The color may be different, the shape may be different but the taste will also be different!
Organic gardening is simply growing plants without the use of pesticides or herbicides, instead relying upon insects, birds, shade, sun and trying and testing a combination of all things natural. It can be fun it can be rewarding ,the taste, the satisfaction of harvesting fruit or vegetables that you know are fresh and aren't full of pesticides and herbicides.
Gardening
Companion planting, the organic gardeners pest control
By growing numerous types of crops you create a habitat for beneficial insects and animals, deter problem pests, and enrich your soil. Companion planting isn't new, it can be traced back to ancient Roman times and probably all the way back to the beginning of gardening. Just to survive, just to get food on to the table the ancient gardener and farmers must have used organic gardening companion planting plans before the arrival of Eco warriors, pesticides had not been invented! Maybe thats why folk living in Faulkland have all got healthy rosy cheeks
Try the old tried and tested, Corn, Squash and Bean combination in a small corner of your garden and taste the difference.
By separating crops you create a garden dependent on pesticides or herbicides. Take a walk in a local wood or a field that has been left to nature, even a disused petrol forecourt, runway or old factory gradually turning back to green and see natural harmony at work. There are bugs that feed the birds, small mammals managing ground growth, and larger mammals including badgers and foxes managing the smaller ones.
Every garden needs birds and wild animals. As well as being a pleasure to watch, the birds eat greenfly and caterpillars from your plants, animals (badgers and hedgehogs) eat slugs and snails . Also, as the farming countryside becomes more and more hostile to wildlife, domestic gardens are becoming an increasingly important habitat for our wildlife.
This is the environment that can be created in your garden, making it harmonious for birds and the bees and providing a peaceful place to grow things to eat and a relaxing place to sit with family and friends.
This doesn't mean you have to let your garden become over grown with weeds, they need to be controlled, some are beneficial but all weeds should be removed before they go to seed.
Being Eco friendly doesn't mean going to extremes. It doesn't mean turning into Eco Worriers, we can still have a patio or decking. It does mean caring about our environment and it does mean having a garden we and our family and visitors can enjoy or what would be the point.
Try these Eco friendly landscapers tips for greenfly and slugs
Greenfly do not like lavender. Any plant that attracted greenfly I manually squish them off but also tried smearing crushed lavender leaf on the infested area it worked. Greenfly/blackfly dont like Nasturtians and Marigolds try planting them between the Broadbeans.
Because the carrot fly finds its way to Carrot seedlings by smell I planted rows of garlic between my carrots having a strong smelling plant close by confuses the carrot fly . It worked for me, try it.
For the same reason Lavender and garlic are good companion plants for roses too.
Slug repellent plant? Cant think of a plant but jam jars sunk into the soil around lettuce plants and part filled with beer work, slugs love it and probably die happier than if they were poisoned with slug pellets. Safer too for birds and hedgehogs. (I don't think 'organic' slug pellets are any better).
Another good and wildlife friendly way is to put sharp sand around the edge of pots or in rows along side seedlings - the slugs don't like crossing the sand. Putting copper wire around the top of plant pots is supposed to stop slugs too - I've never tried it, let me know if it works. Encourage birds, frogs and hedgehogs into your garden they eat slugs and snails. Picking them up and throwing them over the wall might work for you but wont help your relationship with neighbors .
Gardening Without Chemicals
I am a landscaper interested in wildlife friendly garden design and build. More on my website http://www.flowerpotman.com