part of organic gardening. Organic mulch can act as a weed barrier. There's also the more labor intensive task of cultivating and hand pulling weeds. Your best bet in weed prevention is persistence. Mulch well and pull and hoe what you can; after a few seasons you'll begin to notice fewer weeds.
Organic gardening is an excellent way to assure that your plants will be free and clear of all pesticides and, if taken care of properly, will be as healthy as possible. Organic gardening may take a little more time and care than regular gardening but it is definitely worth the extra time.
