Organic gardening has become extremely popular. That’s because it doesn’t just produce fantastic results in terms of the plants and vegetables you can grow, but it also satisfies people’s want to garden in an ethical manner.
But while it may sound like a fancy term, organic gardening simply refers to plants, flowers and vegetables grown without the use of synthetic herbicides, pesticides or fungicides.
So with that in mind, here are five ways you can make your garden more organic this weekend:
1. Deter pests naturally
Instead of relying on pesticides to keep pesky creepy crawlies off of your vegetables, try some organic alternatives. For example, interplant your vegetables with a selection of flowers and herbs. You’ll benefit from stronger vegetables which are more resistant to diseases and pests.
Also, without all the pesticides, lizards and frogs will begin to thrive once more in your garden and help to keep the pest population down.
2. Attract more good insects
Not all bugs are bad. Beneficial insects, such as ladybirds, lacewings and hoverflies, can help keep down the populations of aphids, red spider mites and caterpillars. Bees will also help with pollinating your flowers and ensuring your vegetable yields are healthy.
Marigold, dill, coriander, echinacea, cosmos, sweet Alice and Queen Anne’s lace will all help to attract beneficial insects into your garden.
3. Raise some chickens
Chickens are great for an organic garden. They eat huge quantities of bugs, beetles and slugs, and if you get the right hens they might just reward you with some eggs. Chicken manure fertiliser is also one of the best there is for vegetable gardens due to its high levels of nitrogen and nutrients.
4. Recycle your garden waste
Whether it’s kitchen scraps, grass cuttings or shredded paper, it can all be recycled to make compost. You can either make your own bin or buy a ready-made one, it’s entirely up to you. After a few months, you should have compost that’s ready to be put into your soil, saving you money on store bought fertilisers.
[Recommended read: Turn household waste into garden gold by composting]
5. Water wisely
Try and be as efficient as possible when it comes to watering your garden. After all, water is a precious commodity nowadays and we don’t want to waste it. A great way to save water is to install a tank outside to collect all the rainwater that runs off your roof and along your gutters. This water can be recycled to reduce your reliance on municipal water supplies.
[Recommended read: Why rainwater tanks are beneficial for your property]
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