SolveYourProblem Article Series: Organic Gardening
Organic Gardening Tips & Advice

Organic Gardening: A Beginner's Guide
     

Organic gardening for beginners is a hot topic right now as more and more people are getting into growing their own organic food. First let's look at the benefits:

• it's the very best way to put the healthiest, freshest and tastiest food onto your table
• it's much more environmentally friendly to stop spraying your garden with chemical pesticides
• it gets you out into the fresh air
• it's a fun hobby to have
• it keeps your backyard looking just great!

The first thing to do when you are planning your new organic garden is to decide what you want to grow. Most people start with vegetables because that is usually their reason for going organic - they want to eat their own home grown pesticide-free food. And it's a great reason!

There are plenty of organic seeds available now. You can buy them at markets, nurseries or gardening stores, or online. Be sure to pick out vegetables that are suited to your garden. This means you need to check that they will grow well in your climate, soil type and the amount of sun or shade that you have in your backyard. You should also consider what time of year you need to plant them.

Seeds are normally started indoors in small containers or seed trays. You can buy special planting mix to help your seeds to sprout. Be sure it is organic and does not contain chemical fertilizers. Don't forget to label your trays - often you will find that baby seedlings all look alike!

If you want to cut out the time taken to start your new crops from seed, you can buy small plants to put directly into your garden. This is a good option if you are starting later in the year.

Since you won't be using standard pesticides you need to think about protecting your new seedlings from slugs and other pests. You probably know what pests are a particular problem in your area from your previous gardening experience. If you don't, you can ask gardening neighbors.

Choosing plants that are less likely to be attacked by your neighborhood pests will give you a big advantage. You can also take steps to protect your plants while they are young. Depending on the type of plant and the pests that it attracts, you may want to use nets, upturned plastic bottles, or barriers.

It is possible to buy organic pesticides for some pests, but many organic gardeners prefer not to kill the insects that are part of the natural food chain in their local environment. Instead they will often encourage the natural local predators to come to their garden - in effect, inviting the hitmen of the insect kingdom into the backyard to do the dirty work for them!

When you look at the benefits, you will see that organic gardening for beginners is a great way to get all of the family involved in creating a wonderful environment in your backyard.

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SolveYourProblem.com : 2008

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