Organic-Gardening-Part 2 - The Brighter Side
Organic Gardening is a state of mind.
Rather than 'DO' the gardening , with organic gardening the tendency is more of a gentle approach. Observation plays a key role, as does patience to let things happen as they should - rather than the quick fix of artificial means. The nurturing of the soil, companion planting and composting, are but a few of the keys to gardening organically. Then there is the health aspect, too. Organically produced food is not only better tasting, it has also far more naturally occuring minerals and trace elements needed for good health.
Keys to Organic Gardening
1. Soil.
It is of paramount importance to have healthy soil. If it is not healthy, it is just dirt. The application of organic fertilizers such as animal manure and all refuse produced by the garden should be recycled back into the garden. This includes all prunings, grass clippings, leaves, and scraps from the kitchen to make compost , which in turn feeds the soil and keeps it full of the nutrients necessary for healthy growth, in its turn encouraging soil borne organisms such as worms and the like. The Rule is: that which comes out - goes back in.
2. Chemical Free.
The Rule is: take care of the health of your soil - therefore your own.
3. Sustainability.
Do not burn your leaves or prunings - put them back in the ground - by way of the compost heap, or by using them as mulch. Save seeds for the next planting. Run some poultry, the refuse from the garden and kitchen will feed them, in turn the manure will feed the garden., which gives you more food - and you get meat and eggs. The Rule is: dont take out more than you put in.
4. Environmental.
By growing things organically, you are caring for the environment by; less reliance on chemicals; therefore a chance for natural pest eradication, through the encouragement of birds and predatory insects; less need for commercially produced food, therefore decreasing the reliance on fossil fuels; you are not contributing to the polluting of ground water; nor are you adding to the land-fill problem - less shopping, less bags and boxes. The Rule is; think global - act local.
Try putting in a pond, does not have to be enormous. In a quiet area that birds will feel safe, so that they can have a bath. Encouraging birds means that they will eat the pests in your garden. A pond will attract frogs and dragonflys, both excellent at catching insects. The Rule is; think outside your own garden.
6. Intensive planting.
Use the directions on seed packets as a guide only. Plant things a little closer than recommended. this has the efect of shading out most emergent weeds; and keeping the soil cooler for the crops.
Do not plant things in straight lines, nor of all the same variety. This is only practical in commercial crops, where harvesting is mechanised and speed essential. Mix your plants up. Plant small patches of things, followed next to it by a patch of some other variety. Not only does this make your garden more interesting, but also tends to confuse pest invaders. In commercial mono-cultures, its just a smorgasboard for most pests. If, instead, everything is mixed-up it is more difficult for pests to get a decent hold. The Rule is: diversify.
Rotation of crops is essential. A number of things are in play here. Firstly, different plants take different nutrients from the soil - if the same variety is planted in the same place over and over, then those nutrients and trace elements specific to that varieties needs are depleted. This leads to weaker plants, meaning poorer produce, but more importantly weak plants leave the way open to pests and disease. Many diseases are soil borne, so the same crop in the same spot just leads to a proliferation of disease - you are tending to the likes of the disease. By rotating crops, you break the cycle, so after beans put in lettuce - two things happen here; 1: the cycle is broken; 2: beans produce a lot of nitrogen which is left behind in the soil - lettuce needs a lot nitrogen; so, without even trying you have halted disease, fed the lettuce and got a crop of beans. Pretty neat. Follow this with carrots - 1: the cycle is broken; carrots dont need very rich soil and the lettuce has used up the available nitrogen; 2: carrot leaves act as a deterrent to insect pests, so protecting other plants in the vicinity; when the carrots are pulled the soil has been cultivated to a depth, allowing greater drainage and stirring of soil layers. Now, you don't have to plant - beans, lettuce, carrots; but, I presume you get the idea. The Rule is: break the cycle.
8. Moisture Retention and Weed Supression.
Using drip irrigation or soaker/weeping hoses, is a far more efficient application of a finite resource like water, that sprinklers or water-cannons. Weeping hoses, are like a porous hose, made from recycled care tyres, they tend to just sweat water - therefore, water slowly seeps into the soil to quite some depth. This places the moisture where you plants need it - at the roots, leaving very little chance for weed seed on the surface to germinate. Sprinklers throw water all over the place. What point is there in watering the path, the side of the house, or the driveway? Apart from the tragic waste of water, including run-off - sprinklers will beautifully germinate all the weed seed. This not only creates more work for you, but also creates competition for your crops; and harbours unfriendly pests. Mulch, mulch, mulch and even more mulch. Cannot have too much mulch. Does not matter what it is made out of, as long as it is easy to handle and will in fact break-down organically. Mulch does a number of beneficial things; 1: keeps the moisture in the ground by reducing evaporation; 2: cuts down on water consumption; 3: keeps the roots cool; 4: prevents the germination or re-emergence of weeds; 5: ultimately breaks-down and re-feeds the soil. The Rule is: be water-wise.
It is a good idea to save your own seeds. Not only are you being responsible for what you eat, in practice it can be quite beneficial to your gardening experience as a whole. You may well have found that some particular variety does superbly in your little patch, as opposed to say, your neighbors. These are the seeds you need to keep, as with any other plant you find does well. The methodology of this, is to allow the very best of your produce to go to seed. This can, at times be difficult - there you are with the monster watermelon, such a tragedy to leave it, but this is the one which will produce the best results next year! The Rule is: you reap what you sow.
10. Have Fun.
Growing things Organically, produces enormous benefits, not just for you but the community at large. If you are living healthy,sickness appears less often; and you are less of a strain on community reserves. There is much peace of mind involved - you are being responsible for what you eat. Caring about the environment - all these things bring a feeling of well-being into your life and radiate out to those who come into contact with you. The Rule is: live your life, Organically.
