Imagine providing your family with food that you know is healthy, because you grew it yourself without the help of chemicals. With organic gardening this is possible. Organic gardening involves using natural pest control and fertilizers to grow flowers, vegetables, and fruits, rather than commercially produced and environmentally hazardous pesticides and fertilizers. If you are interested in organic gardening, consider these ten tips.

Tip 1 – Use Natural Pest Control

Your garden is going to have pests. Once you have identified them, research natural controllers you could add to the garden. These natural controllers could be other insects, such as ladybugs to control an aphid population, or plants, such as garlic to prevent armyworms or apple maggots.

Tip 2 – Rotate Plants Regularly

Rotating your plant sites will keep them healthy and also help control some pest populations. When you rotate your plants, the soil has a chance to recoup. Each plant takes different nutrients from the soil, and some even return nutrients to the soil. Properly rotating your plants each year will keep your entire garden healthy.

Tip 3 – Prune Plants Carefully

Remove any dead parts you find on your plants. They are not going to heal, and they will cause the plant to become diseased. Do not leave them on the ground near the plant, either. Remove them from the garden and destroy them right away.

Tip 4 – Make Good Compost

Compost is the best way to feed your organic garden. Compost is not difficult to make. Simply layer leaves, lawn clippings, and organic kitchen waste in your compost heap. If you need to get the compost started quickly, you can add a compost starter to the mix. Keep in mind that the good compose is at the bottom of the pile, so you will need to have a way to turn it or access the pile from the bottom. Once you have a nice amount of compost, work it into your soil to create rich organic soil.

Tip 5 – Air Your Compost Pile

Compost needs air to properly decompose. You can add air by turning the compost pile regularly. You can also provide the pile with air by putting a PVC pipe into it in the center of the pile. Also, build the pile on a layer of branches and sticks to provide some air from the bottom.

Tip 6 – Choose Organic Fertilizers

Organic fertilizer will help your plants grow bigger and healthier. This is particularly important if you are growing food. Choose a low-dose fertilizer, however, because they will not burn the roots of your plants or provide too much of any particular nutrient.

Tip 7 – Purchase Organic Seeds

Since seeds come from plants, the only way to have a truly organic garden is to buy organic seeds. You cannot sell your produce as USDA certified organic if you do not use organic seeds. Organic seeds must come from open pollinated or hybrid plants. Seeds from non-organic plants have been exposed to pesticides and other chemicals, so they may not grow properly.

Tip 8 – Test Your Soil

Your soil is not going to contain all of the nutrients your plants need. Test it to determine what nutrients are missing. Then, alter your fertilizer and compost materials to provide the missing nutrients to the soil.

Tip 9 – Water Carefully

The soil in your garden needs to feel moist, but over-watering can lead to disease and strip nutrients out of the soil. Typically, plants need an inch of water per week. You can keep a rain gauge in the garden to help you determine how much water it needs.

Tip 10 – Intercrop

Intercropping, which refers to growing one crop in between rows of another crop, is an important organic gardening technique. Planting herbs and flowers, such as mint or marigolds, in between your vegetables will keep some pests away. Also, intercropping improves the soil nutrient levels.

With the growing concern for healthy eating the use of organic fertilizer has gained its way. We all know the harmful effects of using chemical fertilizer both to the plants and the consumers as well. It is possible to maintain beautiful lawns, gardens and parks without the use of these harmful pesticides. These chemicals are also harmful to the environment.

In organic fertilizer the nutrients contained are derived solely from the remains or a by-product of an organism. Examples of organic fertilizers are cottonseed meal, blood meal, fish emulsion, manure and sewage sludge etc. Urea is a synthetic organic fertilizer which is an organic substance manufactured from inorganic materials.

Three major nutrients required in a good fertilizer are nitrogen, phosphorous and potash. Some fertilizers have one of them but low in the other two and some are low in all three. When packed these fertilizers have the fertilizer ratio stated on the package label. So, when buying fertilizers for your lawn it is advisable to check this data. Some of the fertilizers particularly composted manures and sludges are available as soil conditioners but do not have a nutrient guarantee stated on the package, although small amounts of nutrients are present. For a higher nutrient analysis you can buy fortified organic products where an organic material such as rock phosphate is used to increase phosphorus, or greens and to increase potash.

