About Organic Gardening

What would you like to know about organic gardening? There are a lot of interesting facts regarding this technique and perhaps the most interesting is that it has been used by farmers for hundreds of years.

Naturally, you want to know more than its history. This is because a lot of people are talking about it and more vegetables with the “organically grown” label are being sold in supermarkets.

But first what is organic gardening? It is simply the practice of growing crops without the use of fertilizers or pesticides. Nature does most of the work so once you plant these into the ground, you rely mostly on the sun, water and some organic fertilizers to help these grow until it is time to harvest.

Organic gardening like traditional gardening is still threatened by pests. Since pesticides are not used, you have to create an organic pest management system.

You can use insects, caterpillars, microbial pesticides and certain plants that will provide security to your crops. If you are practicing organic farming in the farm, you may also use livestock, birds and toads.

To make sure that the soil is always fertile, farmers should practice crop rotation which is planting a certain variety of fruits and vegetables each quarter and then replacing it with another variant which is designed to control the nutrient levels.

Aside from crop rotation, organic farming can also be done by applying compost, manure and cover cropping.

Compost can be homemade by simply recycling trash and then mixing this with the soil. The same can be done with manure. But if getting your hands dirty is not your thing, both can be purchased from the gardening store.

Cover cropping is basically planting certain plants together with your other crops. It is very similar to crop rotation. The only difference is that the plants used are annual, biennial, or perennial.

For those who insist on using fertilizers, there are now processed versions that are environmental friendly such as seed meal and other mineral powders like rock phosphate and greensand that are natural forms of potash.

People who decide to go into organic gardening are required to follow certain standards set by the US Department of Agriculture. These guidelines are very similar to what was introduced by the European Commission since 1991.

But the governing body which tells the other organizations how it must be done is the International Federation of Organic Agriculture or IFOAM that has been in operation since 1972.

It is no joke when people say that organic gardening is labor intensive. This is because you simply rely on Mother Nature for the most part when you decided to stop using fertilizers and pesticides which gives more nitrates and nutrients.

Although for a time it did produce higher yields, the harmful chemicals that are used are absorbed by the crops. It may be cleaned and washed but it remains as a threat that is harmful to anyone who consumes it.

This is why more and more people are switching to organic gardening. An additional benefit is that it helps the environment.

You might get the impression that organic farming can only be done outdoors but this is not true. If this is planted in a pot, it can be done inside the home. Just make sure you are using a mixture of peat, perlite and vermiculite. It still needs to be watered regularly because its survival is dependent on the fact that it is moist and not damp. Don’t forget that it needs sunlight especially if this is done indoors so put the pot by the window.

Organic gardening is easy and you can do it in your own backyard or indoors. The only things you will need are some gardening tools, some seeds and the ideal location to make sure your crops get sufficient amounts of water and sunlight.

You can get all your organic gardening supplies at the local store or online. When you start planting, try working at night rather than during the day especially when you know that it is about to rain because the seedlings or plants will need a lot of water to adjust to the new environment.