Organic Gardening Tips

Going organic in your garden means you're protecting your very own little piece of the planet.

It doesn't much matter whether you're after a flower-filled garden worthy of a horticultural show or a piece of land that's strictly for fruit and veg; gardening without the use of pesticides and other chemicals brings its own challenges and rewards.

Organic gardening aims to be sustainable, ensuring the land and its resources will be available for future generations. This means reducing pollution of the environment and not using pesticides that may be harmful to health and wildlife.

Many gardeners swear that their organic crops are tastier than those grown with artificial chemicals, and most agree that once you've got the hang of it, organic gardening is no harder than the conventional way. You'll also have the peace of mind of knowing exactly what has gone into your soil as well as the pleasure of seeing what comes out of it.

Your plants will also be better off with organic gardening. Chemicals and poisons might work in the short term but as insects and diseases mutate and become resist ant to particular sprays, they become increasingly ineffective. Pesticides also kill just as many beneficial insects as pests.

Make sure that you use organic methods for the whole garden, not just selected areas, and use organically grown seeds where available. Get rid of your old pesticides and weedkillers - ask your local authority how you can safely dispose of them.

GETTING STARTED

Rule number one in organic gardening is to improve your soil. You can dig in or spread around organic matter such as leaf mould, composted bark and garden compost. You'll soon find their bulk will improve the drainage of heavy soils and allow dry soil to hold onto moisture and nutrients.

You can also add in your own homemade compost. Fill a large compost bin with layers of prunings, peelings, egg shells, tea bags, old flower heads and even bits of cardboard for a nutrient rich compost. Mix together a good blend of different materials and textures. If your garden is small, try a compact worm bin.

You don't need a strong weed killer - prevent growth with a carpet of bark mulch, leaf mould or composted straw across soil. Watch the soil like a hawk - if any weeds do dare to show their faces, pull them up or hoe them before they have a chance to set seed. You can add weed seedlings to your compost bin, but bag up tough weeds separately and wait until they decompose before you compost them.

Get to know your soil type and buy plants that suit it, and the position you put them in - strong plants are less likely to succumb to diseases or pests. Choose naturally disease-resistant varieties whenever you can.

All gardens have pests, but don't reach for a chemical spray when your plants come under attack, encourage natural predators instead. Hedgehogs and toads will scoff slugs and snails, while lacewings and ladybirds have a voracious appetite for green- fl y. Install bug boxes and piles of stones or logs for creatures to hibernate in, and have some kind of water feature, even if it's only a tiny pond.

Prevent major problems by regularly checking plants. A few greenfly can be hosed off before they become a problem and diseased plant parts can be removed at an early stage.

If you still have a pest problem, you can buy biological controls such as tiny parasitic wasps that can be used to control whitefly in greenhouses and a microscopic worm that kills vine weevil grubs.

If you plan to grow vegetables, place strongly scented plants such as French marigolds alongside crops so they either confuse pests or attract them away. Change the position of your vegetable crops each year to prevent the build up of diseases in the soil.


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