Here is something interesting: using organic material from nature like leaves, grass etc. Will grow you healthier vegetables than synthetic fertilisers that cost a lot and may cause harmful diseases. It is proven fact that organic gardening (growing vegetables and flowers using living matter capable of decay) achieves better overall quality and the use of chemicals and pesticides may have a negative impact on soil fertility. This brings us to the bigger picture: knowing and reaping from the tips of organic gardening. Organic gardening tips give you the extended liberty of practicing new techniques in the areas of cultivation and pest and disease control?
To begin with, the utilisation of leaves that fall to the ground or grass freshly cut from the lawn is important as it saves you so much money. Any plant material of this nature is very close at hand, you can get it from your yard or even sawdust from the local mills. Once this is done a compost heap is the way to go. Nothing more complicated than a good old heap of plants, animal droppings and soil that is watered regularly to promote decay. With time the grass plants will die down and this is when you take a garden fork and carefully throw it in your lettuce, cabbage or spinach patch. Don’t forget to mix it with the soil with shallow cultivation.
What is even better is that garden manure feeds not only your plant but the environment in which your plant grows. When the soil structure is improved with time by organic matter, helpful micro-organisms that get rid of disease causing bacteria and viruses also survive and flourish. This promotes a healthy plant environment and the same micro-organisms release nutrients when they die. Manure is also good at keeping waterlogged soils well drained. But that’s not all.
Adding leaves and grasses that haven’t decayed is a method of conserving soil moisture for plant growth. Mulching will ensure that the direct sun has very little contact with the soil, allowing in just enough to sustain photosynthesis. By so doing your garden remains well watered, and the vegetables grow with no growth strains that affect produce quality. Yet another aspect of mulching is that it discourages the growth of weeds by blocking them from the sun.
But wait, there’s more. If you go all out with organic gardening you will soon discover a way to apply nitrogen to your soil without having to waste money on organic fertilisers with nitrogen extracted from plants. Green manure is where you plant green beans or clover and then plough them into the soil when they’re smallish. Beans and clover possess nitrogen-fixing bacteria that will boost your soil nitrogen and the greening of your vegetables. Whilst on the footing, growing certain pest repellent plants like neem can work as pesticides for you at a close to zero cost.
The next step is to encourage the breeding and nesting of beneficial insects like lady bugs and hover flies and their corresponding plant associates dill and zinnia. On top of that, the crop rotation cycle is a unique way to protect your plants from pests and diseases that harbor in particular vegetable beds. This is done through growing plants in different vegetable beds all the time: grow peas where you grew carrots.
The use of natural plant and animal material to nourish your garden can be very interesting and exciting. Apart from being healthy alternatives to synthetic materials it gives you the peace of mind that your vegetables are pure of dangerous chemicals. Once you have selected an area with good and well aerated loamy soil and with adequate exposure to the sun and water, go ahead and venture into organic gardening.
