Archive for the ‘organic gardening’ Category
Organic Gardening : Healthy, and Much Easier Than You May Think
August 14th, 2009
With so much in the news about the qualify and safety of our food supply, organic gardening has been steadily growing in popularity over the years. Now, you can find entire aisles of organic food in your local supermarket, and also visit a growing number of specialty stores dedicated to organically grown foods.
Part of this new popularity is obviously due to the concerns and better understanding of the dangers associated with synthetic and chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Growing organically generally means gardening without these potentially dangerous chemicals. There is a growing trend of small-scale backyard gardeners who are turning to organic methods as they realize how easy and effective organic growing can be.
Part of the reason chemical pesticides and fertilizers are so widely used is because they appear to work well in producing fast-growing crops. In deciding to use organic methods in your backyard garden, you first will need to accept the fact that you very likely will have to deal with greater pest damage and perhaps lower yields initially, than if you were using chemicals. Most organic gardeners are happy to make this trade-off in return for the opportunity to harvest chemical-free foods for themselves and their families.
There are several different approaches and techniques used in organic gardening. You may find that you are using some of them already. If you have selected cultivars that are resistant to pests or drought, you are involved in one form of organic gardening. If you put out a scarecrow or bars of hand soap to keep animals away, this too is organic gardening. Compost is an organic fertilizer. Organic techniques are around in many gardens already. By utilizing them more and moving away from chemicals, you can improve the environment and lead a healthier lifestyle.
There are different levels of organic gardening and different reasons why people choose organic methods. Some do it because they do not want to harm any animals, even aphids or cutworms. So they try to develop a system where they can cohabitate peacefully, keeping insects and other animals out when possible and removing them or learning to live with them when other options don’t work.
Some people are not opposed to pest control and extermination but they don’t want to add any more chemicals to the environment or to the food that they eat. Others go organic as a means of getting back to a more historic, natural, and even challenging way of gardening. You will need to decide which methods match your personal philosophies and reasons for going organic.
Pest control and fertilization are two of the key areas to focus on with organic gardening. In addition to using native, resistant plants, mulching, and practicing crop rotation, the use of other natural methods of pest control and of compost and manure as fertilizer can go a long way toward creating a more organic garden. Read the rest of this entry »
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