Organic Gardening – a Quick Introduction

There are many types of organic gardening, from organic vegetable gardening to organic flower gardening. Many people have no idea what organic gardening really is. Organic Gardening refers to growing plants, vegetables, etc. without using pesticides or other harmful chemicals.

Many people believe that organic gardening offers many health benefits and that organically grown food is much better for the human body than food grown with pesticides and chemicals. With such health concerns in place, it only makes sense to grow your fruits and vegetables organically in your very own organic home garden.

If you would like to learn how to have your own organic garden but are unsure of where to start, you are in luck. I have compiled a few easy organic gardening tips for you to follow to get you started off on the right foot.

Collect Your Own Rainwater

This seems like a weird thing to do, but it is actually one of the best tips for organic gardening. For this procedure you will need to purchase a couple barrels from your local hardware store. These barrels will be used to collect rainwater. By collecting rainwater you are conserving water resources instead of wasting it. Some organic gardening growers hook up elaborate system of piping and hose to their rain collection barrels and the system then waters the organic garden automatically. You can probably find a variety of instructions for these types of systems by searching Google. If you don want to get that elaborate you can easily use a small bucket to scoop the water from the barrels or better yet, get a barrel with a spout on it, to water your organic garden by hand.

All Natural Fertilizer

Fertilizer is the place where most organic gardening growers go wrong. You must choose your fertilizer carefully. Many brands of fertilizer produced today contain some type of chemical. Be sure to read the label for the list of ingredients. True organic gardening must use an all natural fertilizer. Even if it says All Natural on the bag, make sure you read the label for the ingredients.

Another source of great natural fertilizer for organic gardening can come from using compost. Compost will help improve the structure of your soil and at the same time help increase the soils water retaining abilities. The best part about using compost for organic gardening is that it is free if you have your own compost pile or box. If not, you can always start one by beginning to collect grass clipping, leaves, etc.
Mulch for Organic Gardening

A simple yet often overlooked tip for organic gardening is to use mulch. By using organic material to mulch around your flower beds and trees you will conserve water, add humus and nutrients, and discourage weeds. This is one of the easiest organic gardening tips there is. Just be certain to locate a suitable natural organic mulch to do the job. You should be able to find one at your local home store or at a large nursery.

There are really no downsides to organic gardening. It is simply a matter of you putting in the time and consideration to make the switch from regular gardening to organic gardening. Not only will you be producing more healthy and nutritious plants and food but you will also be doing your part for the environment by not using chemicals or pesticides that do damage to it. Everything is going Green these days, so you might as well jump on the band wagon and help save the environment and a simple way to start is through organic gardening.