Tips for Gardening Organically
Deborahann Smith
Nine Natural Gardening Tips
There's nothing like the satisfaction of watching your prize roses bloom and enjoying your first zucchini of the summer. But there's still a lot to do to get your garden ready.
Of course, along with the joy of gardening come inherent challenges: namely, weeds and bugs - and perhaps the temptation of using weed killers and pesticides in the hopes of producing an instantly beautiful garden. However, there are many reasons for resisting these substances and gardening naturally instead, beginning with the fact that the natural — or organic — approach is better for your health, for the health of your garden and for the environment. Fortunately, there are several ways to make natural gardening more pleasurable and successful.
Choose organic.
Use all-natural ingredients in your garden including soil, seeds and fertilizers that come from organic sources and haven't been treated with chemicals. Why? Because organic gardening produces healthier plants that are higher in nutrients and lower in toxins. It also reduces potential health risks, provides a safer, healthier habitat, protects our soil and water quality and safeguards the health of our children and future generations, according to The Organic Trade Association. Remember, "the whole environment in which plants grow is more than the sum of its individual parts," points out the Henry Doubleday Research Association, an organic gardening organization based in Great Britain.
Use rich soil.
But isn't dirt just dirt? In fact, the essence of a garden is the soil, with dirt being the foundation of the food chain. Nutritionally rich, well-balanced soil creates stronger, healthier plants that are better able to withstand pests and drought. "The key to good gardening is to improve your soil," says Steve Peters, a planner and researcher at Seeds of Change, based in Santa Fe, N.M., "If you get your soil in shape, everything is a lot easier." The first step, recommends Peters, is to test your soil to discover its level of acidity and how it may need to be balanced. Then enrich your soil with a lot of composting material, perhaps supplemented with natural nutrients from your gardening center.
Buy open-pollinating or heirloom seeds.
These seeds perpetuate themselves and are free of toxins that get into the soil and spread through the environment. "Seed is a very important part of the growing cycle," says Peters. "It's where it all starts. Seed integrates what goes on in the soil and environment and is the cornerstone of supporting healthy, sustainable organic gardening practices," he adds.
Treat yourself to sturdy gardening tools.
Good hand tools help you nurture the soil through cultivating, aerating, weeding and transplanting, plus they have less impact on soil structure and soil organisms than rototillers or plows. Also, hand tools are quieter, gentler and more aesthetically pleasing. Consider adding a cultivator, garden fork, garden weeder, trowel and transplanting trowel to your gardening tool kit.
Compost
Compost is broken-down organic matter that enriches the soil and helps produce healthier plants. Composting also helps reduce pollution and saves on landfill waste. To begin, buy a compost bin, a spinning composter, or a red worm composter, where worms process the compost for you. Then add in materials such as young weeds, grass cuttings, hedge clippings, old autumn leaves, fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, old straw and hay, and manure from cows, chickens, pigeons, hamsters or guinea pigs. If you have a spinning composter, spin it regularly; if your composter is stationary, turn over the pile daily with a pitchfork. Depending on your combination of materials the climate in which you live, compost can be ready to add to your garden in as early as six to eight weeks, although it may take as long as a year to prepare.
Water infrequently and deeply.
Watering your organic garden less often and more deeply encourages plants to grow deeper root systems, which allow them to tap into a wider variety of soil nutrients and become more drought resistant.
Control pests naturally
Generally, if plants have rich soil and water they should be able to withstand most insects. You can also discourage aphids, flies, caterpillars and cabbage worms by planting garlic, onions and marigolds throughout your garden. If pests do become a problem, physically remove or apply a natural potassium salt insecticidal soap to the leaves of your plants. For controlling flying insects, consider burning citronella incense and installing a bat conservatory in your yard. A bat can eat as many as 600 night-flying insects in a single hour, providing considerable help in cutting back on insect bites and the need for insect repellent.
Wear a hat and hemp gardening gloves.
Since we absorb heat through our heads, wearing a hat keeps you cooler as you garden. To protect your hands, try a pair of hemp gloves; this natural fiber is comfortable and amazingly durable.
Get more information.
Any month of the year is a good time to increase your wealth of gardening knowledge. Contact your local Cooperative Extension office. Visit gardening centers. Check out available gardening books.
These days, more people are gardening than ever before. "People are more focused on cooking and on having fresh, wholesome food, and gardening is one way to get that," says Peters. "Plus, working in the garden is an important way to get outside and to interact with the environment. Gardening is an overall beneficial activity.
