Growing your vegetables organically can be a lot of work, but truly rewarding, especially since organic produce at your local grocery store is so expensive. I can’t promise you that growing your vegetable garden organically, instead of with synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, will cost the same, especially if you account for the hours you will put into your garden. The vast majority of organic home gardeners enjoy their experiences. A key feature of organic gardening is that it takes a little more know-how and a lot more planning, so let’s get to it.
Various animals and critters can actually be an asset if you want to have an organic vegetable garden. If your soil is acidic, earthworms will gradually bring the soil to neutral pH, making your vegetables grow spectacularly. Other animals will be happy to oblige you by eating common garden pests. For example, toads, frogs, and turtles make meals of insect pests for which you’d otherwise have to use pesticides. And, believe it or not, snakes can really come in handy. The common garter snake, green snake, brown snake, and eastern ribbon snake will all eat pests such as insects, snails, and slugs so that you can avoid spraying for them. Plus, none of these snakes are poisonous or dangerous in any way. You may have to wait a little longer for results from animals and creepy crawlies, but you’ll have a garden free of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.
If your soil is less than ideal – for example, rocky or sandy – try adding organic soil amendments at the beginning of each season. And practice the tried and true method of rotating crops. Beans and peanuts are especially good at fortifying weak soil so that you can grow more needy vegetables in the future.
Organic gardening may not be easy, but when you taste those vegetables that you’ve worked so hard on and know for a fact that they are healthy and safe for you, your children, or anyone you might give your vegetables to, you’ll be happy that you chose this type of home gardening.
