Organic Gardening

Organic gardening usually refers to gardening practices that do not use chemical pesticides.

Around the Garden Images Flowers and Plants Flowering Shrubs Flowering Vines Garden Flowers (non-native) Types of Cactus Types of Daisies Types of Lilies Types of Orchids Types of Roses Foods Pumpkin Pictures (Squash) Types of Fruit Types of Mushrooms Types of Nuts Garden Friends Types of Bees Types of Wasps Garden Foes Types of Weeds

Small scale flower and vegetable gardens are popular choices for many garden hobbyists, with organic gardening methods providing good results for both garden types.

Organic flower gardening can be as easy as choosing native flowering plants. They have evolved over time with the ability to grow and bloom without the use of pesticides.

The links in the box point to pictures and details of native plants in the Western United States, along with other topics such as beneficial garden insects and weed identification.

The follow articles lean to practical aspects of organic garden planning, especially with respect to vegetable gardening. The first set of articles, for example, deal with soil.

Healthy soil is the foundation for any organic garden. Two articles, Types of Soil and Easy Organic Raised-bed Gardening, provide insight into this critical aspect of both vegetable and flower garden planning.

The use of Organic Fertilizers is another way to maintain healthy soil.

Organic gardening also means adopting natural (or pesticide free) pest management practices. Organic Pest Management offers an overview of insect, plant and insecticide strategies for dealing with garden pests. (continued below)

Flower Seed Packs for Pest Management reviews the claims of flower seed pack producers who market their products as natural pest management tools.

Because single vegetables or group of vegetables attract different pests, organic remedies are often plant or plant family specific. The article Growing Salad Vegetables provides introductory information, along with more detailed growing tips for the following vegetables:

• Care for Raspberry and Blackberry Plants
• Growing Radishes
• Growing Spinach
• Growing Celery
• Growing Lettuce
• Growing Carrots
• Growing Cucumbers
• Growing Onions
• Growing Tomatoes
• Growing Zucchini

The articles:

• Organic Pest Management for Chile Peppers
• Organic Spittlebug Control for Strawberries
• Snail Control for Organic Gardens
• Watering the Garden
• Winter Garden Vegetables

provide additional fast facts with more organic growing tips.

Gardening is often as much about planning as it is about hands on growing practices. The articles Caring for Your Garden Tools: The Flat Mill File, How to Compost and Winter Garden Planning offer helpful planning tips.

Additional articles related to vegetable gardening include:

Types of Vegetables
If you plan on growing a vegetable garden, consider balancing out your vegetable choices.

Vegetable Recipes
If you have a favorite vegetable recipe, please consider adding it here.

Is Your Salad Organic
The average lunch or dinner salad approaches All-American food status, however, the odds of it being organic are very low.

Organic Farming and BT Crops
Do BT crops pose problems for organic farmers?

Tomato Fruit or Vegetable?
Defining a tomato is a difficult task.

World Bank Going Organic
The World Bank is supporting more organic agricultural research and production in states around the world.

© 2003-2009 Patricia A. Michaels