GROWING YOUR OWN FOOD allows you to have control over the quality and safety of the food you eat. When you grow your own fruits and vegetables, you know exactly what has been used to fertilize and treat the plants so you can avoid harmful pesticides and chemicals. Growing your own food will save you money and best of all, it is a great way to get outside, get some exercise and enjoy the fresh air. It can also be a fun and rewarding hobby that does good for the world by helping reduce your carbon footprint by limiting the need for the transportation of produce.
Why Garden Organically?
While many people garden organically for health, our favourite arguments for organic gardening revolve around the range of environmental benefits. Organic gardening benefits the environment by eliminating synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides which can harm biodiversity and soil health. Nonselective forms of pesticides and herbicides often kill more than just their intended target, which contributes to the decline of beneficial insects and plants. From a climate change perspective, organic gardening produces more food per energy of input mostly by eliminating energy-intensive synthetic fertilizers. Using generous compost and cover cropping will build a healthier soil that gives plants access to a greater diversity of micronutrients, giving you better tasting and more nutritious produce than the typical “Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium” fertilizer diet of conventional gardening.
How to Get Started
Focus on soil quality. Apply compost generously as a source of nutrients and consider cover cropping between vegetable crops to build soil nutrients and structure. One effective method of weed control in new organic gardens is by putting down a layer of uncoated cardboard to act as a barrier between the soil and a generous layer of mulch above. Over time, the cardboard and mulch will break down and contribute additional carbon to the soil.
Select tried and true varieties of plants.
These plants will give you an advantage against insects and disease, which is one reason why classic heirlooms are so popular among organic gardeners – they are generally evolved to thrive without excess inputs.
Work within your planting zone.
Considering local climate and weather patterns while choosing what to plant and when.
Be attentive. Like any problem in life, garden problems are best dealt with early so walk your garden daily and keep on top of small weeds and insect larvae before you find them on top of you.
Be creative. If your space and lifestyle permit it, integrate livestock into the garden ecosystem, such as using chickens for pest control and manure for fertilizer.
Incorporate conservation and preservation of natural resources. Save water and energy by listening to your garden. Allowing plants to stress a bit between watering will train them to put down deeper roots and better withstand droughts.
Just as it benefits us to consciously stop and breathe deeply from time to time, it is important to consider how air flows through the garden. Many common diseases, especially those fungal borne are the product of insufficient airflow. Using built structures for
