With pollution affecting our water, air and soil methods of organic gardening are becoming more popular by the day. Switching over from practiced gardening and yard habits and “Going Green” can be difficult but these four steps will start you one your way to healthier garden produce and a safer and lush backyard.
1. Keep your soil healthy by working with Nature rather than against it. Organic fertilizers such as manure and compost will replenish the earth. All healthy refuse produced by the garden should be recycled back into the garden. If you notice a plant has an insect problem do not add it compost or the garden soil.
Organic gardening uses all yard and garden material to rebuild soil. This would include grass clippings, leaves, and leftovers from the kitchen. Leftover vegetables can be added to make compost that will feed the soil and keep it full of the nutrients necessary to grow crops. Compost is also beneficial to indoor plants and will make a nice compost tea for watering all plants and shrubs.
2. Avoid the use of all synthetic chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. These products harm the environment, birds, insects, pets, and other wildlife. It is also unhealthy for adults and children. Synthetic weed killers and fertilizers on the lawn and shrubs linger for a long time and children and pets can get daily exposure, which in time can harm them.
And garden vegetables grown in a pesticide-free and additive-free environment are healthier in the long run and can be snacked on directly from the garden without being scrubbed to remove toxins.
There are many chemical free garden insect repellents that can be made at home for pennies. Organic gardening, Mother Earth News, Jerry Baker and the Internet have healthy insect repellent recipes available for people to make at home and use safely in the garden and backyard.
3. Organic gardening techniques protect against the loss of nutrients and topsoil in the garden. This is achieved by using compost, fertilizer, protecting the soil and creating a healthy environmental balance where healthy insects thrive. Plants will be healthier which keeps unhealthy bad bugs out of the garden and yard.
Organic gardening means that the environment benefits from the reduction in contamination of the water supply and air pollution. It means that we provide a habitat for wildlife including beneficial insects, and animals. This all leads to a better-balanced world that can take care of itself.
Using chemicals in the gardens and backyard seem like the easier method for insect and disease control but you will find once you stop using harsh chenicals and build your soil your garden and backyard will become healthier. I have hardly any insect probelms or plant disease in my yard and have not used chemicals of any sort in years.
