Gardening: Organic Vegetable Gardening

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Starting an organic vegetable garden

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More Basics Of Organic Gardening

Organic gardening is basically the same as regular gardening only in organic gardening no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides are used. Organic gardening can make certain aspects of gardening a little more difficult because no synthetic pesticides can be use to control diseases, insects and weeds in your organic garden. Organic gardening also requires more attention to the soil and the many needs of plants.

What are the basics of organic gardening?

1. Organic gardening starts with the soil.  

Gardeners doing organic gardening can only add organic matter to the soil, regularly, in order to keep the soil productive.  In fact, compost is essential to the healthiness and well being of your plants when you are growing your plants organically.  Compost can very easily be made from leaves, dead flowers, vegetable scraps, fruit rinds, grass clippings, manure, and many other things.  Ideally, good soil has a dark color with a sweet smell and the soil is full of earthworms.  It is possible that your soil may need more natural additives than regular compost can give. It may need additives such as bonemeal, rock phosphates, or greensand.  A simple soil test will tell you the pH balance and which nutrients you will need to use.

2. Controlling insects.

Insects on your plants can make even the most dedicated organic gardeners that are very serious about organic gardening, reach for pesticides.  In organic gardening, as in all gardening actually, 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 usually attack unhealthy plants and if healthy, they can often outgrow minor insect damage.  A variety of plant types is a good idea to keep pests of a particular plant type from taking out the entire garden. It may worth your while to do some research on companion planting, which can be very effective in controlling insects. In South Africa, for instance, we have a flower we call ”Afrikaners“ that are highly effective in keeping insects at bay, even mosquitoes in the House!

For the organic gardener the very best way of defending your plants against insects is to entice their predators to your garden. Predators such as ladybugs, birds, frogs, and lizards can really be a great help in keeping insects under control. You can do this by keeping a water source nearby or by growing plants that attract insects who feed on nectar.  Other ideas are sticky traps, barriers, and plant collars.  There are some household items that prevent against insects too, like garlic and hot pepper. Just remember that certain household items, such as dishwashing liquid, cannot be considered organic! I know soap is very effective against certain insects but you have to make sure the soap is organic otherwise it cannot be used.

3. Avoiding plant diseases.

The best way to avoid plant disease in organic gardening is to choose disease resistant plants and plant them in their prime condition. 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.

It is true that weeds can be a very annoying and frustrating part of organic gardening.  Organic mulch can act as a weed barrier, but for even better protection put a layer of newspaper, construction paper, or cardboard under the mulch. Corn meal gluten will slow the growth of weeds if spread early in the season before planting, as does solarization.  Then there is the good old-fashioned way of manual weeding, hand pulling is a sure way of getting rid of weeds. So, you need to use a little ”elbow grease.“  Your best bet in weed prevention is persistence.  Mulch well and pull and hoe what you can; after a few seasons you can beat the weeds for good.

4. Benefits of organic gardening.

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 after gardeners get the hang of it and figure out all the quirks of their garden, it is definitely worth the extra time.

Remember that even though organic gardening requires more work in the beginning, if you keep at it you’ll win in the and your efforts will be rewarded with beautiful, healthy and tasty vegetables. In my opinion organic gardening is the way to go, so I hope you’ll really enjoy your organic vegetable gardening.

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