Organic Gardening: A Very Basic Introduction

Organic gardening has been growing in popularity for years, among both vegetable gardeners and ornamental/landscape gardeners. Unfortunately, the term “organic gardening” can sometimes be confusing—what does it mean, exactly, and how can we make our own gardens ‘organic’? Never fear; it’s not as complex as it might sounds and we don’t have to do it all at once. Let’s dig in and and take a look at a very basic introduction to organic gardening!

What is Organic Gardening, Exactly?

While there’s no universally agreed upon definition, a good basic meaning of the term “organic gardening” is gardening without artificial pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers. Most organic gardeners take it a bit further, however, and view organic gardening as an approach that works with nature rather than against it. Organic gardening seeks to create thriving gardens by using natural approaches that prioritize overall environmental health. This means improving the soil naturally, supporting native plants, and making space for insects and wildlife while also ensuring that your plants are healthy and happy.

So how do we go about it? Creating an organic garden—or transforming an existing garden into an ‘organic’ garden—may seem like a tall order but it doesn’t have to be. Let’s take a look at some ways we can create more organic gardening spaces.

Organic Gardening Step by Step

In a perfect world, we’d all start from scratch and create the ideal organic garden in whatever garden space we have. In the real world, however, that’s not always possible—and that’s OK too! We can implement changes gradually and adopt organic approaches over time. Here are some ways we can all make our own gardens more organic, bit by bit and step by step:

· Composting is a wonderful way to enrich garden soil with organic amendments. Lawn waste, kitchen scraps, and garden trimmings can all, over time, transform into a rich compost that nourishes our soil and our plants naturally. Creating garden compost can be pretty easy and while it does take time it’s often well worth it.

· Natural pest control is one of the fastest and easiest ways to create a more environmentally friendly and organic garden. There are organic pesticides and bug repellents that are quite effective in keeping plants safe from hungry pests and diseases, and even organic means to keep slugs at bay. Approaches like companion planting can also help, and they further enrich our gardens to boot. Whether you have a container garden or an outdoor space, organic pest control really helps both your plants and the natural world.

· Organic fertilizers and soil amendments can help augment organic compost to enrich soil and feed plants without adding synthetic chemicals to the earth around us or poisoning groundwater. There are a host of options for natural fertilizers and amendments, which can feed both in-ground and container plants as needed. Which ones you use will depend on what your plants and your soil need, so plan accordingly.

· Supporting pollinators does wonderful things for both our garden plants and wild ones, while also keeping the environment around us thriving. Bees, moths, butterflies, and hummingbirds—among others—are important parts of the ecosystem and need pollen-producing plants to survive. By planting wildflowers, creating wild spaces in our gardens, and avoiding harmful chemicals, we can all help ensure that these wonderful creatures continue to thrive.

There’s a lot more to be said about organic gardening but this is a basic list of ideas we can all implement fairly easily to help our own gardens become more organic and earth-friendly. Gardens are part of nature and should work with it rather than against it. We hope this helps you get started on your organic gardening journey. If you have any questions or any advice to share, please reach out. Gardzen is all about community and we love to hear from you!