|
"The winds blow hard and cold
But the gardener has nought to fear
A well-kept garden stands proud and bold
All ready for the coming year"
~By David Squire~
|
Why should I use organic practices?
- Chemical use can be dangerous to plants and animals but also to the people that live nearby. They can be spread through the air on spores, pollen and by insects. They can drift into your neighbors yard and cause harm to pets, children and vegetable gardens. Chemicals can also be spread underground and contaminate your water supply.
- Use botanical pesticide as a last resort to insect attacks. Use pesticide from natural sources that are only active a short time. Relax and enjoy your garden. You don't want it to be a place that you have to be cautious. By living an organic lifestyle you will be helping to preserve the balance and harmony of mother earth.
Compost and Prevent Weeds Naturally:
- Save your lawn - clippings, eggshell and other soft materials.
- Add it to a compost heap where it will decompose and can be used as soil or mulch around plants. This also prevents weed growth and provides food for your plants.
- If you must use chemicals for pests and weeds in the lawn; do not use those lawn clippings in the compost afterwards.
| Beneficial insects | ...take shelter amongst your flowering herbs. Be sure to offer free room and board to your garden friends by growing plenty of herbs.
|
| Bats |
...eat half their weight in insects at night. In Britain it is illegal to interfere with the resting places of bats.
|
| Lacewing, Hover flies & Lady bugs |
...eat aphids. Be careful not to spray these insects with insecticide.
|
| Earthworms |
...help aerate soil, improve drainage and mix composting material.
|
| A few birds |
...are pests of fruit trees, but some kill grubs. Encourage these birds into your garden with shrubs like Holly and Yew.
|
| Centipedes |
...eat grubs, slugs wood lice and leather jackets. You can tell the difference between centipedes and millipedes by the number of legs on each segment. A centipede has one pair, a millipede has two.
|
| Moles |
...eat millipedes and leather jackets
|
| Hedgehogs |
...eat slugs, millipedes, cutworm and other harmful pests
|
"Whatever befalls the earth, befalls the children of the earth.
We did not weave the web of life, we are merely a strand in it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. " - Chief Seattle
|
| |
 |
| |
Organic Gardening 
© 1998 - 2008 Gardener's Paradise.