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It's a funny thing about organic gardening. As more and more people become concerned about the food they put into their bodies, a lot of them are growing their own fruits and vegetables. And as they do so, the question usually arises; should my garden to organic? The funny thing?? Chances are pretty good that they're already gardening organically, they just don't realize it!
Organic gardening simply means that no manufactured chemicals are applied to the garden and that the gardener uses natural enemies to combat plant diseases and pests in order to grow healthy crops. That's it in a nutshell.
Start with the soil. In order to garden organically, your soil must be in optimum condition. Any additions to the soil must be organic. Manure and compost has been used effectively for centuries, and its use for the home organic gardener continues to grow (pardon the pun!). Adding nutrients to the soil in this manner is pretty easy and basic because it replenishes the nutrients that the plants use. When crop rotation is added, nutrient depletion is avoided and crops will be healthy every year.
If there's no compost pile in the garden, it's easy enough to start one. A lot of municipalities sell composters for a minimal fee, they're available at most gardening centers, or you can build your own. To ensure even and rapid decomposition, it is necessary to turn the compost pile on a regular basis. Avoid adding meat products su
ch as beef bones, chicken, fish etc because they can attract unwanted animals. Basically, any leftovers from the kitchen such as vegetables and fruits, and old, healthy, plants from the garden can go into the compost pile. It's best to avoid adding weeds that have gone to seed because the compost pile will likely not get hot enough to kill the seeds.
When it's time to plant a garden, start with organic seeds or organic seedlings. This ensures that no manufactured chemical additives will find their way into the garden.
The use of chemicals in gardening has caused untold harm to the environment. The application of manufactured chemicals to the garden causes those chemicals to leach into groundwater, and harms the birds that eat the sprayed insects. Remember the 'Lion King' movie song about The Circle of Life. Nowhere is that illustrated better than gardening. If a manufactured chemical is applied to a garden, that chemical will find its way into the food chain, and eventually back into our bodies.
There's no doubt that the use of chemicals has made gardening less labor intensive, but that's not necessarily a good thing. Gardening organically is more work, but it's also good exercise! Pulling weeds isn't anyone's idea of a good time, but it can be made more pleasant with some good music and the promise of a cold drink when the work is completed!
Gardening organically isn't difficult. It just takes a bit of planning.
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