
What is Organic Gardening
The practice of Organic Gardening is all about growing vegetables and food crop plants without the use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides.
Carried out to produce food crops that are free of chemicals and therefore a healthier choice. We provide basic information on how to start an organic garden.
Starting or Building an Organic garden is based around the principle that ‘The Soil Feeds the Plant’. So it is by naturally increasing the health structure and fertility of the soil that we take steps towards a productive organic garden.
Organic gardening also focuses on the health and structure of the soil that we use. Beneficial or garden friendly insects are also encouraged in an organic garden.
How to start an organic garden.
It needs to be remembered that any residual pesticides etc will take some time to work their way out of your garden, so organic may not be immediate, but by following steps below you will be on you way.
7 Basic Organic Gardening Tips
- Stop using all fertilizers, pesticides, weed killers and any other non organic additives to all parts of the garden.
- Find a place in your garden that is sunny, away from buildings and drains and other areas that are possibly a source of contamination. Clear the area and establish where you want the garden beds to be.
- Establish a organic compost bin that you fill with pesticide free, grass clippings, leaves and other fine material. Leaf mold is your soils best friend,so make some.
- Once the compost has started to decompose, spread a layer over the garden bed and dig it into the soil, not to deep. The beneficial microbes and bacteria do not like to buried to deeply. Speed this up by getting some organic compost from a neighbor.
- Find some organic mulch to place over the top of the garden bed and keep the area moist and weed free.
- Avoid soil compaction by not standing on the garden bed.
- After a few weeks you are ready to start planting. You will need to purchase organic seeds or seedlings to promote the organic nature of the garden.
Green Crops and Organic Vegetable Gardening.
Green manure crops such as Alfalfa have a number of benefits and are used widely in organic gardens, where one basic priniple is to ‘never leave the soil bare’.
Green crops help prevent weeds. Encourage soil micro organisms, fix nitrogen in the soil, especialy pea and bean crops.
Sow a green maure crop immedialty after you have finished with one area. Green manure crops can also be planted between rows. Green crops can be dug into the soil after 2 months or so.
Composting and Organic Gardening.
Another basic principle of gardening in the organic way is to compost, its amazing how much valuable organic material can be returned to the soil with proper composting techniques. Remeber that compost not only acts as a fertilizer, it also improves soil structure and water retention. How often do we hear that this plant likes a humus rich soil ? Compost increase the amount of humus in the soil.
Mulch and Organic Gardening.
Remember the principle ‘never leave the soil bare’ well MULCH is a big part of this. Mulch serves a number of purposes:
- Mulch helps prevents weeds
- Mulch helps retain moisture
- Mulch helps provide a cool root run
- And Mulch encourages those healthy lillte micro organisms that are so important to soil health and organic gardening to THRIVE..
Organic Gardening Pest Control
- Learn about organic pesticides such as Garlic Spray, Neem Oil, Onion and Mint and Pyrethrum
- Discover how to make your own organic fertilizers