So, Ok old guy, what is Organic Gardening anyhow?

Ok, let's dive in and with all due respect to the vegetarians among us, get right to the meat of the matter.

In this thread I'm going to attempt to do what may be impossible.... define Organic Gardening. As it turns out, defining OG is about as hard as defining "What is a hippie".

There are over simplified definitions like:
The method of gardening utilizing only materials derived from living things. (ie composts and manures).
or:
Gardening with fertilizers consisting only of naturally occurring animal and/or plant material, with no use of man-made chemicals or pesticides.

And then there's: An ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony. I kind of like this one because it mentions soil biological activity.

Webster's "New World Dictionary" has 8 different definitions for "organic". The one most directly associated with organic gardening reads, "grown with only animal or vegetable fertilizers, as manure, bone meal, compost, etc." Organic gardening is sometimes defined along the lines of "that kind of gardening that only employs materials from natural sources." A problem with that definition is that it does not address the use of cultural practices such as the use of disease or pest resistant plants, crop rotation, etc. Cultural practices are considered as core issues in organic gardening.

Organic gardening is sometimes defined as that kind of gardening that DOESN'T use "chemicals" which is an awkward definition in several ways. First, negative definitions are cumbersome. It's like going to store with a shopping list that says, "Don't buy milk nor a loaf of bread". The gardener needs to know what he can or should use and why. The definition to avoid the use of "chemicals" is also awkward because every gas, liquid and solid are "chemical" and subject to analysis for their chemical content.
Sulfur, for example, is one of the basic chemical elements. No material can be more "chemical" than a basic chemical element. It is also a material that is found in nature. It is mined from natural deposits. It is one of the essential plant nutrients. It has also been used in agriculture for well over a hundred years as an insecticide, fungicide and miticide. It is relatively low in toxicity and is relatively friendly to the environment. It is included in virtually every list of acceptable materials for use on Certified Organic Crops.

The better word for what to not use would be "synthetic". Generally speaking, the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers is more destructive of the ecosystem of the garden than the use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers derived from natural materials. There are, however, exceptions to that and some of the materials from natural sources also need to be used with care. The "don't use chemicals" definition also fails to address the use of the previously mentioned cultural practices.

Over the years, it has become commonplace to understand and define organic agriculture as farming without synthetic pesticides and conventional fertilizers. This should not be considered a definition but a characteristic — only one characteristic of a socially and environmentally conscious approach to agriculture.

So if you want a simple definition maybe: Organic gardening as that kind of gardening that employs environmentally friendly products and environmentally friendly cultural practices.

There are actually 4 major classes of environmentally conscious gardeners today. (Note: none of these 4 classes believe in the use of synthetic fertilizers) They are all similar but also different:

1. Organic Gardening - these people don't use anything in their garden that has any potentially harmful chemicals, preservatives, colorings, etc. in their gardening strategies. The modern idealogies of this philosophy are based from men like Sir Albert Howard and J. I. Rodale and his family and company. Economics, common sense, and environmental concerns drives the focus of this philosophy. All composting and green manuring techniques are key to this philosophy. Organic soil amendments are grass clippings, hay, straw, animal manures, human urine, leaves, dolomitic limestone, greensand, etc.

2. Biodynamic Gardening - these gardeners believe almost the same as the OG people, but they go to the next level. This philosophy was founded mainly by Rudolph Steiner. They believe strongly in gardening during appropriate astrological signs, religion, critical seasons of the year, etc. They are even very adamant about what organic materials goes into their compost at certain specifc times. (i.e. Special uses of comfrey and stinging nettle in compost piles during special times of the year) Their focus is not maximizing crop production like the OG people, but maximizing the physical and spiritual needs of nature. They use special soil amendments like stinging nettle, comfrey, yarrow, and dandelions in many of their gardening functions.

3. Natural Gardening - these gardeners are similar in the basic philosophy of the OG people, but not as strict in their choice of soil amendments. They will use a safe natural product that has good organic matter in it, even if it contains a minimum use of preservatives, colorings, etc. Natural soil amendments are blood meal, bone meal, fish emulsion, kelp spray, cottonseed meal, cattle feeds, etc.

4. Permaculture and other forms of sustainable farming - Permaculture in laymen terms is basically an extreme form of organic gardening where the farmer can only use materials on his/her farm to recycle to make compost, soil amendments, fertilizers, etc. for his farm. No buying or getting of organic material or natural fertilizers from outside or commercial sources.

The truth is, almost all environmentally conscious gardeners cross over back and forth between these 4 major classes. You as a gardener have to decide for yourself which philosophy style best fits you. Personally, from this list, I am with number 1 and number 3 (except without the preservatives, colorings, etc. ).

Organic gardening celebrates the garden as part of nature and recognizes that the same cycles of germination, life, growth, productivity, death, and decay that enable forest and wildflower meadow to thrive without human intervention also nourish the vegetables and fruit in the organic garden.

