Start the New Gardening Season Organically
"Unemployment is capitalism's way of getting you to plant a garden." ~ Orson Scott Card
With an organic food garden at the White House you might be thinking what exactly is organic gardening? Does organic gardening mean you have to put up with insects eating your plants or unattractive flower beds?
First of all, rest assured that organic gardening in combination with native plants rarely ends up with insects bothering you or your plants. Furthermore, native plants present a new kind of beauty that makes your garden feel more integrated with the surrounding landscape. The flowers might not be electric purple or fluorescent orange, or the size of dinner plates, but those attributes typically yield a more garish and unnatural display.
In short, organic gardening starts with not using synthetic products. Specifically, I am referring to pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers. Ideally, organic gardening replenishes resources as it makes use of them. An example is enriching your soil with composted plants from your garden. However the bigger picture involves viewing your garden as a small part of the natural system. In this scenario, it starts in the soil and includes the water supply, people, wildlife, and even insects. Therefore, your goal as a gardener is to minimize the disruption of the natural system and to continually replenish any resources the garden uses.
This is done by practicing good, basic gardening methods. The most important of these is keeping the soil healthy. This is because plants are fed by living organisms in the soil, beneficial microorganisms. They deliver the needed minerals to the plants roots for healthy growth. Adding organic amendments to the soil enhance the environment for these little guys to do their business.
That is how the world of plants has effectively functioned since plants first evolved close to a billion years ago. Starting mostly in the last 65 years we have come to rely on enormous applications of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. What these do is sterilize the soil. The entire healthy ecosystem has now effectively been cut off at the roots. This makes the plants entirely dependent on chemical fertilizers for their food, which in turn turns to salts in the soil keeping sterile.
It is in response to this that people turn to organic gardening.
Organic gardening is easier the chemical gardening. All you need to do is to add organic material. For those who interpret organic gardening in its most literal sense, this means adding organic matter or composted plants wastes like grass clippings, leaves, and vegetable scraps. While compost is considered the ideal organic matter for garden soil, it's not for everybody. Organic soil amendments and fertilizers are available at local nurseries.
Another important component for success and low maintenance is to use plants that are best suited to the site you are planting them in. Choose plants that are adapted to your climate such as native plants because they are not heavily dependent on fertilizer or lots of water and are adapted to your climate.
Organic gardening also involves the use of natural, safe methods of pest control including crop rotation, companion planting, and introducing beneficial insects.
It's become easier to go organic because many garden supply companies are now providing more nontoxic, natural controls for pests and disease for the organic gardener.
You will find that organic gardening is not only better for the garden and the environment, it also means less work for you and a less toxic environment for your family and pets.
Timely Notes: Late March/early April is a great time to prune trees and shrubs that have dropped their leaves. One reason is that you can see what you're doing, but also, because they're dormant, they won't respond by sprouting new growth that could be killed by cold spells. Remove broken branches. Bleeding sap doesn't hurt them, so don't worry about it.
A rule of thumb for pruning flowering shrubs is to prune spring flowering shrub right after they flower and to prune summer and fall flowering shrubs in the early spring.
