How to grow an organic garden: 5 things you should know

For those who do not know whether to undertake this adventure of cultivating an organic garden… GO! Today we will see some super interesting aspects that will make you finish deciding. Also some basic things you should know to start your garden at home, at school or in the neighborhood!

Benefits of gardening

1. Promote mental well-being and strengthen social relationships

Hence the rise of “ garden therapy ” … There are more and more school gardens, gardens where people with disabilities or with integration difficulties grow… HuertAula Cantarranas or La Huerta de Montecarmel or are some examples. (We visited both of them a couple of years ago, you can search in the “Orchards around the world” category).

Also gardens in hospitals, in nursing homes… There are many possibilities! In all cases, the participants highlight the improvement in the quality of life and the personal satisfaction that gardening entails.

2. Environmental and health benefits

In the first place, it is known that organic food is tastier, more nutritious, has more aroma and often even better colour. In my opinion, these are all signs that nature gives us to tell us that these foods are much healthier than those treated with pesticides and artificial chemical fertilizers.

In addition, as we saw in the post Organic food, taking care of your health and that of the planet, Organic Agriculture also favors the conservation of the environment (the soil, the ozone layer, the waters…), collaborates in the sustainability of the planet and helps maintain biodiversity. They are all advantages!

3. Orchard variability

In agrohuerto we have already talked about many different types of orchards. Orchards installed directly in furrows in the ground of the garden, in terraces delimited with wooden planks and drip irrigated, vertical orchards, Skyfarms or rooftop orchards, orchards on cultivation tables in the patio of the house or school, hydroponic orchards, orchards in pots or planters …

About the latter, my colleague Álvaro made a series of videos that you will find on the Agrohuerto TV channel. In them you can learn a lot about growing in pots. If you dare to grow in pots you will see that it is possible and easier than it seems!

4. Fertilize the garden naturally

Of course it’s possible!! One of the most complete ecological and natural fertilizers is compost. Compost is a mixture of soil and decomposed organic materials (remains of leaves, garden plants, manure, chips, wood sawdust, food scraps such as egg or banana peels, old newspapers…).

It is rich in essential nutrients for plants. In addition, it improves the structure of the soil and provides a lot of beneficial microorganisms. It can be bought or you can even do it in your own home or garden as I have told you on other occasions.

Traditional compost also has variants, such as vermicompost or bocashi compost. You can also fertilize the organic garden with green manure, manure, etc. You can see some examples of natural fertilizers in the entry « 5 ways to fertilize the organic garden «.

5. Control pests in an ecological way

How? Well, by combining ecological methods. Perhaps separately these are not as effective as a chemical insecticide, but several together manage to keep pests and diseases at bay.

This is what in Organic Farming is called « Integrated Fight». The use of natural preparations such as infusions of garlic or nettle, the presence of basil and other aromatics that repel pests, the use of natural enemies, or the placement of traps where insects are trapped, are some of the techniques used to the ecological management of pests and diseases… You can read more about this in the post “ Integrated fight: what it is and main methods ”.

I hope you enjoyed today’s post. And let’s see if we convince the «new» of the charms of gardening!