Before the advent of the industrial revolution, or the second world war even, all gardening was organic. Synthetic fertilizers and pest control products were not used in gardens, and had very limited usage even in main stream agriculture.

We all know that organic produce in the supermarkets is expensive, so if you want the advantage of wholesome safe vegetables and salads, why not grow your own?

So what is organic gardening? Simply stated, it is an understanding of nature and how nature works to produce a healthy crop, without the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

The basic principles are simple, just remember…

• Soil Replenishment
• Crop Rotation
• Integrated Pest Management
• Composting
• Holistic Approach
  

…and you will be able to produce healthy produce without worrying about consuming dangerous chemicals.

Let us take the basic principles one step further.

Soil Replenishment

You must remember that it is the soil that feeds plants their nutrients, so it important to think soil replenishment, not plant food. Encourage the natural processes that feed plants, by putting as much back into the soil as the crop takes out.

When the crop is finished dig in your compost or animal manure, and encourage the earthworm population.

Crop Rotation

By alternating crops grown in a particular area you maintain the soils fertility.

Alternate years: grow a crop with long then short roots; grow crops with differing nutrient demands; follow a high nitrogen demanding plant with legumes or peas that enrich the soil with nitrogen.

You also discourage the build-up of pests and pathogens in the soil, as you replace their host plant with one they cannot live with.

Integrated Pest management

Make your planting as diverse as possible within your garden. Think of it as a mini eco-system that encourages the insects that prey on the pests. Limit soil fungi and pathogens by inter-planting crop plants, with the addition of flowering plants.

Composting

Use your garden and food waste to create your own compost material.

Organic material is broken down by aerobic microorganisms into water, carbon dioxide and biomass. Use an enclosure like the Earthmaker Aerobic Composter from Amazon to the right to encourage the process to really heat up, thereby producing a finer compost in a faster time. It eliminates the bad smell as well!

Holistic Approach

Remember, treat your garden as a mini eco-system, encourage biodiversity encompassing plants, insects, earthworms, microorganisms, and other fauna. Although you will see some plant leave damage, you also ensure a healthy balance of predators to parasites.

Growing your own vegetables is the epitome of green living. Environmentally, there are no food miles, and no fertilizers or chemicals – with huge embodied energy – used in the process. You know exactly where they have come from, and that your crops are safe to eat being full of life and vitality!

The old gardeners knew what they were doing because their methods had been passed down generation to generation. Now, as the organic revolution takes hold, we are simply re-learning what we had become disconnected from – natural gardening traditions that include an understanding of how nature works!

Sincerely,

P.S. More on organic gardening at Successful Gardens.

Here are a couple of books which encompass the organic gardening principles and techniques very nicely. First, Eliot Coleman’s ‘Four Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables From Your Own Garden’, and secondly ‘The Organic Gardeners Handbook’ edited by Barbara Willis. Plenty of information here to get you started, so pick up a copy and enjoy!

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