Organic Gardening
Saturday, October 25th, 2008What is Mean by Organic Matter?
Organic matter is decaying plant and animal waste. Organic matter is used as a soil amandemen. Organic gardeners are used to the idea that household items lead double lives in the garden. Lemon juice, vinegar, salt and sugar are all used against weeds or insects, old sheets protect plants from frost.
What is Organic Gardening – The Basics for Gardening Organically?
What does it mean to have an organic garden? Does organic gardening mean you have to put up with insects eating your plants or unattractive flower beds?
The short answer is that organic gardening means not using synthetic products, including pesticides and fertilizers. Ideally, organic gardening replenishes the resources as it makes use of them. Like feeding depleted soil with composted plants, or planting legumes to add nitrogen to an area that had been planted with heavy feeder.
Why Organic?
Organic gardening is gaining popularity as people realize the many benefits to themselves, the environment and other living creatures. Growing organically simply means not using synthetic or chemical fertilizers, insecticides or pesticides. Instead, organic gardeners stick to fertilizers made from animal or vegetable by-products and get creative when dealing with unwanted pests — often utilizing beneficial garden insects or plants that deter the unwelcome visitors.
Not only does gardening organically cause less harm than conventional-type gardening, it actually has many benefits.
• Organically grown food has been shown to help defend against cancer with its higher essential vitamins and nutrients.
• By eating organically grown food, you ingest fewer chemicals.
• Organic gardening feeds the soil rather than depletes it.
• Most organic gardeners use compost, which reduces the amount of waste going to landfills.
This guide to organic gardening will help you to plan, start and maintain your organic garden. Organic gardening focuses on the health and feeding of the soil, not the plant. By growing and alternating a wide variety of plants, the organic gardener can create a mini “eco-system” that will maintain a healthy balance.
“Organic Gardening” provides information on creating and maintaining a healthy, natural garden that is free of harmful chemicals.
Organic Gardening Ideas
Organic gardening is the exact same as regular gardening except that organic gardening does not use chemicals that may have an adverse affect on your health. Organic gardening starts with the soil. Gardeners must add organic matter to the soil regularly in order to keep the soil productive. One thing that makes even gardeners that are very serious about organic gardening reach for pesticides is insects on their plants. The best way to defend plants against insects is to take preventative measures. A variety of plant types is a good idea to keep pests of a particular plant type from taking out the entire garden.
Other ideas are sticky traps, barriers, and plant collars. To avoid plant disease in organic gardening, choose disease resistant plants and plant them in their prime conditions. Weeds can be an annoying and frustrating part of organic gardening. 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. Few pursuits are as rewarding as growing your own organic garden. Organic gardening produces healthy, more diverse ecosystems which are better able to resist significant pest damage…naturally!