Organic Gardening – Important Tips for a Great Garden

Organic Fruits and Vegetables are being seen more and more in local supermarkets.  This is a good thing, but I’m sure you’ve noticed that it is a lot more expensive to buy organic items.  In my opinion, the taste is definitely worth the price of doing the organic gardening. 

Many people think there’s some secret to growing organic vegetables.  However, organic gardening is simply the act of growing vegetables and fruits using only things found in nature.

Why would you want to indulge in organic gardening?

1.You can easily make compost from garden and kitchen waste. Though this is a bit more time-consuming than buying prepared chemical pesticidesand fertilizers, it certainly helps to put garbage to good use and so saves the environment.

2. Organic farming does not use chemicals that may have an adverse affect on your health. This is especially important when growing vegetables. Chemical companies tell us that the chemicals we use are safe if used according to direction, but research shows that even tiny amounts of poisons absorbed through the skin can cause such things as cancer, especially in children.

On the average, a child ingests four to five times more cancer-causing pesticides from foods than an adult. This can lead to various diseases later on in the child's life. With organic gardening, these incidents are lessened.

Remember, pesticides contain toxins that have only one purpose - to  living things.

3. Less harm to the environment. Poisons are often washed into our waterways, causing death to the native fish and polluting their habitat.

4.Organic farming practices help prevent the loss of topsoil through erosion.
The Soil Conservation Service says that an estimated 30 - 32 billion tons of soil erodes from United States farmlands every year.

4. Cost savings. You does not need to buy costly chemical fertilizers and pesticides with organic gardening. Many organic recipes for the control of pest and disease come straight from the kitchen cupboard. Sometimes other plants can be grown as companions to the main crop. An example of this is the marigold, which helps to repel aphids from vegetables, or buy some ladybugs, which also help control aphids.
 
Mixing 1 tablespoon of liquid dishwashing soap and 1 cup of cooking oil can make a cheap garden pest spray. Put 3 tablespoons of this mixture in 1 quart of water and spray on plants.

5.A simple mulch of pine needles will help to suppress the growth of weeds as well as keeping the moisture in.

6. Organic gardening practices help to keep the environment safe for future generations.

So you see, it’s not really that hard to grow your vegetables organically.  It’s really just a change in mindset from “what can I buy to help my plants grow pest free and healthy,” to “what do I have around the house that is natural that I can use instead of chemical pest control.”  Change your thinking, and you’ll enjoy the best fruits and vegetables a garden could ever grow!

Here is a resource for Seeds and Plants for your Organic Garden.

See also:

Vegetable Gardening