Organic Gardening 101: The Basics

Need an organic gardening’s guide for dummies? If yes, then this is the article to read. The benefits of a more natural and holistic take on gardening have been highlighted once again in recent years. But to the uninformed who’d like to try it out, it may seem an overwhelming task. Here are some basic tips to guide you as you begin your healthy gardening experience.

Make room

Space, or the lack of it, need not deter you from growing those plants. For those who live in cramped spaces and are not blessed with the area to work with, pots are the way to go. These containers are available in a variety of styles that will cater to your tastes and needs. However, certain pot materials are more porous than others and therefore may need more watering. If you are on the go most of the time, you may need to avoid these materials which include terracotta pots. For the lucky people who do have the area, maximize it by seriously considering which plants to grow, their location, and their proper spacing from each other. Planning ahead benefits you in the long run.

Tools of the trade

Basic garden tools are needed in organic gardening. There are some indispensable items that you’d need to invest in. There are three basic tool groups that are necessary in your garden. These three are digging, weeding, and cutting. Activities such as preparing your garden and composting will entail digging tools. For this purpose, you can never go wrong with a spade. But for the harder soil types, you can work better with a fork. In both cases, the tools should be the appropriate length to minimize back pains. The design should be constructed well for comfortable garden work, and made of quality materials that will not rust easily. Weeding will also entail certain tools such as a hoe, trowel, or rake. Deciding which tool is appropriate may be a matter of personal opinion as those who prefer to work kneeling may like using the trowel rather than the rake or hoe. Lastly, tending to any garden will see you needing to prune the hedges or cutting some branches. You can choose among a portable straight blade knife which is suitable for a variety of needs, secateurs which will be proper for light pruning, or a pruning saw for cutting larger plants and trees. To ensure the long life of your tools, see to it that they are kept clean after every use and maintained well in the proper tool shed.

Save those bugs

Not all bugs are harmful and in organic gardening, you will need to tolerate them. Chemical fertilizers kill off the beneficial insects in its mission of killing those that infest on the plants. It may be efficient in the here and the now, but will actually cost you more in the future. There are organic alternatives to chemical fertilizers, killing aphids with soap and water is an example of this. You’d need to identify the insects which will enable you to maintain a healthy garden as well as crop types that will be able to resist the harmful kinds of bugs.

Soil matters

Going organic partially means that the use of chemicals are weeded out in the gardening process. One way of compensating for the lack of chemical additives in your garden is to maintain a healthy soil level. This in turn helps produce healthier plants which are less susceptible to pest damages. To do so, include compost in preparing your garden bed. Compost materials such as dead leaves and waste products from your kitchen are inexpensive and easy to use. Composting has lots of healthy benefits for your soil such as making it more fertile for the development of plant roots.

Seedy talk

As was noted earlier, your garden type partly dictates the kinds of plants you should grow. There are several factors to consider in choosing the seeds you’d like to plant. The seeds should be able to adapt to your soil type, to the available sunlight, and humidity of your garden. These limitations aside, there are still plenty of selections to choose from. If you’re into fancy cooking, herbs will be the best choice for you. Aside from that added zest to your food, most herbs do not need frequent tending. If you’re into normal dishes, planting vegetables is a no-brainer. You can look into planting basics such as garlic, cabbages, and the like. Flowers will also be able to add that much needed ambiance in your garden. Don’t be afraid to mix and match as there are plant selections that will grow healthy together and may actually need each other to survive.

Its worth it

Organic gardening may seem difficult at first but you’ll get the hang of it in the long run. With the current scare of a lack in food supply, as well as fears of chemically infused food, going organic and working with nature may be the solution to some of the issues the world is facing today.