How to grow an organic garden

Choosing organic gardening methods over conventional gardening practices will have profound consequences for both your family and the environment. Acre-for-acre, an average homeowner uses three to six times more pesticide in his backyard than a farmer does on crops. Most wildlife poisoning and surface water contamination comes from single-family homes.

Organic home gardening eliminates the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers for building healthy soil and controlling pests and weeds. Organic farming not only reduces health risks associated with the chemical residues on conventional produce, but also cultivates better-tasting produce that may, depending on the cultural practices, have a better nutritional profile. Adopting organic practices in your flower and vegetable garden is easy.
Building Healthy Soil
Healthy soil is the key component of a healthy garden. Compost, produced by decomposition of organic materials, improves soil structure, texture, aeration and water retention capacity. It also increases soil fertility and promotes healthy root development. Compost is available in ready to use bags at the local garden supply stores, or you can make your own compost by recycling the kitchen waste rather than sending it to the trash or landfill.
In addition you can make use of worms to produce compost. For more on harnessing worm power for fertilizer, Check out Vermicomposting for Beginners
Controlling pest and diseases
Biodiversity is among the best methods to defend your garden against destructive pests and weeds. Growing different kinds of plants encourages a variety of beneficial insects to take up residence in your yard, where they can eat away the harmful insects and create a balanced ecosystem. You can delight yourself as well as your kids with a close look at such beneficial insects. Crop rotation—not planting the same flowers and vegetables in the same place every year—discourages disease organisms in the soil and can foil pests that become accustomed to finding a food source in a particular location.

Controlling Weeds in Greener Ways
One of the best methods to control weeds is mulching with a 3-inch layer of organic material like leaves, grass clipping, vegetable scraps, bark chips, aged wood chips or sawdust. Mulches can also be inorganic, including stones, brick chips etc. This is spread on the top of the soil around your plants in spring to suppress weeds and fall to protect plants from winter conditions. Mulch stabilizes the soil temperature, prevents weeds, conserves water, prevents soil erosion and gives a nice look to your garden. Organic mulches break down over time to improve soil conditions.
Disposing of Toxic Chemicals Safely
Once you have chosen to go organic, you need to dispose off the harmful and the toxic chemicals in a safe way. Most chemicals cannot be tossed into the trash or dumped anywhere because they will contaminate the environment. Most municipalities provide a toxic waste drop off site or periodic hazardous material collection events. To locate nearby site go to www.eath911.org. You can also contact your trash collection company or municipal solid waste agency for advice on proper disposal.

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