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Organic Gardening

What does it mean to garden organically?

The simple answer is that organic gardeners don't use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides on their plants. But gardening organically is much more than what you don't do. When you garden organically, you think of your plants as part of a whole system within Nature that starts in the soil and includes the water supply, people, wildlife and even insects. An organic gardener strives to work in harmony with natural systems and to minimize and continually replenish any resources the garden consumes. Organic gardening, then, begins with attention to the soil. You regularly add organic matter to the soil, using locally available resources wherever possible. And everyone has access to the raw ingredients of organic matter, because your lawn, garden and kitchen produce them everyday. Decaying plant wastes, such as grass clippings, fall leaves and vegetable scraps from your kitchen, are the building blocks of compost, the ideal organic matter for your garden soil. If you add compost to your soil, you're already well on your way to raising a beautiful, healthy garden organically.

The other key to organic gardening is to choose plants suited to the site. Plants adapted to your climate and conditions are better able to grow without a lot of attention or input; on the other hand, when you try to grow a plant that is not right for your site, you will probably have to boost its natural defenses to keep it healthy and productive.

I have never undertaken organic gardening and I would would like my own garden. Where do I begin?

Start by looking around your yard and taking note of which areas get a lot of sun, which are shaded all day, and which are sunlit for part of the day. Also, notice which spots tend to be damp all the time and which dry out very fast. Now you can use that information to choose the site of your new garden and the plants that will fare well there.

When you select plants that thrive in your conditions, you have to care for them less. Before you buy the plants, you want to prepare the site. Loosen the soil with a shovel, garden fork and/or tiller 6 to 8 inches deep, and add several inches of compost to it. If the soil is sandy, mix in an extra helping of compost. In most climates, vegetables, fruits and herbs grow best in raised beds, which are built up 4 to 6 inches above the surrounding ground.

Most flowers thrive in raised beds, too. The soil in raised beds drains quickly so plants never sit in water, and the soil warms up fast in spring. You can build a raised bed by adding a lot of organic matter to the soil and fluffing up the soil with a garden fork, then raking soil from the areas that will be paths up onto the beds. Many gardeners like to enclose their raised beds in wooden or plastic frames; others just mound up the soil. (Please don't frame your garden with what's commonly called "pressure-treated" CCA wood—it contains arsenic and other toxins that can leach into your soil.)

Successful organic gardening requires consideration of many factors, including resistant cultivars, crop rotation, sanitation, incorporation of organic matter, garden location, and insect and disease control.

Organic gardening is growing in popularity. Although this technique traditionally has been limited to backyard gardens, commercial organic farms now exist worldwide. The phrase "organically grown" generally refers to produce grown and processed without the use of synthetic organic chemicals in pesticides, fertilizers, preservatives, or flavorings. The main arguments for organic gardening are that food is less likely to contain potentially harmful chemicals and that fewer chemicals are released into the environment.

Arguments against it include possible lower yields and reduced quality produce. For the home gardener, organic gardening is an attractive alternative to using synthetic pesticides. Organic gardening can be challenging, interesting and rewarding, even if only partially successful. However, growers may have to accept some damage and/or lower yields from disease or insects if they don't use pesticides. Almost all growers use certain well established methods of organic gardening, such as resistant cultivars, crop rotation, sanitation and incorporation of organic matter.

Organic gardening involves:

• Treating the soil and growing environment as a resource to be husbanded for future generations, rather than mined for short term gain.

• Providing plants with a balanced food supply by feeding the many soil living creatures that live with composts, manures and other organic materials.

• Choosing renewable resources, thereby creating a sustainable future.

• Reducing pollution of the environment, by recycling garden, household and other wastes, rather than dumping or burning them.

• Combating pests and diseases without using pesticides that may prove harmful to human health and that of domestic and wild animals.

• Encouraging and protecting wildlife, by creating suitable habitats and by minimizing use of harmful pesticides.

• Creating a safe and pleasant environment in which to work and play.

• Moving with the times - taking new scientific discoveries and ideas into account, as well as the best traditional knowledge.

• Using good horticultural practices.

• Recognising the importance of genetic diversity and hence the preservation of threatened plant varieties.

• The whole garden - flowers, trees, shrubs and lawns, as well as vegetables, fruit and herbs.

Whether you have a small suburban garden, a back yard or a stately home, you can grow organically. Tasty crops, beautiful flowers, luxurious lawns - all are possible without using harmful chemicals.

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