What Is Organic Gardening?

The simple response is “gardening without making use of unnatural fertilizers and / or harmful pesticides or herbicides on outdoor and indoor plants.” However, growing plants and vegetables without chemicals is much more than what you don’t do. When you garden organically, you visualize your plants as an integral part of a complete system within mother nature herself which starts in the soil and includes the water supply, people, animals, as well as bugs. An organic gardener tries to work in harmony with nature and to continuously renew resources a garden needs.

You could say that developing soil is the major work of organic and natural gardening. The simplest way to make sure soil success is to frequently add organic material, using locally obtainable resources wherever possible. People have access to the raw ingredients of organic material, because our yards, gardens, and kitchen areas make them every single day. Grass clippings, fallen leaves, vegetable leftovers from your kitchen, and various such decaying plant waste are the foundations of compost, the perfect organic matter for your soil. The microbes in garden soil (specifically fungi and bacteria) feed on organic matter, breaking it down into nutrients and vitamins which can be absorbed by plants’ roots. By constantly mixing organic matter into the soil, you collaborate in the natural cycle of birth, growth, decay, and regeneration.

The plant nutrients in artificial fertilizers, however, deliver no added benefits to the helpful organisms in the soil. During heavy rains, artificial fertilizers wash away and into streams, rivers, and wetlands, where they cause widespread algae growth which chokes out other marine life. Synthetic fertilizers affect plant life in a very similar way that steroids act on your body. That is, they can stimulate exceptional growth in short term, but with time they destroy plants’ natural defenses and make them vulnerable to pest infestations and diseases. Additionally, many synthetic fertilizers are petroleum based, so they exact a toll on the ecosystem even before they’re used in your garden.

If you give full attention to building your soil, you can grow healthy, robust plants, and you will have plenty of insects in and around your organic garden. This is a a priceless thing, because the vast majority of insects in your garden are either helpful or at least not destructive. Many gardeners become uncomfortable and even respond decisively whenever they see “bugs” on their plants. Before you think about using chemical bug sprays, bear in mind that most of them have been associated with higher rates of most cancers and other diseases among people and pets. Additionally they harm songbirds, freshwater fish, and other wildlife.

Does that mean organic gardeners should allow their plots to be decimated by unwanted pests? Certainly no. Don’t forget the key concept of organic gardening: growing plants and flowers in harmony with nature. Pests really are a crucial element of that system. When you see bugs eating your plants and flowers, take the opportunity to watch what they’re really doing. Are they really destroying the plant or just nibbling it a bit? Many plants can grow out of moderate damage. Moreover, insects typically feed on stressed-out plants. Do you have a sufficient amount of healthy plants to give up the sickly ones? Can you restore sickly plants to robust health so that they can fight back insect attack?

The Author: Chris Schmit Wahl is a freelance writer who writes about toys such as spy net video watch and Syma S107 Helicopter.