Organic Gardening Basics

Using organic gardening methods does not mean that you have to learn to live with insect chewed fruit, vegetables and flowers.
You can learn to protect your garden from destructive insects and maintain healthy soil and healthy plants without the use of chemical insecticides and fertilizers in the new e-book "Gardening Made Easy" available at our site.

Here's an overview of organic gardening from "Gardening Made Easy."

Organic Fertilizers and Compost

Organic fertilizers and compost are simple natural products that feed your plants and nourish your soil. You can create your own compost heap in your back yard, recycling grass clippings, tree leaves, garden cuttings and even kitchen scraps. You can also buy compost at local garden centers.

Compost can be used as fertilizer or you can grow your plants in pure compost. You can even create your own liquid fertilizer from compost.

Creating your own compost is as easy as taking out the trash. All you need is a small space in a garden corner to pile your left over grass clippings, tree leaves and garden cutting.

Organic Insecticides and Pest Control

Not all insects are bad for your garden. Most of us know the benefits of ladybugs, butterflies and bees. There are also wasps, flies and beetles that can protect your plants from destructive insects.

Using chemical insecticides, even using organic insecticides can kill the destructive insects but will also kill the beneficial insects. You can also buy beneficial insects at your local garden center or online to import into your garden.

Plants can also help in the war against destructive insects.

Planting certain plants as a border around your garden or mixed in with the plants in your garden can repel thrips, white flies and tomato hornworm. Peppermint will even repel and discourage ants from taking up residence in your garden.

Tom Straub is a successful author and webmaster of the Best Gardening Tips website. Discover everything you ever wanted to know about gardening... but never dared to ask.