Organic Gardening - back to basics

( to see what's going on in my Organic Garden right now, take a look at my BLOG )

Thriving and productive organic vegetable gardens don’t just happen. They are the result of planning, preparation and persistence. 

Your organic garden will produce better and more amazing results every year, providing you pay attention to what works well in your garden and what doesn’t. Like our gardens, our knowledge of gardening is a process undergoing constant change. 

If you're just starting out, take a look at my e-book "Organic Food Gardening Beginner's Manual" to get you started with great information, tips and simple organic gardening techniques.

If you don't have time to get thoroughly absorbed right now, just bookmark this site so you can easily find it again or join our 'Go Organic Club' for your free composting guide, weekly articles, bonus gifts and tips.

But Why Bother Growing Your Own Organic Food?

By committing the time and effort required, you will find the rewards to be well worth it. The benefits of eating fresh, chemical free, live foods, rich in vitamins and minerals are obvious. Some other benefits you may not have considered are the health benefits of exercising, being in the sun and fresh air, being able to go outside and pick what you want for your meal, interacting with other family members in the garden, stress/anxiety release, recycling organic materials… you get the idea!

Now here's a thought....  think about what agricultural chemicals that are so concentrated that they kill insects, weeds and any other perceived threat are doing to our environment (really this amounts to stealing from our children's future). Then image the  damage that they might do to our own bodies. Do you really want to expose yourself and your family to those possibilities? I wonder how much healthier and happier we would all be if we grew our own chemical free, living, non-processed foods.

Yes, it takes time.... yes, it takes effort, just like all the other great things in life do. But having a gorgeous organic garden overflowing with flavour-some, healthy produce doesn't feel like a chore to me. Sure some jobs can be tedious or a little hard on the back, but once you have some systems in place your gardening life will be much easier.

I get so excited watching a tiny seed that I have nurtured, grow into a big, healthy plant that will reward me with flowers, food and seeds ready for next season’s crop. So -- are you convinced yet? If so, read on.....

More Benefits Of Creating An Organic Lifestyle

One of the yummiest benefits of eating organic food is flavour. If you're not sure, do a taste-test. Oranges will show the difference. I spent many of my childhood school holidays at my grandparents home. They had a wonderful old fashioned garden, with a Valencia orange and a Navel orange tree. This way they had oranges most of the year round. To this day I still cannot buy commercially grown oranges. They just taste awful (in my opinion); tasteless, dry and leathery. Whereas my grandparents oranges were sweet, juicy and delicious. There really is NO comparison. 

Maybe you've had the pleasure of biting into a crunchy, organic apple? How did it compare to the commercially grown apples? Again, for my money - organic wins hands down! 
Then there's tomatoes. My daughter loves to pick the cherry tomatoes straight off the bush and eat them (uuhrm... so do I), yet she refuses to eat store bought ones. Just try for yourself and you will taste the very obvious difference. 

Less Impact On The Environment

Each time you buy a product that has been produced organically you are helping to reducing the global warming affect that monoculture farms create, partly by reducing the amount of energy used to produce agro-chemicals. Organic gardening / farming techniques do not employ chemicals which kill beneficial insects and endanger birds or small mammals - so you are helping preserve biodiversity. Organic gardeners use natural pest and disease control methods that are not harmful to the environment.

When you create your own organic garden the environmental savings are multiplied even further, as there are no transportation, refrigeration or packaging costs. And of course your own refuge (vegetable scraps, chicken manure, paper, garden waste etc.) can be made into wonderful compost ( great organic fertilizer ) to feed your garden, reducing the burden on our waste collecting facilities.

Animal Welfare

If you choose to eat meat and are not growing your own, then carefully consider buying organically grown meat. Not only must organic certified farmers not use chemicals, but the animals must live natural and contented lives. It is a requirement that calves be allowed to suckle from their mothers, chickens must free-range and sows are to give birth to their piglets naturally in sties with plenty of room. 
You'll also be helping small-scale farmers. Most organic farms are small, independently owned and operated family farms of less than 100 acres. Organic farming is still mainly based upon labor-intensive practices such as weeding by hand and using green manures, crop covers and other simple techniques.

In organic production livestock cannot be fed plastic pellets for roughage, or formulas containing urea or manure. They cannot be given antibiotics or growth hormones. For an animal to be raised for organic beef, its mother must have been fed organic feed for at least the last third of gestation.
When you purchases organic meat, there is a guarantee of traceability of the animal - from birth to marketing of the resulting meat- because farmers and handlers must keep extensive records as part of their farm and handling plans in order to be certified organic. 

This website was written with beginners in mind, but I’m sure that even long term organic gardeners will find interesting and useful information throughout the site. I think gardening is like playing an instrument ~ we are always practicing. It is an art that is never perfected. It can be disheartening when we have failures, but the only real failure is if we stop trying.

So don’t put it off. Get started Organic Gardening now! 

Take a look through these web-pages provided for you here. All pages link back to this home page. There are resources, e-Books and links to help you find what you need to succeed. And remember that success is guaranteed for those who keep "practicing".

Some ideas when you’re just starting out with Organic Gardening:-

Sign up now for your 3 part Practical Guide to Composting (above), so you can start composting straight away! I will also send you weekly organic gardening articles. I promise not to abuse your trust.

Take a look at my e-book designed for beginners to Organic Gardening. This will motivate you to get started Organic Gardening instantly, armed with the best info for beginners. Then...  

If you want to really help your plants along and want to reduce the amount of pests or disease in your organic garden, then I recommend you take a look at  Companion Planting - a Complete Guide to Growing Healthy Plants. Companion planting is a system of Organic Gardening, using various plant combinations that benefit plants growing near each other. I've included bonuses such as Seed Saving tips & techniques, A 4 year Rotation plan and a report on Natural Pest & Disease deterrents. This reference information will benefit both new gardeners and seasoned gardeners alike for such a small investment.