The organic gardener perceives that in the balanced system of soil, microorganisms, earthworms, birds, animals, and plants the addition of synthetic materials or the disruption of the natural cycle can result in a breakdown of the entire system. Therefore, the gardener strives to maintain the delicate balance of the natural system, restoring organic material to replace the plant material that is removed by harvest, encouraging biological diversity of both plants and animals in the soil and surrounding garden area, and minimizing the use of harmful substances--either synthetic or natural.

The organic gardener tries to look at the whole picture--the large system, and cares for the soil, beneficial insects and animals, the air and water, as well as the specific vegetables and fruit being grown for food. The organic gardener is also concerned for the health of the people who eat the garden produce, an awareness that living, fertile soil produces plants rich in nutrition and life-giving elements and a desire to minimize harmful and questionable substances.

Without a doubt, the sustainable method takes more time and more hard work. Who can not believe it is worth it? The satisfaction and peace of knowing the soil you harvest from today will remain capable of sustaining your grandchildren and their children is reward enough.

I don't know, maybe it all comes down to: Feed the soil and it, in turn, will feed you.

What's your definition?

Peace,
poor_old_dad

 

i kinda think of it as working with nature to produce your food rather than against it.

 

Organic Gardening: Any method of gardening that focuses on the organic nature of the plants without the use of synthetics.

I'm not sure where this should go in here, but I personally feel they are things that have enough importance to mention on their own.

Companion Planting: Let the plants help each other....

Intensive spacing: Let the plants protect themselves...

Raised beds: Make your part easier...


Squarefoot gardening is something everyone should at least look at look into;

http://www.squarefootgardening.com/

A few modifications of the ideas there and you have an amazing system for gardening.

First off, on the beds, the edges of the beds should be a permanent build. I prefer the idea of Cob bed frames. The edges should be wide enough to perch your ass on and high enough for you to sit comfortably.

If the beds are 4 feet wide, you can reach the whole bed by switching sides.

The bed structure also give you a place to mount frames on them, each depending on their use (and perhaps time).

To explain that further;

In the fall, just before snow fall (or after the first one melts whichever), place an A-frame over the bed, locked down of course, just a single sheet of plastic is fine. It is only meant to keep the snow load of the soil, and from the melt flushing the bed out.
On beds that aren't going to be planted right away, a smaller flat frame (simple light weight frame) with black plastic (or other dark material) will keep weeds from getting a foot hold. Transplant already started plants into the beds under the plastic cover. The cover stays on until after last frost.

Plants are planted according to intensive spacing to get a canopy going to block out weeds and with companions kept in mind (the square foot gardening guy has already worked out patterns).

For the beds that have climbers in them, have other frames set up that can sit on top of the beds, much like the winter covers, but with climbing lattice or such on it.

Because of there never being any weight on the soil, it always remains easy to work. Having the soil blocked from the light when not in use or under a canopy of plants means there will be much less weed growth. Even those that do grow, will be easy to pluck with no soil compaction.

In the fall, simply strip the produce and lay the stalks and remains right on top of the bed, replacing the dark cover, before it starts to freeze, work them into the soil and recover with the dark and winter covers for the next spring.

Each year, you have a rotation set up from bed to bed, use the same planting scheme just shifted a bed over, with proper planning this means your beds never need to spend a season fallow.

Want to get a little more creative ( or lazy depending on your view... lol)

When you build the beds, install 1/2" tubing around the bed with 1/16" holes drilled angled slightly upwards, pointing towards the centers of the bed. The feed line runs down into the ground connecting to each bed with a quick shut off valve on each. The feed lines run to a small water tower next to your garden. This can be as simple as a barrel on a table, as long as the bottom of it is higher the the top of the garden beds.
Use a small trickle pump on a solar panel to keep the barrel topped up. When its time to water, just make sure the beds you want to water are turned on, turn the main valve under the tower on and let flow til done. With good planning, you could have it so your water tower holds enough water to just turn it on and let it run til empty, but this wouldn't take into account extra hot weather when you need to water more, the different needs of plants or the incoming water temperature. You are best to have the water sit in the tower for at least a couple of hours to take any chill off it, being careful to make sure it can't get heated from the sun.

If you don't have good soil to start with and wish to start this, just use straw bales the first year to plant in. You won't get as good of a yield as good soil, but it will grow your plants, by fall, after working the left over plants into the top and letting sit for the winter you are going to have a good base for your future garden, apply the compost that you have been making, mix and plant.

There are certain plants that you wouldn't want to do in those beds.. for example potatoes... The easiest and quickest (translate that to the laziest ), is to use old tires. Place two tires (without rims) on the ground on top of another, fill with dirt. plant three seed potatoes spaced around the tire. As the plants grow, just add other tires, making sure the top leaves are always above the top of the tires, and fill with more earth. When harvest time comes along, kick the pile of tires over and pick out your potatoes, no digging, no hoeing, no tool scars on potatoes, fewer deformities in the potatoes seems the soil isn't compacted.

I don't make any claims to all this beyond, this is how I plan on gardening into my old age...