Organic fertilizers can be most effective when the soil is moist and warm for the microorganisms as to act as these fertilizers depend on them to release nutrients. Nutrient release otherwise in general takes occurs after a long time and thus organic fertilizer may not release enough nutrients and may affect the plants growth.

The most common used organic fertilizer is manure. It is a complete fertilizer but the amount of nutrients it supplies is not sufficient. The nutrient content depends upon the animal source and thus may vary. A fertilizer ratio of 1-1-1 is typical. Manures of horse, cow, pig, chicken and sheep are mainly used. Best is to use the manure when it is fresh to get the highest nutritional concentration. When kept for sometime, exposed to weather, or composted, the nutrient content is reduced. Gardeners prefer to use composted forms of manure to ensure lesser amounts of salts, thereby reducing the chance of burning plant roots. Manure is popularly used as a soil conditioner instead of a fertilizer due to its low concentration of plant nutrients. A moderate rate of 70 pounds is used per 1000 square feet to as much as one ton per 1000 square feet.

Some of the advantages of using organic to chemical fertilizers are:

• Help in maintaining soil health and improving the soil structure

• Mobilizes existing soil nutrients, so that good growth is achieved with lower nutrient densities while wasting less

• Helps to release nutrients at a slower, more consistent rate

• Helps to retain soil moisture

Nature has it’s own way to enhance the fertility of the soil naturally by the process of decomposition. The decomposing of plants and animals in the wilderness add the nutrients needed to create a fertile soil. We can create the same environment by the method of composting.

The key to organic gardening is the building of a healthy soil structure that will retain the proper moisture content, nutrients to feed plants, remain loose, airy and promote the growth of organisms. Using organic fertilizers is the difference. Organic fertilizer is a product of natural sources like plants, animals and rock powders. The nutrients are released slow because they need to be broken down by organisms and microorganisms in the soil. The benefit of organic fertilizers is that they promote healthy root growth in plants by feeding nutrients to the plants over a longer period of time, slowly and steady. At the same time it is improving the soil structure of the garden soil.

The use of compost in our garden will add the organic matter needed to improve the soil structure and add the needed nutrients that plants, animals and insects need to survive to benefit our gardens. Chemical fertilizers do just the opposite by just supplying a quick way of feeding plants and burning the soil out from all the natural life forms that live in the soil, they have no benefit in the improvement of the soil. The key to improving soil structure, adding the nutrients needed for plants to thrive, help prevent insect and disease problems in the garden is the use of organic fertilizers like compost.

Nature also has it’s own way to balance the environment. There will always be insects and diseases to deal with. Creating an environment with a good healthy soil structure will help nature run it’s course and balance the problems that we have in our gardens. Good healthy soil makes for good healthy plants. When your plants are strong and healthy they can defend themselves from most disease and insect problems.

Organic fertilizers come in a liquid and solid form. Liquid fertilizers also benefit the soil by creating a healthy plant root system. A good healthy root system will benefit the soil structure by giving the plant roots the strength to tunnel deeper and farther into the soil creating tunnels to improve the aeration needed for the life forms in the soil to survive.

Organic fertilizers are healthier for both the environment and our health.

Organic gardening is away of gardening by the use of natural fertilizers, pest control and working in harmony with nature. There are no synthetic or chemical fertilizers, insecticides or herbicides used.

This is all done by creating a healthy environment for plants and working with nature. Organic gardening is the same method used by nature in our forests, grasslands and meadows. Soil is the key to success in this method of gardening. Creating a good healthy soil structure with organic matter like compost will help in the natural defense if disease and insect problems in your garden by growing a healthy plant. Healthy plants have the ability to protect themselves from disease and insects naturally.

