Look for the OMRI approved label on any plant food you purchase. In organic gardening, pests are controlled by the simplest method possible.
For instance, aphids are simply sprayed off with a sharp stream of water. If the aphids continue to return, a simple spray can be made from kitchen ingredients to keep them under control. The significant presence of a pest in a garden usually means that the ecosystem is not in balance. In organic gardens, gardeners expect to observe some pests here are there throughout the year, but not in quantities large enough to harm plants. Additionally, healthy plants that have not been stressed by chemical fertilizers or pesticides are more able to withstand and defend against pest attacks.
Organic gardening encourages beneficial insects and critters, including pollinators and pest predators. Pest predators like birds, spiders, and bats can keep pest levels under control without the use of harmful chemicals.
Anyone wondering about what is organic gardening will likely have questions about organic methods of pest control. Non-chemical methods of pest control are used in organic gardening, including floating row covers and sticky traps to keep out flying pests and plant stem collars to deter ground pests.
If insects must be sprayed, there are many recipes for homemade pesticide sprays with ingredients like vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, and castile soap which can safer for use around the garden than some of the chemical sprays available. If you do purchase a pest-control product, look for the OMRI -approved label to indicate it is safe for organic use. Organic gardeners are also careful to safely dispose of pests. Pests can be sprayed off of plants with sharp streams of water.
Infected plants can be hot composted or incinerated. Crops can be rotated to different areas of the garden each year. Organic gardens also generally include some sort of interplanting.
The principles of organic gardening go hand-in-hand with this approach by eliminating harmful synthetic chemicals, for safe organic solutions to problems in the garden. Tomatoes are a perfect example. Tomatoes are constantly under attack by insects and other pests, and using synthetic chemicals can harm your plants, as well as your family.
A major bone of contention for consumers making the leap to the organic world is the misconception that organic products are more expensive. While some synthetic chemicals are less expensive than organic, much of the difference is a result of higher quality raw materials and manufacturing process, in addition to the higher cost of organic raw materials. Despite the higher cost of individual organic products, organic gardening can save you money in the long run.
The theory goes that by improving the health of the soil from which the plants grow, a better crop is yielded-fuller and all-natural, feeding a family for years to come. Thus, less money spent in the store for food and items to help your garden, means more money in your wallet. The foremost money-saving technique in going organic is composting. Composting is the "usage of decomposed remnants of organic materials as a soil amendment and a seed starting medium in organic gardening that reduces land-fill waste by recycling your chemical free grass cuttings and food scraps.
Making compost is an easy process that uses "waste" from your lawn and kitchen to replenish nutrients to the soil and the organisms within it. Composting also helps you do your part in reducing the waste that winds up in the local landfill. Liken composting to recycling — instead of cans, glass and newspapers, you are recycling your leaves, grass and food waste, returning them to the earth in a beneficial way.
Are you wondering how chemical pesticides may affect the lives of you and your family? We have summarized some of their potentially harmful effects on the environment, your health and your home. We have also shown why it is so important to use organic pesticides instead. Studies have shown that chemical pesticides linger in the atmosphere, in the ground, and in our waterways long after the application has ceased.
Not to mention, almost years of chemicals, placed on fields across the world, all add up to quite a bit of lingering pollution! Pesticide transfer is a major way in which chemicals cause collateral damage, beyond their intended use. For example, one source explains that for certain pesticides to be effective, they must move within the soil. How do you provide the nutrients plants need to survive? What can you do about insects and plant diseases?
Are some plants too difficult to grow organically in our climate? The answers to some of these questions may surprise you. A basic definition of organic gardening is gardening without synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
But organic gardening is much more than simply replacing manmade chemicals with those derived from natural sources. It is a philosophy of gardening that supports the health of the whole system. In an organically managed yard or vegetable garden the emphasis is on cultivating an ecosystem that sustains and nourishes plants, soil microbes and beneficial insects rather than simply making plants grow. Creating this ecosystem begins with improving the soil. Adding organic matter by mixing compost into the soil increases its capacity to retain water and nutrients and supports beneficial microbes, which are essential to healthy plant growth.
Compost can be made at home from grass clippings, leaves, yard debris, and kitchen scraps, or purchased from garden centers and mulch suppliers. Because of the many turkey farms in southeastern NC, turkey compost is the most readily available commercially made compost in our region. Another way to add organic matter to the soil is to grow cover crops and turn them into the soil just as they begin to flower.
Container Gardening. Feeding Your Garden Organically. Growing Transplants. Growing Your Soil. Lawn to Garden. Nutrient Basics. Organic Disease Control. Organic Pest Control.
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