Organic Gardening Part One
| Published: 22nd June 2008 13:56 |
Organic Gardening Part 1
In recent years, thanks in no small measure to the late Geoff Hamilton and the charity ‘Garden Organic' 
www.gardenorganic.org.uk formerly known as HDRA, there has been an increased interest in Organic Gardening.
Sunday 16th September 2007 sees the start of Organic Fortnight.
What is meant by the term ‘Organic Gardening'?
In its broadest definition, it is the philosophy and practice of growing plants without the use of pesticides and herbicides or chemical fertilisers but that does not tell the full story.
The organic gardener works on the basis that a healthy soil encourages healthy crops, so hard and effective groundwork is important. The organic gardener makes full use of various types of organic matter to condition and feed the soil and give all-round benefit to plants, as opposed to many chemical fertilisers, which mainly encourage strong top-growth to the detriment of the soil and its condition.
A person who had recently moved into a house was amazed at the difference in soil between his garden and that of his next-door neighbour. When he enquired as to the reason for the difference, the response was "Thirty years!"
What the veteran neighbour meant by this was that his own garden had benefited from the constant application of organic matter such as well-rotted animal manure and garden compost to condition and improve soil structure. For good results, there is really no substitute for regular and comprehensive soil preparation.
The principal aims of the organic gardener would be as follows:
To maintain an ecological balance.
Ecology means how plants and animals may co-exist with each other and with the environment. We often hear the word ‘sustainability.' This term is used to determine that horticultural practices may be employed year after year, with no adverse effects.
In nature an ecological balance is maintained as every plant and animal has some natural limiting factor; in an ideal organic gardener's world, everything should be recycled
To minimise pollution and avoid damage to the environment. To achieve this, so called ‘conventional' fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides are not to be used by the organic gardener. By not using these chemical products, the organic gardener believes that contamination of the soil and the environment will be minimised.
To work with natural systems to build a well-balanced and fertile soil from which food of a high nutritional status can be produced.
A healthy, fertile soil is the basis of all effective organic growing. Caring for the soil organically involves the use of organic residues in the form of animal and plant remains.
- Organic matter exists in soil in three states:
- fresh organic matter (still recognisable - very little decomposition)
- humified organic matter (not recognisable - partially rotted)
- humus (the final stage of decomposition).
A sufficient level of organic matter in soil is one of the keys to maintaining fertility in organic gardening.
Why garden organically?
- Non-organic gardening may damage the natural structure and fertility of the soil.
- Non-organic gardening could lead to a loss of wildlife species, many of which are beneficial in the garden
- Pesticide residues in food crops and in water may be damaging to health.
- Pesticides may lead to the development of resistant strains of pest.
- It is possible that, in the longer term, the use of pesticides which are not selective may kill beneficial insects and lead to proliferation of resistant pests.
- The handling of and application of pesticides and herbicides may be damaging to health, especially if health and safety criteria are not observed.
- The use of pesticides is likely to become more expensive,
It is a practical consideration, say some commercial growers, that large volumes of a certain crop are more vulnerable to pest attack and this may be one of the reasons, as well as cost/volume considerations why organic growing and farming is still in a minority, although more farmers and growers are attempting to grow and nurture by organic means.
The underlying principles of all organic growers remain as follows:
- Work with nature rather than against it
- Feed the soil rather than the plants
- Recycle all waste
- Encourage natural predators (biological control)
- Avoid the use of chemicals, either as fertilisers or as herbicides/pesticides.
Sub-surface pans are produced by continual compaction. An example of this is the use of a rotovator at the same depth throughout. The tines of the rotovator turn at the same speed and depth effectively ‘polishing' the subsoil immediately below the rotary tines. These subsurface pans become impermeable by roots, preventing the roots from progressing through the soil. This results in wilting and possible eventual death of the plant/s.
Drainage is impeded and can be broken up by double digging.This consists of digging, usually to a depth of two spades, a trench, moving the extracted soil to the far end of the area to be dug, incorporating organic matter into the trench, then moving on. The next trench is then dug, with the soil thrown forward to fill the first trench. The final trench is filled with soil from the first trench. See the article on Double Digging for more information.
When digging, the gardener must never walk on the soil just dug, as this will destroy the object of digging to improve soil structure and compact freshly-dug soil. If digging in wet weather or when the soil is wet, always use a plank of wood to spread the weight load, as a heavy boot can cause compaction. If soil sticks constantly to boots or spade, it may be advisable to delay digging on heavy soils such as clay.
Soil Improvement by Organic Means:
The organic gardener works on the basis that soil improvement is based on the creation of a suitable crumb structure and to maintain that good structure once it has been achieved.
- Preservation of soil structure may be achieved and aided by preventing precipitation - i.e. heavy rain or a downward rush of water from, say, a broken drainpipe, by covering soil with one or more of the following materials:
- plastic sheeting
- membranes (webbed plastic) - mulches for annual or perennial beds
- newspaper - biodegradable, best for a single season
- cardboard - a good option for a single season, Some plants such as pumpkins may be planted through the cardboard and the cardboard covered with straw
- paper - for a single season and used on annual vegetable beds
- woven plastic - longer-lasting for the medium term. It might help to cover with a loose mulch to extend life.
- coir matting - has a four-to-five year lifespan, if required.
- black polythene sheeting - for short-term ground clearing only. 400-600 gauge is generally preferred.
It would be beneficial to construct a drainage system in soils liable to flooding, as excess moisture may then be allowed to drain away, thereby reducing the risk of compaction and damage to roots (as seen earlier).
Adopting a bed system avoids loss of structure due to compaction, because most cultivations can be undertaken from pathways, avoiding the need to walk over soil when wet.
- Advantages of the bed system are as follows:
- We only need to put compost or fertiliser on the growing area
- The soil does not become compacted
- All plants will be within easy reach
- The bedded area will have better drainage and fewer weeds
Can you think of any other advantages?
A deep bed system involves constructing a series of narrow beds but initially soil has to be cultivated to twice the normal depth and organic matter incorporated liberally. Vegetables planted in a deep bed may be planted more closely together. The deep bed system provides a noticeable increase in aeration and enables an increase in the depth of rooting. Also, if a site has had drainage problems in the past, these problems will be corrected.
Evidence has shown that the adoption of a deep bed system has increased both quantity and quality of yield. Also, spacing can be manipulated to vary the size of individual plants such as onions.
The bed system often incorporates a procedure known as no-dig, no-weed but no-dig, no-weed can be extended to all forms of growing. The no-dig, no-weed system consists of frequent additions of sifted organic matter to the surface of the soil, without the gardener walking over or cultivating the soil in any way. The existence of organic matter encourages earthworm activity which, in turn improves the aeration of the soil in preparation for planting.
Glossary of terms:
Rotovator: a powered machine, usually by petrol but occasionally by electricity, designed to turn and break up the top surface of soil and also clear weeds from a plot.
Tines: series of circular ‘blades' which turn with the movement of a rotovator, breaking up the surface of the soil as the rotovator moves through the ground.
Coir matting: Coir is a coarse fibre obtained from the tissues surrounding the seed of the coconut palm.
© Martin Horne
E-mail me on martinjhorne@hotmail.com with any thoughts or questions.Community Comment:
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