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The Current Dilemma When Comparing Organic Fertilizers
Most soils need the addition of organic fertilizers to keep them fertile and healthy. Organic fertilizers come from decomposed plants, animals, and natural minerals. The...read more on organic gardening
Resin Patio Furniture Robust Furniture Ranges For Outdoor Areas
Resin patio furniture is synonymous with durability, low-maintenance, UV-resistance, weather-resistance, and lightweight maneuverability. The Kettler company has built a...read more on organic gardening
Planting White Pine Seedlings
Planting White Pine Trees White pines. Whenever I think of white
pines, I remember hunting when I was a kid and standing near
trees that were giants. Now every pine tree I...read more on organic gardening
Old Garden Roses A Proven Winner For Your Garden
Old Garden Roses are any of the rose varieties that were recognized prior to 1867, the year in which the first modern rose, the hybrid tea, was introduced.
Major...read more on organic gardening
Hydroponic Equipment
The word "hydroponics" was derived from the Greek word hydro, which means "water," and ponos, which means "labor." It is a technique of gardening that involves growing plants...read more on organic gardening
Everyone Needs A Spaghetti Garden
One of the delightful pleasures of life are herbs. Besides adding beauty to your garden they make foods taste better and provide a pleasant scent to the air we breathe. In...read more on organic gardening
Today s Top Organic Fertilizer Manufacturer
With today's growing environment concerns, growing plants the organic way seems to be the most logical, not to mention the safest gardening method available. More and more...read more on organic gardening
Caring for Your Plants
One of the best things you can do to save money on your landscape is to properly care for your plants. This is very important to keeping a healthy yard and an attractive...read more on organic gardening
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How to Grow Healthy Food
To grow healthy food, you literally have to start at rock bottom. No matter what you’re growing, from chickpeas to chickens, the truth is that you are what they eat!
It’s no secret that all life begins with the soil. Although it may look like dirt to the naked eye, organically rich soil is a living, breathing community of microorganisms. These little denizens of the dirt are born, grow, breed, give birth and die leaving an estate of nutrition-filled remains to the soil. While they live, many of these little critters feed on undesirable elements like harmful bacteria.
Every year, gardeners spend thousands of dollars on chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides that are little more than a quick fix to gardening problems and create long-term health hazards for everyone, from humans to single-celled organisms in the soil. If you really want to grow healthy food, the first step is to keep your underground colony in good health.
There are two things you need to do to maintain healthy soil. The first is to keep out the chemicals. The second is to add rich organic matter to your soil at regular intervals.
Keep out the chemicals
No matter what amount of chemical you use in your gardening, a drop is a deluge to a microorganism. More to the point, most chemicals don’t fade away. They leech into your garden and wait to attach to some growing thing… like your plants. One example is a gardener who claims to grow organic apples. He doesn’t spray his trees, but he does use a chemical “weed & feed” application on his lawn, seemingly unaware of the systemic consequences of using chemicals.
Feed your soil
The best way to enrich your soil is to give it regular applications of composted organic matter. Compost can be anything from yard mulch to kitchen vegetable waste. If you don’t have the time to maintain a compost bin, an easy way to add organic matter to your yard is through mowing your lawn with a mulching mower. Prepared compost is also available for purchase from nurseries and home garden centers.
Remember the house that Jack built? It’s similar in your garden. The roots take from the soil to give to the stems that bear the buds that turn into the fruit…. Whether or not the fruit is healthy depends on what was in the soil.
About the Author
Linda is editor of Gardening Guides
Written by:
Linda Paquette
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