Photo by Laura Leavell

These days many people are taking the organic route by trying to do seemingly everything as earth friendly and natural as possible. Organic Landscaping is coming back. Fifty years ago it was a necessary practice but with the development of pesticides and fertilizers, using organic methods for landscaping became unpopular. No matter what your personal political views are on the rise of organic use in our country, it’s hard to deny that organic landscaping has several benefits. Fewer chemicals in the yard where the kids play is one that caters to me as a health conscious mom. Plus, organic landscaping can be less expensive than inorganic landscaping. You’re not buying chemicals since the big push in organic landscaping is to use elements of the natural world around you for fertilizers, pest control, and general softscape upkeep.

Sometimes the word “Organic” scares me. I see big dollar signs and complicated methods, but with landscaping it is simply a return to the old ways. Use the natural elements of your area to design and promote your landscape. Here are some ways to make your own property organic.

For The Lawn
• Purchase organic fertilizer for your lawn. The initial cost is more, but over time it requires less application which means less expense.
• Practice aeration in your yard. Punching little holes all over the yard is better for grass root growth and will allow friendly bugs like earthworms to move more freely.
• Try top dressing. Create a mixture of half composted material and half sand to spread thinly over your lawn. This is good for lawn rooting and will yield hardier grass.
• Over seeding is the use of more grass seed for your lawn than you need. Use 1 ½ times more grass seed to allow quicker germination, thicker grass, and natural weed control.

For The Plants
• Make use of native plants. Exotic plants require more time and attention and chemicals to thrive.
• Keep soil healthy like nature does by keeping it covered. Use mulch or aground cover plant to keep moisture and nutrients where they should be.
• Grow plants in conditions as near to their natural habitat as possible. Don’t put plants that love the shade in the sunny spot of your yard.
• Grow a “monoculture”. A monoculture is a wide range of plants grown close together instead of a just one plant. This is a natural practice. Trying to grow one single type of plant can require chemicals to flourish. You don’t see wild roses growing in straight lines and beds by themselves out in nature. They are surrounded by other plants and work together to be healthy.
• Practice natural pest control. Allow plants that harbor friendly insect predators like the ladybug to grow in your landscaping. This will reduce or eliminate the use of pesticides to keep your plants looking great.

I enjoy a great looking landscape. I’m discovering that a great looking landscape doesn’t always require the use of potentially unhealthy chemicals. Organic landscaping will give you beauty and peace of mind by using natural practices and materials for landscape upkeep and design. Let me know if you’ve had success “going green” with your landscaping!

Today’s video will get to the bottom of the hydroponic/organic myth and help you to understand what makes them different.

Remember that if you choose to grow your tomatoes and other vegetables hydroponically, you can still use organic methods in your greenhouse. You can use organic pest control and fertilizers to help your plants grow. You do not have to choose to use any non-organic pesticides to have a successful garden.

What are your thoughts on organic gardening and hydroponics? I’d love to hear them.

In order to get the most from these beneficial insects, you will need to closely monitor your garden area. Be sure to check your plants regularly so that you will know when there are pests present. When you identify a pest problem, you will want to determine which type of beneficial insects will be the best solution. You will also want to be sure to release the beneficial insects when the pest population is low to medium. You must have a fast response to the problem in order to get the best results.

Here is a little information about each of the beneficial insects that you will want to purchase and introduce to your garden:

Ladybugs
Ladybugs are more than just pretty or a fun moment and a childhood rhyme. They like to eat aphids, thrips, spider mites, whitefly and whitefly larvae. They also love to feast on other plant pests which are considered to be sap sucking. Watching these insects in action will have you singing a new tune and requesting that they stay in your garden.

Praying Mantis
This bug is just plain cool. They are fun to watch and they are a huge benefit to your garden. They attack many of the flying and crawling pests that will eat your plants and flowers. Here is a short video that shows one of these cool bugs feasting on a potato bug:

Beneficial Nematodes
These are impossible to actually see with the naked eye, but the work they do is visible. These bugs prey on several of the soil born pests that can bring devastation to your yard and garden. They are considered to be especially effective on the crane fly larvae.

