Typically, beginners to organic gardening are excited by the whole concept of organic, but don’t know where to start. I remember when I first contracted organic fever. I was so excited and I was reading everything I could find. Some articles were very entertaining but gave little practical information. Other content seemed to focus on a particular product as being the miraculous answer to all gardening problems. On one occasion I was reading an extremely compelling article about liquid organic fertilizer.
It was very compelling and I was ready to buy it. Problem was, I hadn’t even planted anything yet! What I needed was a beginners guide to organic gardening. Years later and I have never found one yet that was free, so I decided to write it myself. I always recommend to anyone who is just discovering organic gardening to start on a small scale. Container gardening, for example, is a perfect place to start. You can move your container easily to protect it from the elements, even indoors.
Let’s keep it simple and think of the the 3 R’s: Research, Read, Repeat Different types of plants have different growing requirements, so it is imperative to know in advance of planting, what conditions are required by your plants to thrive. This is the most basic principle but often the most overlooked. You cannot rely on store personnel to know basic facts about the plants their store sells. They are cashiers, not horticulturalists. By following the 3 R’s you will avoid a lot of potential plant problems, plus, you’ll save yourself time, money, and aggravation. It’s much easier to learn about how to grow fat nutritious tomatoes after you have learned what soil requirements tomatoes need, than to repurchase and replant seedlings because you skipped this important step.
Follow The Rules You can’t be successful if you cheat or take shortcuts. You might be tempted to think you can add a miracle grow chemical to make your plants grow faster or taller. Read that sentence again. Do you see that word “chemical”? The use of chemicals is the opposite of organic. I want to assist you in growing gorgeous plants and healthful veggies. I do not promote or support the use of synthetic chemicals. When chemicals are added to the soil to induce artificial growth or color, they destroy the very micro-organisms needed to grow! The very essence of Organics is natural. (Besides, if you think you can ingest chemicals without any adverse effects, you’ve been woefully misled!)
You Can’t Create Life. When you get right to the heart of the matter, you can’t create a tomato. All you can do is plant a tiny seed and give it what it needs to grow. In my ignorance I used to repeat that tired old cliche, “Life begins in the soil.” Well, that’s only half true. While the seed contains the energy to germinate after planting, it’s the life in the soil that enables it to flourish. Micro-organisms such as fungi, bacteria, protozoa and nematodes convert organic fertilizer into energy for your plants to grow. This is also know as soil fertility.
Are you ready to pursue organic gardening? Then I suggest you start by doing some housecleaning to get into the proper frame of mind. Yes, I said house cleaning. .I suggest finding a good bio-degradable bag and, starting under your sink bag up all the chemicals to kill bugs, weeds and fertilize. Then progressing to your basement, garage, or utility shed, collect them all and get rid of them! Okay, so you have a bag of toxic substances in hand, and you’re walking out to your garbage can… Suddenly you realize that there might possibly be a safety issue concerning the disposal of this stuff. The light bulb goes on. Now it starts to become clear. If you have to consider how to safely dispose of a product, why would you want it in your home or garden? And for God’s sake why would you want to eat them?
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