Organic Gardening

Organic Gardening: Organic Horticulture is the science of growing fruits, Vegetables, Flowers, or Ornamental Plants by following the essential principles of Organic agriculture in Soil building and conservation, Pest management, and Heirloom variety preservation. You could also specialize in Organic Gardening practices so you can market your products to health and eco-conscious consumers.

What Is Organic Gardening: In simple terms, growing Organically could be described as growing in harmony with nature, without using Synthetic Fertilizers, Pesticides, Herbicides or other such products that upset the balance of the ecosystem. Agricultural products labeled as Organic “originate from Farms or handling operations certified by a State or private entity that has been accredited by USDA.”

Organic Gardening: At home is a personal choice, Organic Gardening is more than simply avoiding Synthetic Pesticides and Fertilizers. It is about observing nature’s processes, and emulating them in your Garden as best you can. The most important way to do that is to understand the makeup of your Soil and to give it what it needs, ‘rule’ in Organic Gardening, Feed the Soil, not the plant.

Feed the Soil: Gardeners must restore the resources their Gardens consume, by adding Organic matter. That includes adding compost, and possibly growing cover crops – so-called green manure – that are tilled back into the Soil. You can use compost as a replenishing additive, to make both clay and sandy Soils more plant-friendly, or as a mulch on top of your Garden beds.

Compost is the Microorganism- and Nutrient-rich Soil produced from the aerobic decomposition of Organic matter. The Garden itself is the source for many of the ingredients in compost, including grass clippings, plant waste, and shredded leaves in fall. You can also add kitchen waste such as vegetable and fruit scraps and Peelings, Coffee grounds, Egg shells, and dead House Plants to your Compost pile, if you wish, Chicken, Cow or Horse Manure.

Gardeners: Plants that aren’t already stressed are better equipped to withstand Insect infestations, too. Organic Gardeners generally allow for a certain amount of Pest damage, because they understand that they are all part of a natural system that includes wildlife – even bugs.

Insects: Some Insects can be controlled just by hand-picking. Potato Plants, for example, can be defoliated by Potato beetle larvae, but Burpee Horticulture manager Bill Rein reports that walking through your Potato plot once a week can solve the problem. Just turn over the leaves to check for bright orange Larvae, and Pinch off the leaves on which you find them. Dispose of the leaves safely.

Bugs: It helps to know which bugs are beneficial, and which are destructive Pests and when they are likely to arrive in your Garden. Often, the beneficial Insects, such as lady beetles, are predators that eat the eggs or larvae of Pest Insects, such as aphids – and when the two have similar seasons, it creates a nice balance in nature, and your Garden. Also, if you know when seasonal infestations of particular Insects are likely, you can use other defenses: floating row covers to prevent moths from landing and laying eggs, sticky traps to capture airborne Insect Pests, or collars around the base of Plants to deter borers, cutworms and similar bugs.

Organic Gardeners may need to use some deterrents that won’t harm the environment or other living creatures. Most experts recommend the natural bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, to get rid of Caterpillars and other leaf-eaters but do keep in mind that some Caterpillars develop into desirable Butterflies. You can use Insecticidal soaps or Horticultural oil to get rid of Pests, and sometimes just a good Spray of water will do the trick.

Choose Disease-resistant Plant Varieties:
That are right for your Garden’s conditions, mulch your Garden beds to retard weed growth and keep moisture in the Soil, and never dispose of diseased or infested Plants by putting them in the compost pile.

Wishing you all the best,
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