What is organic gardening?

If you go to most grocery stores and especially health food stores, you probably will find some fruits and vegetables being labeled as "organic." Organic fruits and vegetables are grown on an organic farm or in an organic garden, and a lot of people think that organic gardening produces a lot of healthier plants to eat. So, what is organic gardening? What makes this type of gardening different from any other gardening method? Here are a couple things which define an organic garden:
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- No chemicals or pesticides: The main thing that sets apart organic gardens from other types of gardens is that no chemicals or pesticides are used in the gardening process. Regular gardening usually involves chemicals in the fertilization process which can add a lot of toxic build up in the garden soil. In addition, chemicals and pesticides are used in regular gardening to help keep bugs away from eating the plants. Some people argue that these toxins and chemicals are mild enough not to harm the humans that eventually eat the plants, but other people argue that they are unhealthy. For that reason, organic gardening is dedicated to growing healthy plants without chemicals or pesticides. Instead, other organic methods are used to help fertilize the plants and keep bugs away. For example, soapy concoctions and products like Garlic Barrier are used to keep bugs and aphids away. In addition, organic mulch and organic compost also can help to nourish the plants and keep them healthy!
- Focus on healthy soil: One of the key focuses in organic gardening is maintaining healthy soil. As mentioned earlier, one of the parts of maintaining healthy soil is an avoidance of toxins or chemicals in the soil. Furthermore, healthy soil is able to produce healthy plants. In turn, healthy plants are able to withstand all of the insect damage and disease. Organic mulch and compost are some of the ways that healthy soils are brought about. For example, organic mulch and compost can add a lot of necessary nutrients and humus to the soil. In addition, organic mulch and compost can help to retain more water in the soil, which helps the plants to grow healthier and stronger. Organic compost also works to help to improve the soil texture and structure, which also helps to grow healthy, strong organic crops!
- Natural ways to meet the needs of the plants: One of the other parts of organic gardening is using natural ways to meet the needs of the plants. Instead of just "copping out" and buying a fertilizer to feed your plants, organic farmers look for other ways to give the plants the things that they need. For example, if an organic gardener is interested in growing plants that love acid, they will look for natural ways to incorporate more acid into the soil. For example, an organic gardener could mulch these plants that need acid with a lot of pine needles in the autumn. When the pine needles decompose, they will be able to release acid into the soil, which will in turn help the organic plants to grow in the future with the acid that they need!
As you can see, organic gardening is a more natural gardening process where gardeners avoid using toxins, chemicals, or pesticides in the gardening process. Not only is this a more healthy way to grow plants, organic gardeners find that is also requires more creativity and thinking than other forms of gardening because you are always searching for natural solutions to your gardening problems. This is a very popular form or gardening today, and you might want to consider placing an organic garden in your own backyard!
