Organic gardening resources

What is organic gardening?
What is the best organic matter for gardens?
Is Organic Gardening a problem?
How can I improve my garden soil organically?
Why it is called organic gardening?
What are the benefits of organic gardening?
What are some examples of organic materials?
What are three examples of organic matter in soils?
How do I start an organic vegetable garden?

What is organic gardening?

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.

What is the best organic matter for gardens?

The best organic material to add to your soil is compost. Composting breaks down yard waste, agricultural waste, wood scraps, and even sludge into a crumbly soil-like material called humus. Compost is usually clean, easy to use, and available. You can buy it in bags or have it delivered by the truckload.

Is Organic Gardening a problem?

Yes, it would be hard to argue that growing naturally is bad; however, there are significant disadvantages of organic gardening. Economic concerns, pest and weed management and maintaining balance are only part of the problem. Growing organically takes a lot of time and planning.

How can I improve my garden soil organically?

To improve sandy soil:

Work in 3 to 4 inches of organic matter such as well-rotted manure or finished compost.
Mulch around your plants with leaves, wood chips, bark, hay or straw. Mulch retains moisture and cools the soil.
Add at least 2 inches of organic matter each year.
Grow cover crops or green manures.

Why it is called organic gardening?

Organic gardening focuses on the use of only natural products to grow plants. This means that there is no use of pesticides. Therefore, the crops obtained from this type of gardening are free of pesticides and other chemicals.

What are the benefits of organic gardening?

Organic gardening helps to prevent a loss of topsoil, toxic runoff, water pollution, soil contamination, soil poisoning, death of insects, birds, critters and other beneficial soil organisms, as well as eliminating pesticide, herbicide, and fungicide residues on food from synthetic fertilizers.

What are some examples of organic materials?

Examples of organic matter are leaves, lawn clippings, cornstalks and straw, green manures (plants that are grown for the purpose of tilling them into the soil), sludge and manure.

What are three examples of organic matter in soils?

Bacteria, fungi, nematodes, protozoa, arthropods, etc. Soil Organic Matter – Refers to organic component of soil, consisting of three primary parts including small (fresh) plant residues and small living soil organisms, decomposing (active) organic matter, and stable organic matter (humus).

How do I start an organic vegetable garden?

I'm going to lay out my 7 most important organic gardening tips for starting a vegetable garden.

Full Sun. Full sun means at least 8 hours a day. ...
Start Small. 100 square feet per person in your household is plenty to start. ...
Good Soil. ...
Buy Plants. ...
Fertilize. ...
Microbes. ...
Water.