Organic gardens are fashionable, environmentally friendly and economical. We provide some hints on turning your garden (large or small) into a chemical-free paradise.

HERE’S HOW ORGANIC GARDENING WORKS 

In organic gardening, the gardener focuses on enriching the soil, as it’s the soil that nourishes the plants. The organic gardener also conserves water and other natural resources, and fights pest and diseases without the use of chemicals.

Feeding The Soil

The organic gardener enriches the soil by using:

• compost
• chicken or kraal manure
• vermicompost
• old straw
• mushroom compost
• ‘green’ compost
• organic fertilisers

Examples Of Organic Fertilisers

• Fish- and bonemeal release nitrogen and stimulate root growth. Bonemeal also contains plenty of phosphates; scatter over the soil two weeks before planting.
• Kraal manure contains all the essential trace elements.
• Liquid seaweed is rich in nitrogen, potash, and phosphates, all the essential trace elements, and contains the growth hormone, cytokinins. A wide variety of these products are freely available.
• Liquid manure is rich in all the essential trace elements.
• Lime will turn your acidic soil more alkaline. Add it to the soil a few weeks before planting.

Be Water Wise

• Collect and store rainwater.
• Cultivate drought-hardy, indigenous plants that suit your soil and climate.
• Root out competitor plants, such as weeds, which exhaust the soil and ‘steal’ water.
• Water early in the morning or after sunset.
• Use mulch to prevent evaporation. Bark, lawn cuttings, leaf compost, rotted straw, and compost are all eminently suitable – and also help keep weeds under control naturally.

Dealing With Pests And Diseases

• Practise crop rotation, and space vegetables far enough apart to encourage healthy airflow.
• Physically pick off insects and creepy-crawlies.
• Encourage wildlife in your garden.
• Practise companion planting.
• Avoid chemical sprays, and rather buy (or even make) your own organic solutions.

Encourage Friendly Bugs

One of the best ways to control pests on a large or small scale is by introducing bugs that eat certain bugs.

• One of the most well-known organic ways to control pests is with the ladybug, or ladybird, which preys upon other insects like aphids and will not damage the crops that it cohabitates with.

Other creatures to encourage in your crop areas include:

• The praying mantis feeds on the larger insects that can also severely damage your organic crops.
• Frogs eat worms and locust; incorporate small or large ponds in your system.
• Wasps kill and eat pests.
• Chameleons are great insect hunters.
• Birds are ever-willing pest controllers, so create habitats to attract them.

Words and image: Home magazine