The Holistic Gardening Series: Break the Chemical Dependency!

Now, I'm just a gardener, like everyone else. As an average gardener, I started out like a lot of people: Bought the sprays, the 10-10-10 all-purpose fertilizer, the souped-up liquid fertilizers that can help grow pumpkins the size of bean bag chairs. Most of us do start out that way. And, it does work. That pumpkin doesn't care whether the nutrients were baked at a factory somewhere or came from compost and manure. As long as it gets the basics, it will produce, no disputing that. Everything will. For a while, and only for a while...

The whole concept of organic gardening goes into renewal and nurturing the balance of nature, or attempts to reach a balance. Most of what is done organically is benevolent to the environment, and tends to have a more gradual, yet long-term effect on the scheme of things.

For example, you dig up a new veggie patch. You till the soil. Then you broadcast 10-10-10 fertilizer over the hold plot. Your garden is growing well, lush and productive. Your success is good for a few years, and then you start noticing a decline in the vigor and health of your garden. What you are experiencing is soil compromise, because you are feeding the plants, and not the soil. In order for soil to remain productive, you have to nourish all the microorganisms and partner insects, such as earthworms, that help to maintain the health of the soil. Also, by adding inorganic based fertilizers to the soil, you have increased the level of salts that are building up in the soil. Because you have not added compost, manure, and other soil amendments, the tilth or structure of the soil becomes compromised as well.

By adding nutrient and microorganism-rich compost and manure and other organic materials such as a green cover crop to your garden, you are doing precisely what Nature does: Adding back organic material to the soil. Walk in an old established woods sometime. Brush away some of the leaf litter. Look at the rich black fluffy earth beneath. This is leaf mold, the result of the decay and recycling of organic materials on the forest floor. You will also notice numerous leaf worms, and perhaps some threads of mold or fungus in the soil. This is a self-perpetuating ecosystem. By adding organic material, you are in effect creating similar conditions in your garden.

With the cost of everything rising these days, it only makes sense to recycle. Basic composting is an ideal way for the environmentally conscious gardener to become a steward of the land, to protect the environment. Tons of compostable material wind up in landfills every day. Much of what we grind up in our garbage disposals can be composted and returned to the soil.

Vegetable and fruit peelings, newspaper, eggshells, thatch, coffee grounds, tea bags are all suitable material to be added to a working compost bin. Old grass clippings that have dried for a few days, disease-free plants such as frost-killed annuals, garden clippings, leaves and weeds that have not gone to seed are also candidates for composting. Steer away from fats, bones and other meat and dairy products to keep unwanted guests from invading the compost, such as rodents and dogs.

Many communities offer free compost for the taking. This not only keeps the yard waste out of the landfills, it is also an alternative source of good material for the homeowner who does not or cannot compost on a large scale on his or her property.

One of the simplest ways to recycle is to allow the grass clippings to return to the lawn. Mulching mowers are a great way to finely chop these materials so they can rapidly decompose and feed the lawn.

Mulch of the organic type, such as shredded bark, applied directly around plants without a weed barrier are wonderful because they help to reduce the weed population. Any weeds that do make it through a three-inch or so layer of mulch are easier to remove. As the mulch starts to decay, it can be incorporated into the soil to help improve its structure.

Layer old newspapers on top of flowerbeds before adding shredded bark or other organic mulches. Moisten the layers so they are damp and not stiff. The mulch will lie on a weed barrier that is biodegradable.

Think about why we need to use all those sprays on the garden. By practicing good gardening techniques, we can reduce, if not eliminate, the need for many pesticides and herbicides. Clean up leaf litter in the fall. Mulch. Weed. Water deeply. Improve the soil. Set plants at their recommended spacing. Use earth-friendly products and encourage beneficial insects. Ladybugs, Praying Mantis, Spiders, and Parasitic Wasps are only a few of the beneficial predators that can help us in the war against marauding insects. Make friends with the birds. They might steal some of the fruit from your berry plants and trees, but they eat many more insects that feed on your plants. Use biological and organic controls such as beneficial nematodes, insecticidal soaps, diatomaceous earth, in the fight against insect pests. Get over the willies and hand pick the Japanese Beetles that are feeding on your roses. If you garden, you cannot be phobic about bugs and other creatures!

The final reason to consider the conversion to a totally organic gardening approach: Organic gardening is all about renewable resources. So much of what goes into the manufacture of fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides rely on petrochemicals. We all want to reduce our dependence on oil and petroleum products. Much of what is available organically is free of any petrochemical products.

Am I an organic gardener? Yes, I am. I gradually became organic in practice, especially after living at the lake over the years. As I get older, I find that I am thinking more about the legacy that we are leaving for our children.

It is hard to break the chemical dependency, but it can be done. We might not be able to totally eradicate the use of chemicals completely throughout the world, but we all can in our home gardens.

Page Last Updated February 25, 2006