Go Natural With Organic Gardening
Organic gardening is a great way to appreciate nature, without destroying it. You will use compost to build healthy soil and will try techniques like companion planting and ladybug cultivation, rather than using chemicals on your food. As someone who truly appreciates the earth, you feel very strongly about making the world a better place through your gardening experience. The most ardent natural gardeners will even use only manual gardening tools to till and cultivate.
Advocates for growing food organically argue that this method is better for several main reasons. First, gardening organically reduces your exposure to pesticides, which have been linked to everything from skin rashes, eye irritations and neurotoxicity to cancer, birth defects and hormone disruption. Secondly, organic food contains a higher concentration of nutrients like chromium, selenium, calcium, boron, lithium, magnesium, vitamin C, carotene and vitamin B. Thirdly, organic gardeners work with manual garden supplies and tools, so they avoid gasoline-powered machines that leave emissions. At the same time, the organic gardener is getting a great workout in! Lastly, this method for growing plants prevents chemicals and contaminants from leaching into the soil and down to our water table, so this style of gardening is much better for the planet overall.
Soil health is one of the most important focuses of organic gardening. Even though organic matter (made of partially decomposed organisms and vegetation) only makes up 5-10% of the soil, it is absolutely essential in maintaining soil health. A gardening expert will tell you that organic matter is what binds together soil particles to allow the passage of air and water. Humus holds up to 90% of its weight in water, in addition to absorbing and storing key nutrients. Other microorganisms that live within the soil feeds upon this organic matter, which is what keeps the ecosystem thriving. The best way to increase your organic matter is to add organic compost bought from the store and made in your own kitchen.
Composting is an essential part of organic gardening because it ensures that your soil will be healthy and fruitful. You can add compost, aged animal manure, green manure (like cover crops), mulches, peat moss and kitchen scraps. Be cautious about adding high-carbon material like straw, leaves, wood chips and sawdust because microorganisms will consume a lot of nitrogen to digest these materials, which could deplete your soil. You can add natural nitrogen with hoof/horn/fish meal, natural potassium with granite dust/potash rock, and natural phosphorus with bone meal/finely ground phosphate rock. For more information and gardening advice on building healthy soil and improving existing soil naturally, visit www.gardeners.com/Building-Healthy-Soil/5060,default,pg.html, where you can read about the organic style of gardening in more detail.
Pest control will be another concern for your garden. Believe it or not, marigolds are some of the best pest controls in organic gardening. Marigolds keep away aphids, earworms, leaf hoppers, Mexican bean leaf beetles, rabbits, squash bugs, thrips and tomato heartworms. Aphids are also deterred by rue, dill, catnip, fennel, mint and chives. Other natural home vegetable gardening pest deterrents include basil, green beans, nasturtium, tomato, wormwood, anise, borage, sage, thyme, radish, garlic, onion, potato, turnip, oleander, hyssop, rosemary, lavender, pennyroyal, mint, tansy, coriander, cilantro, horseradish, geranium, butterfly sage, larkspur, cloves, petunia and parsley.
The benefits of a vegetable garden can't be beat. You'll get to enjoy fresh picked produce and you'll get some great exercise at the same time! From fall vegetable gardens to a raised vegetable garden, you'll find the information you need at the Vegetable Garden Site.
