Principles of organic gardening

I’m often asked the question, “What shouldn’t I use in the garden so as to ensure the fruits and vegetables it produces are organic?”. While I understand why people ask this question, I prefer to consider things from a slightly different perspective. Perhaps the question we should be asking ourselves is, “What should we be doing in the garden to ensure the fruits and vegetables it produces are organic?”. Addressing this question invariably leads to a discussion about the principles of organic gardening. By understanding and being capable of applying the principles that underlie organic gardening, you’ll become more involved.

A well-formed intuitive understanding of why things are so will make you an active participant in the garden. This will help you care for and nurture your garden. Besides which, it’ll prevent you from merely following a prescriptive series of do’s and don’ts which, without an adequate appreciation of the underlying principles, will likely seem fairly arbitrary.

Within the organic movement there are a range of practical techniques and expertise that can be applied to achieve useful results. Many of the basic techniques have been carefully refined then handed down by successive generations to the present day. Because of this continuity with the past, much of organic gardening’s underlying philosophy may already be familiar to you. And if it’s not, you’ll soon catch on.

Soil fertility

An organic garden is a complex integrated system that needs to be kept in balance so that plants have the best opportunity to grow strong and healthy. The foundation and basis for establishing this balance begins with the fertility of the soil. A fertile soil contains an abundance of living organisms whose role is to break down coarse organic matter thus providing basic nutrients in a form that can be readily absorbed by plants. In nature this cycle is repetitive unless disturbed by environmental upheaval.

The organic approach ensures complex nutrients are replenished in return for those taken from the soil. This is a simple yet essential equation. To maintain the long term health of plants, you must avoid taking more from the soil than is able to be replenished by regular feeding with organic material.

Nutrient recycling

Complex nutrients are readily available in the form of decaying organic waste. Garden compost is the substance you’re probably most familiar with. Other examples include decaying leaf mould, dried animal manure, seaweed and green manure. The differences between complex nutrients and those produced commercially as water soluble fertilisers is most evident at the microscopic level. Complex nutrients do not feed plants directly but are initially broken down by a host of micro-organisms and several larger ones like worms and beetles. By preserving this intermediate recycling step, your plants will receive their food as they were designed to. They will grow naturally and receive their share of immunity against pests and disease.

In contrast, plants raised in lifeless soils can be artificially sustained with chemical fertilisers. While their growth may be rapid and sometimes spectacular, they are typically less capable of resisting disease, reproduce poorly and have lower nutritional values. They may even taste bland or watery compared to natural organically grown produce. Additionally, over time, artificial fertilizers damage soil structure, destroy living organisms residing within the soil, and may ultimately be harmful to your health.

Diversity

Just as the living cycle within the soil is a basic pre-requisite, there are many equally important biological interactions to complement these processes. Insects like butterflies and bees collect pollens and nectar from plants thereby assisting the natural goal of reproduction. Some insects like aphid and caterpillar will attack plants destructively but these in turn will be controlled by predatory insects like ladybirds or spiders. Plants themselves are frequently competitive against each other and employ strategies to overwhelm their rivals. Alternatively many separate species of plant co-operate and thrive when grown together or in close proximity.

In choosing to avoid chemical agents as a primary control option, the dedicated organic grower must look carefully and creatively at the diverse and complex patterns of nature. Within these lie the subtle clues that might enable favourable gains to be made without disturbing your garden’s web of life. In time, you’ll learn what to look for within your garden.

Balance

Unlike conventional gardens, which in some instances tend to focus on one plant type or variety in favour of others, an organic garden should be balanced. Your ultimate aim should be to encourage and enhance your garden’s natural ecosystem. Trees play an important role in a healthy organic garden. Apart from providing shelter, shade and oxygen, their long roots tend to break up the subsoil and bring nutrients that have been leached out back to the topsoil. They also encourage bird life. This is particularly true when native tree species are selected.

Perhaps one of the easiest, yet often overlooked, ways of achieving balance is to ensure you grow plants in harmony with the physical and seasonal conditions of your local environment. The simplest way of ensuring healthy and disease resistant plants is to select varieties suited to your soil type and to follow recommended schedules for planting and other gardening activities. Like alternative medicine, a fundamental principle for organic gardening is to emphasise prevention as a simpler and more effective strategy than providing remedies once problems occur.

View your garden as part of a broader ecosystem, look after and maintain your soil’s fertility, encourage nutrient recycling, embrace diversity and aim for balance. These principles have stood the test of time. By applying them diligently in your garden, you’re sure to achieve successful outcomes. Additionally, when situations occur that are outside your frame of reference, as invariably they will from time to time, you’ll be able to rely on your own intuitive understanding of these principles rather than merely following a series of arbitrary rules. Ultimately, this will make you a more knowledgeable and skilled organic gardener.