Organic Gardening
‘I find that a real gardener is not a man who cultivates flowers; he is a man who cultivates the soil. He is a creature who digs himself into the earth and leaves the sight of what is on it to us gaping good-for-nothings. He lives buried in the ground. He builds his monument in a heap of compost. If he came into the Garden of Eden, he would sniff excitedly and say: "Good Lord, what humus!" – Karel Capek. With some good initial planning and dedicated management you too can have a fully productive organic garden.
Basic guidelines for organic gardening
Organic growing systems seek to enhance biological diversity which adds to long-term soil fertility, conserves and recycles nutrients, and promotes efficient use of water. These systems do not support the use of pesticides, herbicides or artificial fertilisers.
Having an organic garden may need some good initial planning and dedicated management, but by following some key tips you can feel satisfied that you are contributing to safeguarding the natural environment for your benefit and the benefit of others.
Organic gardening tips:
- Improve the quality of your soil. Good soil promotes healthy plant growth. Leaf mould, composted bark and garden compost can be dug into the soil or spread across the surface, where weather conditions and worms will work them in. This will improve the drainage of heavy soils and allow dry soil to hold onto moisture and nutrients.
- Use natural (organic) materials to nourish the soil which in turn feeds the plants. You can buy ready-made organic fertiliser, or better still, make your own.
- Create you own compost to reduce waste, return organic materials to the soil and speed up the natural process of decomposing By making your own compost you will not only be nourishing the soil, but also reducing the use of water.
Fruit and vegetable peelings, tea bags, old flower heads and even bits of newspaper can be turned into nutrient-rich compost. Opt for the largest compost bin you can fit in your garden. Compost bins can be bought at a subsidised price from WasteServ Ltd.
For tips on how to compost effectively click here.
For more on home composting from WasteServ Ltd. click here.
- Choose the right mix of plants.
Strong plants are less likely to succumb to diseases or pests, so always grow a plant that suits your site and soil. Choose naturally disease resistant varieties whenever you can.
Adopt companion planting. Companion planting for mutual benefit is an old gardening tradition. By combining plants carefully, plants can help each other in terms of providing nutrients in the soil, offering protection from wind or sun and also, by attracting beneficial pests or acting as a decoy for harmful ones. For example, grow strongly scented plants alongside crops so they either confuse pests or attract them away from the vegetables.
- Control weeds naturally. Prevent weeds by spreading a carpet of bark mulch, leaf mould or composted straw across soil. If weeds appear, pull them up or hoe before they set seed. Note: Weed seedlings can be composted, but older weeds with long roots should be discarded in the dustbin as they could reproduce in the compost heap.
- Use physical and biological pest controls instead of chemicals. For example, if you spot some weeds, do not spray artificial chemicals but try treating them with vinegar. Or use cotton wool for preventing certain pests from climbing up barks. You can also buy biological controls, such as tiny parasitic wasps that eat certain flies and microscopic worms.
that eat grubs.
Make wildlife work for you. Turn your garden into a haven for animals, birds and insects and they’ll do the work for you. For example, lacewings and ladybirds have a voracious appetite for greenfly.
- Control diseases naturally.
Practise crop rotation. Change the position of your vegetable crops each year to prevent the build up of diseases in the soil.
Don’t let plants dry out. Underwatered plants will become stressed and vulnerable to disease.
- Monitor your garden. Prevent problems by regularly inspecting plants. Soem pests can be squished before they become an infestation and diseased parts of plants can be pruned out before they have a chance to spread.
- Accept imperfection. Organic gardeners want their plants to grow well, but learn to accept the odd nibbled leaf, dented fruit and the need to sacrifice a few seedlings or fruits now and again.