In creating a healthy environment that will benefit your garden you can incorporate the methods of companion planting and crop rotation. Companion planting will help by creating an environment that will attract beneficial insects and other natural means of insect control like the attraction of birds and toads to your garden. Crop rotation is a method that is used to help build a good healthy soil structure along with adding nutrients to the soil that the plants need to thrive.

Choosing the appropriate plants for your area, creating an attractive environment for beneficial insects, creating healthy garden soil, mulching and the proper watering of plants are just a few of the important parts of organic gardening.

Organic gardening can be done in any size garden, from container planting, raised bed gardening to full size gardens and for the new gardener to the experienced gardener.

Growing vegetable plants need plenty of nutrients in the soil. You do not want to add chemical fertilizers as you wish to avoid adding chemicals to an organic garden. Grow wonderful fruits and vegetables. Grow flowers you can’t wait to show off. Grow herbs indoors can be attractive, A trio of aromatic herbs: basil, oregano and chives.

Compost is perhaps the best organic amendment. It can be purchased or made at home by recycling yard prunings and clippings. Composts may include residues of plants that were treated with pesticides containing heavy metals. Additionally, fertilizer pellets made from manure or litter may have additives that contain heavy metals or other non-allowed substances.

Gardeners will also benefit from mulching their plants because it conserves moisture and nutrients in the soil and it reduces erosion and weed growth. Gardenias will not bloom well in the shade. Researchers found dairy manure compost increased crop yields by an average of ten percent. Soil microbiology research found that the ratio of total fungal to total bacterial biomass was a strong predictor of yield.

Plants need three important nutrients in order to grow: nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous. All three of these are found in organic fertilizer recipes.

Weeds are the thorn in the side of any gardener, but they can be especially bothersome to organic gardeners. Many gardeners choose to use weed killer to get rid of weeds, but you can’t do that in an organic garden. Weeds harbor harmful insects and spread disease. If it is possible, keep at least 300ft around your garden weed free.

To get the plants off to a good start, plastic mulch helps to keep the soil warm. Plants grown in organic soils are naturally more resistant to insects and disease. They are simply healthier and insects and disease generally attack plants that are already unhealthy to begin with. So always think about producing the right organic soil recipe.

Environment issues are the concern everywhere you turn. People do not want to use any products man made or scientific as they may harm the environment. Many farmers and horticulturists are now using organic farm fertilizers to give their crops the proper growth.

Fertilizer prices in Canada are rapidly increasing because of the huge demand for fertilizer and the increase in demand for ethanol. Organic farm fertilizers compared to synthetic fertilizers hold nutrients at a higher capacity when applied to the soil. To achieve a higher efficient nutrient cycle you should use organic farm fertilizers.

If you do plan to switch from synthetic to organic farm fertilizers please keep in mind that although the switch may be easy you could initially have poor crop yield results. As is in most cases using organic fertilizers will once again yield a slow release into the soil and will alter the growing period of your plants. Because of this slow release many of the nutrients not used by your plants will be wasted. Even though the initial reaction will be to stop using organic farm fertilizer this outcome is only temporary. These initial effects are only a result of the soil composition changing to the adjusted fertilizers and your plants growth.

To utilize the full effects of organic farm fertilizers proper planning and administration is crucial. Plants can grow without using organic farm fertilizers but with the proper planning and administration you will then start to see the best results.

By administering annual soil tests you will be able to calculate the exact amount of organic farm fertilizer to use. Also by observing the results you should be able to see what effect the fertilizer is having. A cost effective way to make your own organic fertilizer is by composting materials that come from animal manure and other organic residues, these products can be environmentally safe but also have health issues if not monitored properly. Although manure can be beneficial to your plants growth there usually is no need to transport the material long distances.

Organic farming is reliant on crop rotation and green manure crops. Green manure crops are switched from synthetic but this process is not easy. Green manure crops are crops that are ground into the soil in order to make organic matter and nutrients. Crop rotation is essential in making the soil more fertile and also improves the quality. Organic farms are strictly regulated by legislation as they must follow certain laws in each country.

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