Going organic for user-friendly gardens

“ORGANIC gardening” as the name suggests, enables us to utilise methods and alternatives to the way we garden. In fact, today there are endless products and household practices that we can use to garden in a more “user friendly” way.

By now, most of us will already know that many former widely-used insecticides have been removed from sale or alternatively been deemed for commercial or agricultural use only, thus leaving the domestic gardener without the choice of years gone by. However, given there have been so many advances in insecticides and fungicides, there are still many choices available.

I’ve previously mention that at this time of the year, those of us with deciduous fruit trees and vegetables such as tomatoes and so forth, are prone to fruit fly infestation. Other than the many traps available, the designated fruit fly sprays are mostly gone from domestic sale, but other alternatives such as fruit fly net and some household remedies are good ways to control or monitor these pests.

Alternatively, there are some good “splash baits” available, with some being organic and with correct use, these can certainly control fruit fly and hopefully leave you with a crop to enjoy.

The use of organic material in our gardens goes beyond using additives such as animal manures in the soil. In fact, there are many more simple ways we can utilise household waste and turn it into rich nutrients for our gardens, either in solid or liquid form.

Many of you may already have a household compost bin and with additives such as lawn clippings, plant cuttings that have been put through a chipper or mulcher, or vegetable matter from your kitchen, you are already on your way to organic gardening.

All these additives are great for your garden and its soil structure. They stimulate microbial activity and as a result, make your plants healthier and less prone to disease, building resistance against insect attack and also acting as mulch for water retention.

Another great way to turn household waste, such as vegetable matter, into a rich liquid fertiliser, is the use of a worm farm. This easy, compact and organic provider of fertiliser requires household vegetable matter, including some fruits, to be consumed by the worms within the farm. They in turn provide you with castings and a great liquid fertiliser that can be diluted with water and added to your pots, gardens and lawns. Your plants will thrive with this regular addition to your fertilising routine.

During the summer months, the worms contained within the worm farm may need some extra attention from the effects of heat, so it’s important to keep them in a relatively cool environment. A layer of wet hessian or alternative material over the worm farm in a shady spot in your yard should help in this situation.