Nature lovers often indulge in creating their own garden using only organic methods. Organic gardening consists of using natural techniques such as compost, companion planting, and ladybug cultivation in replacement of chemical fertilizers and other environmentally unfriendly gardening tools. Essentially, organic gardening is practiced by those who wish to enjoy nature without causing it any harm.
A famous writer by the name of Karel Capek once implied in one of his writings that a true gardener appreciates the earth as it is, in all its natural perfection. This means that no manmade additive like chemicals, pesticides, or other such substances could ever improve the condition of natural, untouched soil. The entire point behind the excerpt explains that one can summon the most beauty from the earth by working with its existing factors only. More tips for organic gardening are explained below.
In an organic garden, the health of the soil you’re using should be the most important of all your concerns. Strong and healthy soil will best be able to support your plant’s growth and contains microorganisms that feed off of the plant’s byproducts to replenish its strength. Healthy soil will also be able to adjust itself to provide the best conditions for its habitants, much like any ecosystem. The first step to creating a healthy organic garden is to use one of many available soil testing kits to determine the presence of nutrients and other such important factors.
The second most important step to having a healthy organic garden is composting. Organic materials that are best to use for composting are, of course, compost, aged manure, green manure, peat moss, mulches, and even kitchen scraps. Substances containing high levels of carbon such as leaves, wood chips, and straw could cause the microorganisms in the soil to consume too much nitrogen and will deplete the soil.
There are natural ways to add nutrients back to your soil if the levels are not good. For instance, hoof, horn, and fish meal contain natural nitrogen; granite dust and potash rocks contain natural potassium; and bone meal and ground phosphate rock add natural phosphorous to your soil. Searching for more organic nutrients online will result in a much longer list of perfectly safe and natural products to choose from.
Another important aspect of organic gardening is the weeding process. Organic gardeners do not use chemical strippers; rather, they surround plants with mulch or straw to stop weeds from poking through or just remove them completely, but manually. There are also strategies for planting certain flowers and plants which will attract natural predators of pests to your garden. Ladybugs, birds, dragonflies and spiders are all naturally effective for keeping pests away rather than using extremely dangerous chemical pesticides.