Organic Gardening For The Homeowner
Organic gardening has been gaining popularity in recent times as research and studies have been probing into conventional methods of farming. Here's what you should know about organic gardening.
Organic gardening is different from organic farming simply because of the relatively small scale it operates on and the purposes to which produce is used.
Organic gardening usually characterized by family-scaled gardening with no, or little, commercial intent. It is the type of activity in which any homeowner or community plot gardener could engage for the joy of growing plants and providing a large portion of grocery needs.
Organic gardening strives for optimum soil and plant health, maximum garden productivity, efficient use of space and recycling of waste. The corner stone of organic gardening is the soil, thus organic gardeners spend a good deal of time trying to keep it porous, crumbly and fertile, with the right mix of sand, silt, clay and organic matter.
Organic gardening demands attention to soil, weather, site orientation, cycling of energy, ecology, plant associations, and nature in general. It is particularly rewarding for the gardener because of the benefits he receives from chemical free food, but also because he is helping preserve the environment.
If you are interested in making your own organic garden, the following are some helpful tips for growing your own organic garden. Decide what you want to plant. Invest in a couple organic gardening magazine, organic gardening book or organic gardening catalog.
Choose the fruits or vegetables that you enjoy, that are suited for the conditions or seasons the will be planted under and that won't take up too much space. Try planting your garden in wild beds, i.e., plant them close together. Beds should be about 31 ft wide.
This minimizes the amount of space wasted in paths, but allows easy access to the middle of the bed from each side for weeding and harvesting. Buy potting mix or make your own from 1/3 peat moss, the remainder being vermiculite, compost, garden soil. The mixture should be crumbly.
Do water as frequently as your crops require. The soil should never be soggy and containers and wild beds should have good drainage holes. Plant crops so that for the majority of the day, they can get the sunlight that is needed. The first rule of garden pest control is: when you see insects in your garden, don't panic.
Over 90% of insects in this region are beneficial, and most crops can tolerate a certain amount of damage before the yield is affected. Know you crops and observe when pests/insects appear and what damage they do.
Only when you know this can you take action to prevent or stop it. Remember, using chemicals is not a welcome option in organic gardening. Learn about raised bed organic gardening and using organic gardening compost and organic gardening fertilizer. You can also engage in organic herb gardening and indoor organic gardening. Do find biological methods to control pests such as encouraging birds and other predators that will control pests for you. W
hen buying seeds or seedlings, look for varieties that are resistant to diseases and insects. There are several relatively safe and effective pesticides to which the gardener can turn when a sudden, serious pest problem arises.
Do consult your local garden store for proper information of these. To avoid over-producing that can deplete nutrients in the soil unnecessarily; try to plant only as much as you need.
Organic gardens are a great idea, and they only add to achieving an organic lifestyle. And when you have harvested you organic produce, try some of these great organic recipes.