The New Year brings fresh beginnings for many people, and the organic garden is the ideal place to enact changes that provide the sense of healthy renewal that people crave when the calendar changes. The January garden reveals its bones in most parts of the country, providing an ideal canvas upon which gardeners can create a blueprint for success.
Grow Native Plants
What do native plants have to do with organic gardening? They make the organic gardener’s job easier. Native plants are designed by nature to thrive on the elements the local environment provides. These plants have evolved alongside native pests, local weather variations, and regional soil conditions. Native plants require little or no supplemental watering, fertilizing, or pruning. A garden rich in native plantings also supports local wildlife populations, especially songbirds.
Start Plants from Seed
Buying transplants from the nursery or supermarket is an easy way to get a jump on the gardening season, but starting plants from seed has advantages for the organic gardener. Gardeners who start plants from seed can ensure that no genetically engineered material enters their landscape by buying non-GMO seeds. Organic gardeners can also help preserve biodiversity by growing unusual varieties not sold as transplants. Finally, gardeners can start seeds in recycled or paper pots, bypassing the petroleum-based cheap plastic growing cells manufactured for the horticultural industry.
Improve the Soil
Organic gardeners who gave themselves a self-congratulatory pat on the back after turning hardpan into fluffy humus last season should prepare for a surprise this year: Depending on the plants and growing conditions, the soil may have returned to the same barren status while the gardener wasn’t looking. Soil improvement is an annual, if not bi-annual task. Spending 90% of one’s money and time on soil enrichment and 10% on plants is a ratio for success every year. Ready the compost bin and wheelbarrow to haul those bags of organic mulch.
Control Weeds All Season
It’s common to start the growing season with great weed-pulling enthusiasm, as mild temperatures and moist soil make the chore effortless. However, when the dog days of summer arrive, gardeners may get lazy about killing weeds, especially when they disappear into a jungle of vegetables and ornamental plants. It’s important to stay on top of weed control, particularly as weeds set seed later in the season. Pulling weeds or killing them with an organic herbicide can prevent dozens, if not hundreds of new weeds from growing in the next generation.
Source:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Jamie McIntosh - Jamie has written hundreds of garden articles for the web, and is your guide to Flowers on About.com.
