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The majority of herbs are easy to grow organically, requiring only a modest amount of maintenance to keep them healthy and disease free. Much of the effort associated with common herbs is expended to ensure they remain confined within a reasonable space and do not spread uncontrolled like weeds. Mint, nettle, nasturtium and others will quickly dominate the garden, choking out rival plants when unattended. Containment strategies must address the method of reproduction. Herbs like nasturtium and nettle multiply rapidly through seed scattering unless the heads are removed early enough to prevent this. A single specimen of Vietnamese mint is capable of releasing multiple root runners every season. Once these runners extend past the plants designated...

My old colleagues and friends still scratch their heads and laugh at me. Many decades ago I carried a very important key. It opened the door of a triple bay storage shed, stacked with numerous horticultural chemicals. With tireless regularity, I applied these to control the pest and disease organisms which attacked the various plants under my care. One morning, I woke up and said no more. I had been studying the organic approach to insect and disease control quietly for several years, but remained uncertain how to make the necessary changes on the estate. In the end, we agreed to embrace organics with a sink or swim approach. I readily admit this was more than challenging for an initial few seasons. There were several steps to establish a working...

Mealybugs can be a consistent nuisance to the organic orchardist and fruit producer. Being sap suckers, they rarely kill the trees directly but weaken to the point where fruit quality is lowered in addition to increasing general susceptibility to disease and other forms of pest infestation. Plant derived pesticides have rarely been successful, possibly on account of the protective wax which covers adult Mealybugs. The telltale signs of infestation are patches of sooty coloured mould. This grows on the honeydew secretions released by the Mealybugs. The best natural predator of the Mealybug is Cryptolaemus Montrouzieri, a species of Ladybird found in Australia. Since it’s discovery, Cryptolaemus has been exported to organic citrus producers...

On account of their selective breeding, many vegetable varieties have an inherently low resistance and tolerance against insect pests and disease. As a consequnce, they can be challenging to raise according to strict organic principles. When discussing vegetable gardening in public, I’ll routinely advise beginners that they should expect to lose a certain percentage of their plants to insects and disease each season. Most individuals will accept this. Those who don’t might be comforted to know that the skills and tenacity developed in raising organic vegetables can also be applied to more robust species such as herbs, native shrubs, and flowers. Since the early sixties, I’ve avoided those chemical products designed for controlling insect...