Green Lacewings
These insects make a great addition to your garden and you will find them to be especially beneficial. They feed on aphids, whitefly, thrips, leaf-hoppers, spider mites, scale crawlers and many more pests.

Introducing these friendly and beneficial insects into your garden can be a fun project. Most are fun to watch and it is a safe and organic solution to the pests that may plague your gardening efforts. What are some other non-traditional pest control methods that you can think of for your garden?

Photo provided by Freephoto.com

One of the most important things you can do for your organic garden is to learn about your soil. This can help you to make your soil environment the best it can be for your plants. I found some great information in a post by Colleen Vanderlinden of About.com. Here is some of what she had to say:

Learning as much as you can about your soil will help you decide what needs to be done to make it ideal for the plants you want to grow. If you can learn about your soil’s texture, composition, drainage, acidity, and mineral density, you will avoid, up front, the disappointing results that can occur when your soil is unsuitable for your dream garden.

Soil Test #1: The Squeeze Test

One of the most basic characteristics of soil is its composition. In general, soils are classified as clay soils, sandy soils, or loamy soils. Clay is nutrient rich, but slow draining. Sand is quick draining, but has trouble retaining nutrients and moisture. Loam is generally considered to be ideal soil because it retains moisture and nutrients but doesn’t stay soggy.

To determine your soil type, take a handful of moist (but not wet) soil from your garden, and give it a firm squeeze. Then, open your hand. One of three things will happen:

1. It will hold its shape, and when you give it a light poke, it crumbles. Lucky you—this means you have luxurious loam!
2. It will hold its shape, and, when poked, sits stubbornly in your hand. This means you have clay soil.
3. It will fall apart as soon as you open your hand. This means you have sandy soil.

Now that you know what type of soil you have, you can work on improving it.

By Colleen Vanderlinden, About.com

For more of Colleen’s great advice and the rest of her post, please visit her here. She walks you through three more tests that you can do to make your soil be the best it can be. When growing an organic garden, you want as many things in your favor as possible. You will already be getting several benefits from the things you grow organically.

What are your thoughts on improving your soil for your organic garden? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Photo by Craig Jewel, sxc.hu

There are several reasons that you may choose organic gardening instead of using other methods in keeping and growing a garden. One of the biggest reasons might be the choice to not use synthetic chemicals in your garden. When you grow an organic garden, you are not using any synthetic chemicals and many people find that to be very appealing. This is a great consideration of the environment and your health. Eating foods which contain synthetic chemicals can cause disease and ill health.

When you choose to grow an organic garden, you are choosing to not use any synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers in your garden or landscape. This is in consideration of the ecosystem that is found locally in your garden and landscape. Organic gardening works in harmony with the natural systems and helps to minimize and replenish continually any of the resources the garden consumes. The organic gardener adheres to the principle of feeding the soil instead of feeding the plant. If the soil is well nourished, then the plant will be able to get what it needs from that source.

In creating a balanced and healthy soil, the ecosystem is restored. This wil support many creatures which are soil dwelling such as beetles, grubs, worms, fungi and bacteria. An organic gardener will create this balance by adding organic matter to the soil. They will do this by using any locally available resources whenever and wherever it is possible to do so. This helps to create a habitat that is healthy and will support many different creatures that are found above the ground. These include creatures such as snakes, birds, insects and toads. The healthy habitat and the healthy soil will not only lead to plants which are productive and healthy, but will also lead to a healthier environment. The guiding principle of organic gardening is to do no harm.

Initially, the process of establishing an organic garden will probably be more expensive than not growing an organic garden. Your soils are probably depleted and will need to have their balances restored. However, in the long term, you will receive many benefits as you reduce the risk to your health and the environment. What are the reasons that you can think of to grow an organic garden?