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Organic Gardening |
Nutrients
This part is easy. Simply choose an organic nutrient
such as manure, guano, or fish and seaweed mix. Use them
for seedlings, vegetative growth and fruiting and
flowering stages. These products will improve natural
nutrient content, soil structure and help combat
soil-borne pests and diseases. Synthetic green and blue
fertilizers are processed with chemicals and dyes that
are unnecessary.
Make Compost
Making compost is a year round activity that can be done
in and outdoors. Outside: fence in a 3’x 3’x 3’ area or
just start a pile. Add food waste, leaf and yard
clippings. Use a pitch fork or shovel to occasionally
mix up the contents. Inside: place food scraps in a
composter or a plastic bucket under the kitchen sink
until transferred to a compost area. Transfer to your
composter or compost pile every other day even in
winter. The result is a source of nutrient rich compost
that can be spread in your garden
Improve your Soil
Adding compost to the surface of the soil or tilling it
in will improve the drainage of heavy soils and help dry
soils retain moisture. Changing to organic nutrients in
addition to adding compost will greatly improve the
quality of your soil. Earthworm castings also work
incredibly well for improving soil quality.
Mulching
Mulch is any material which is placed on the soil
surface around the plants. Examples of mulches include
leaves, hay, straw, grass clippings, peat moss, coconut
fiber, wood shaving and other store bought mulches.
Adding mulches throughout the growing season will help
maintain moisture content in the soil, reduce plant
stress and will aid in disease prevention by reducing
contact between the soil and plant. As mulch breaks down
it contributes to the nutrient content of the soil.
Weed Control
Organic gardens are not necessarily kept free of all
weeds, since many are very useful. For example, nettles
support aphids for early feeding ladybugs. Thistles
supply food in the form of nectar and seeds for many
good bugs while butterflies breed in flowering grasses.
Keep bare soils covered with mulch to smother weeds and
use a hoe to till under weeds before they get started.
Weekly weeding is most effective.
Pest & Disease Management
Keep an eye on your plants to spot problems in their
early stages when they’re easier to deal with. Traps and
barriers are great non-chemical pest controls.
Beneficial insects cost a little more money but are very
effective and fun to watch. Unleash 1500 ladybugs on a
colony of aphids and watch the Bug War unfold in front
of your eyes. If all else fails Midwest offers a large
selection of OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute)
listed pest and disease control products. |
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