What is Organic Gardening?
Courtesy OrganicGardening,com
Many gardeners wonder what
exactly organic gardening means. 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 growing organically 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.
Create healthy soil for healthy plants.
You could say building soil is the defining act of
organic gardening. By regularly replenishing the nutrients your plants use, you
keep the soil productive. By mixing organic matter (preferably compost) into the
soil whenever possible, you mimic Nature's cycles of birth, decay, and rebirth.
Ideal garden soil is dark-colored, smells kind of sweet, compresses into a loose
lump in your hand when moist, and is full of earthworms.
Certain soils may need even more of a boost than a
regular, liberal dose of compost can provide, but before you add anything else
to your soil we urge you to get a soil test—you'll find a lab in your area
where you can get a low cost test on our state-by-state (and province by
province) listing of soil test laboratories. The results of your test will tell
you the soil's pH and what nutrients are out of balance. With that information,
you can choose amendments to bolster the soil. You can choose from many organic
soil amendments, like bonemeal, greensand or rock phosphates, all derived from
natural sources and each suited to particular need.
