Is Organic Gardening Something For You?
Organic gardening can be different things to different people. Some have it as a little hobby and grow a bunch of fine flowers for the fun of it. Then there are those who get serious about it and set out to grow their own food that way.
The interest in organic gardening has grown over the years. Although organically grown food can be found in supernarkets, many still prefer to produce their own. There is a special satisfaction in growing something that way, and knowing exactly how it was produced.
When doing organic gardening, you use neither pesticides, chemical fertilizers or other man-made additives. There are pest problems sometimes, but there are ways of dealing with them naturally.
People have been doing fine over the centuries without those chemicals. It is a matter of knowing what to do - like, to get rid of aphids you can for example grow marigolds next to the vegetable patch.
Many people are concerned about all the chemicals used in agriculture. Some of them may find their way into the food we eat, too. Organic gardening means you and your family don’t need to worry about such problems.
Organic gardening will involve the mysterious world of compost making. This is much more interesting than grabbing a bag of chemical fertilizer. It’s not such a dark art really, you just need to know what to use, and the more variety there is the better.
Basically, it’s a great way of using up garden and kitchen waste material. You can use your own potato and other vegetable peelings. Rose prunings will help with the texture and coffee grounds will improve the smell! Make sure all the ingredients are dry.
There are other tips for organic gardening. For the constant fight against weeds and to keep the soil healthy, you can make your own mulch by making a mixture of pine needles and grass clippings. You can also spray pests with a concoction of cooking oil, dishwasher soap and water.
Even if all you have is a tiny piece of land, organic gardening lets you feel a connection with nature - something many of us lost when we got used to going to the supermarket and those plastic-wrapped products. We feel there is a better way.