Farmers are turning more to organic crops as the cost of maintaining these crops is much less for the same amount of produce. To do this in your own home garden you must understand some basic principles of organic gardening. It is forbidden to use fertilizers, nutrients or pesticides in organic vegetable gardening. To make it all work, sunlight and water are required, so nature is your friend here. You must provide the ideal area and adequate drainage as these should not be provided artificially.
Leftover food, chipped bark, garden compost, leaf molds and manure should be mixed together using a compost heap and spread throughout your garden so you are not solely relying on sunlight and water to make the crops grow. Manure is sold in stores so you don’t have to scoop this from the toilet, so don’t feel queasy. Also chickens wondering the garden are great so you may wish to invest in a couple. Some people use dead animals or meat products but these should not be put straight into the soil. Yet, left for a couple of weeks in the bin, maggots will soon appear and then it can be put into the garden as fertilizer.
Because it digs deep into the ground and aerates the soil, the earthworm is another helpful creature as this brings various minerals to the surface and also provides better drainage. This long pink colored creature also leaves a cast behind that experts say is five times as rich in nitrogen phosphorous and potassium. Any gardening store or garden center will have this available for you to purchase.
Unwanted guests including army worms, crickets, gypsy moth caterpillars, slugs and squash bugs, these make organic gardening a challenge. Despite the fact that at one time people used fertilizer to kill them, the toad, which is known to eat almost every type of insect, is the best weapon in an organic setting. Caterpillars and spiders are not on the toad’s menu so if they are lurking in the garden you should get a bird.
In some cases, you don’t have to buy a toad or a bird from the pet store because they may come in to your home as long as you set the ideal environment for them. Your garden will have some new occupants protecting it within days if you can put up a bird house or a small pond. Insect killers such as the preying mantis and the ladybug, mark their territory and eat anything that dares enter their domain so they will do the job.
Your vegetables can also be protected by plants: Despite all the flowers and creatures that nature has to offer, the best way to keep the soil fertile is through crop rotation. The same kind of vegetable should be planted and harvested in a season, with an alternative vegetable being planted in between. As the principles behind organic gardening are very simple, all that is required to harvest the vegetables you have planted weeks ago is practice.
