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In their uncultivated state, plants must continually depend on their adaptability for survival. In addition to accommodating local variations in their environment, they need to compete against rival plants for their share of soil nutrients and other resources like water, sunlight, and physical space. While this competition can frequently be harsh and unforgiving, there are also situations where plants benefit from establishing mutually co-operative relationships with non related species. By closely observing nature over many years, I have learnt to appreciate and accept these complex patterns of ecological rivalry and cooperation. In turn, this provides me with a useful foundation for establishing companion planting programs within my own organic...

It is estimated that a majority of organic gardeners will be challenged by several outbreaks of plant disease during each growing season. This statement never fails to alarm a small percentage of faces in my audience. I quickly identify them as worry prone gardeners. Occasionally, they will approach me following a speaking engagement. Some of them possess an encyclopaedic knowledge of plant disease. They worry and fret over every perceived blemish. Patchy lawns, curled leaves, mottled bark, misshapen flower buds, and so on. After brief discussion, I appreciate their anxieties but cannot genuinely help them. I have also encountered the opposite reaction in gardeners. There are a minority of individuals who refuse to acknowledge serious problems...

There are several botanical and naturally derived substances which can be sprayed in the organic garden to control pests and disease. Widely used before the arrival of chemical products, several of the natural alternatives have become less fashionable and may be difficult to obtain. I first appreciated the benefits of natural garden sprays several years ago when I helped a close friend whose vegetable gardens became infested with a particularly virulent species of cutworm. Around the peak of spring, she attempted to control them with a well known chemical treatment. Despite repeated applications, the number of cutworm began to increase rather than diminish. By the approach of autumn, her summer vegetables were all but devastated and my friend...

Basic plant breeding should be mastered by everyone interested in organic gardening. On account of being raised from hybrid stock, many of the commonly available fruit and vegetable varieties are too challenging for beginners to engage with. Alternatively, herbs are the easiest of plants to propagate using time established techniques which provide an excellent learning foundation. Herbs can be propagated by seed, cutting, or by division.  Once mastered, these techniques will provide the dedicated organic gardener with increased control over the quality and essential characteristics of their favourite herb varieties. It also encourages sharing of plants between friends, neighbours, and fellow gardening enthusiasts. Consider giving a beautiful...

Aphids may cause considerable damage to organic vegetable, vine, fruit, and selected flower species. The damage may be a direct weakening of plants through feeding or indirectly through transmission of viral and bacterial pathogens. Plant derived insecticides have resulted in limited success however the short lifespan of common aphid species points to their natural adaptability and tolerance against such measures. An important biological control for many aphid varieties is Aphidius Colemani, a species of parasitic wasp native to North America but now common throughout many regions of the world. Mature Aphidius wasps are approximately 3mm in length and dark reddish brown in colour. The female wasp lays its eggs into selected aphids. The larvae...