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Organic Gardening Part 3: Control Weeds

Control weeds!

There are simple, organic methods to reduce your work here, too.

Weeds steal nutrients from your plants, reducing their vigor. The age-old practice of cultivating between plants with a hoe, not only suppresses weeds, but aerates your soil, too. A good workout in the garden on your knees pulling weeds, or wielding a hoe is healthy for you, and your garden, too. But, what if your health isn’t able to keep up with the weeding, what if you are strapped for time, and always get behind on the weeding?

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Organic Gardening Part 2: Learn Your Insects

Organic Gardening Part 2: Learn Your Insects - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

Learn your insects: Get rid of the bad, not the beneficials.

Learn your insects! Organic gardening doesn’t mean you have to Learn your insect - Assassin bug - St. Clare Heirloom Seedsshare your harvest with the bugs, but you will probably have less than pristine looking plants and produce. Since  in organic gardening you are trying to garden in cooperation with nature, sometimes you have to accept the occasional pest in the garden, not taking the typical line of attack that has been popular in recent generations of grabbing the nearest pesticide. Your first line of defense should be vigilance. Inspect your plants regularly for signs of a problem and take organic methods of action quickly. Keep in mind, though, not every insect is a foe and that action doesn’t necessarily mean pesticide. Just picking bugs and eggs off plants and putting them in a bucket of soapy water is frequently a first step for organic gardeners. Learn which are the beneficial insects and keep them around, they will help do your work for you, getting rid of pests.

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