Go easy on the environment with organic gardening
Published 12:00 am Saturday, January 22, 2011
Mother Nature knows best. Gardeners need to remember this when adopting a more eco-friendly method of gardening.
The start of a new year is an excellent time to embark on a simple program.
It is not a mysterious or difficult process. Practiced all over the world for thousands of years, organic gardening uses nature’s laws and systems rather than relying on chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
Howard Garrett, a landscape architect and organic gardening expert, lives in Texas — the most polluted in the United States, he says. He has written 14 books, hosts radio and TV programs, writes a weekly column in the Dallas Morning News and maintains a website about gardening the natural way.
He became interested in organics 25 years ago with the birth of his daughter. He was concerned about using toxic pesticides in his home garden that could harm her. What he found led him to totally convert to organic practices and to make a career choice to educate home gardeners and businesses on how they can create a healthier environment.
Gardeners need to balance their soil, says Garrett. It should be loose, friable and rich in organic matter, and alive with insects, earthworms, microscopic plants and animals. Soil should also be well-drained, sweet smelling and full of minerals. Air and water should be able to move through it freely.
To increase organic content, add compost to all vegetable and ornamental beds. Make it yourself or buy it bagged. Use 100 percent organic fertilizers with no fillers three times per growing season — in early spring, early summer and fall. It feeds the soil instead of the plants and is generally low in nitrogen and loaded with organic matter and trace minerals. Natural fertilizers include cottonseed meal, alfalfa meal, soybean meal, fish meal, composted manure and manufactured organic fertilizers. Garrett advocates adding rock minerals to the soil to increase fertility, energy and water-holding capacity.
Aerate the soil so that oxygen and nutrients can reach the root system. This means poking holes or slicing cuts into the soil. Professional landscape contractors often do this on compacted lawn areas, and gardeners can rent or buy equipment to do so themselves. Handheld devices with long tines are available for small yard use. More oxygen in the soil increases microbes and earthworms, necessary to maintain healthy soil.
Stop using artificial stuff, Garrett recommends. Use natural pesticides, but only as a last response. Prevent disease and insect damage through soil improvement and planting flowers that attract beneficial insects.
Put down mulch just like Mother Nature does on the forest floor. It smothers weeds, maintains moisture, prevents erosion and maintains soil temperature. Mow grass higher and less often and leave grass clippings on the ground. They biodegrade, just like organic mulch, and feed the soil.
Encourage biodiversity. Invite frogs, bats, birds, butterflies, lizards and beneficial insects into your garden by providing water, food and shelter. Never forget that everything in the garden is related. A healthy balance helps control disease and pests. Garrett encourages the use of native plants.
Organic converts are finding that they can have beautiful, productive gardens without toxic chemicals.
To learn more about Garrett’s philosophy, books, columns, organic recipes and more, visit www.dirtdoctor.com.
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Miriam Jabour, a Master Gardener and Master Flower Show judge, has been active in the Openwood Plantation Garden Club for over 35 years. Write to her at 1114 Windy Lake Drive, Vicksburg, MS 39183.