What Makes A Garden Organic?

There's a lot of talk these days about organic foods, organic farming, organic gardening, organic this and that. The word "organic" is becoming as prolific in advertising as the phrase "new and improved" used to be. Sometimes this word is thrown around so much, one may become a bit confused about just what makes an organic garden.

But isn't everything that grows in the ground, or for that matter every creature that lives, pretty much "organic" by definition, you might ask? That is one interpretation of the word, but it's not really what is meant by the phrase organic gardening.

Red earthworm, picture taken in soil from organic gardening (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The main emphasis of "organic" gardening is on doing things by natural means, and most particularly doing things with as few chemicals as possible. The health of the soil and the plants is maintained in natural ways, without the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. The gardeners (or, on the larger scale, farmers) pay attention to the relationship of all the elements in the garden itself: soil and the organisms that inhabit it, the actual plants themselves, and even the insects or birds that might feed from the plants. And the focus is not just on the garden, but on its relationship to the wider ecology around it.

The ultimate goal is to produce plants, flowers, and fruits that are as healthy and natural as possible, and to do it in a way that benefits or doesn't harm the environment.

So is that it? Just stop using pesticides, and a garden is "organic"?

That can benefit the garden, of course, but there's much more to it than that. The mere act of ceasing to use chemicals doesn't necessarily make a garden organic (or sustainable).

Conservation is another major element of organic and truly sustainable gardening. Various methods are used to conserve both water and soil nutrients. For example plants may be chosen and planting methods used that will allow the gardener to conserve water while getting the greatest benefit from it. Crops may be rotated, even in a small garden, so that the soil nutrients will not be depleted. Plants can be placed together in the garden beds in ways that will avoid competition for nutrients. And certain kinds of plants can be grown for the purpose of turning them back down into the soil, to serve as "green manure," a non-animal-derived compost.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Even so-called "pests" may be viewed differently in organic gardening. The gardener may research the insects in his or her own garden and realize that certain ones are actually beneficial to particular plants, so those bugs will not automatically be eliminated. Or if there are insects that need to be removed, often they can be controlled by setting up bird houses to bring in natural predators, or introducing other insects like ladybugs into the ecology. Natural home-made pest-control sprays can be made or, if absolutely necessary, there are organic pesticides that can be used sparingly.

The point to "organic gardening" is that a garden is created that works with the natural ecology, rather than trying to circumvent it. And the vegetables and flowers produced by that garden will be healthier and usually even tastier than those produced by less sustainable means.

Find more sustainable gardening tips here: http://www.newholisticliving.com/sustainablegardening.html