Organic Gardening

Organic: Plants or products that are produced without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or other artificial agents.

What does it mean to eat “organic?” The word is used a lot, but the definition isn’t always clear. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines organic as, “a concept and practice of agricultural production that focuses on production without the use of synthetic inputs or transgenic organisms.” National standards and regulations have been set by the USDA’s National Organic Program, and for produce at the grocery store to be labeled “organic” it must meet these standards. For small gardening practices, organic certification is not necessary. However, Project Grow encourages home gardeners to avoid using chemical fertilizers or pesticides in order to protect the earth and ourselves.

Fertilizers help your garden...right? Actually, some fertilizers do more harm than good. Chemical fertilizers pump artificial nutrients into the soil, making your plants grow faster, but in the long-term this can harm the soil and leach into groundwater, lakes, and rivers. These chemicals accumulate over time, building up in the environment and contaminating our sacred water. Some of them take decades to go away, if not longer. Fossil fuels like petroleum and oil are used to make most synthetic fertilizers, and we know that burning fossil fuels is one of the main causes of climate change.

Don't worry! There is another way to fertilize your garden without harming the earth or using harsh chemicals that were made in a lab. Organic fertilizers use natural, decomposed material to feed plants with essential nutrients while caring for the land. By improving the health of your soil, your plants can succeed year after year, rather than just in the immediate future.

Examples of Organic Fertilizers: Compost, potash, bone meal, fish fertilizer, cow and chicken manure, wood ash, lime, black dirt, peat moss, etc. (Visit the compost blog post to learn how to make your own fertilizer at home!)

Keeping pests away from your vegetables can be tricky, so many farmers use pesticides: chemicals that kill or repel insects, weeds and pests that feed on plants. The problem is that these chemicals also kill beneficial insects, disrupt hormones in animals and people, and cause cancer. Chemical pesticides are truly unnecessary; plants have been protecting themselves from pests since the beginning of time. Some of the most popular cooking ingredients, like garlic, jalapeno peppers, and onions, produce their aromas, not for our dinners, but as self defense! These are naturally-occurring chemicals that deter rabbits, deer, and insects that would love a tasty snack. For this reason, planting onions on the perimeter of your garden is a great way to disguise the scent of your garden veggies from animals that are repelled by the smell of onions. Visit our companion planting blog post for more tips on natural pest control.

DIY: (try this at home) Got bugs eating your plants at home? Make your own insect repellent spray by combining the ingredients below. Stir thoroughly. Let the mixture sit for one hour, then strain the liquid using a cheesecloth or an old T-shirt, and spray around the base of the plant and directly onto plant leaves to deter pests. It’s stinky, but it works!

Ingredients

• 1 clove of garlic, minced

• 1 onion, minced

• One teaspoon cayenne pepper

• One tablespoon of liquid dish soap

• 4 cups of water

Https://Galleryr.org/Organic-vs-Non-Organic-Meat-Poultry-Dairy-and-Egg-Farming/.