Moonshadows Organic Garden Witchery

Introduction | Growing Organically | Organic Garden Witch Tips | Pests

The secret of successful organic gardening is good management. The following organic practices should be carried out by all good gardeners, whether following the organic rules or not:-

Composting

Saving all prunings and lawn mowings, composting them and returning them to the soil is part of every good gardener's work programme.There is no need to devote all your spare time to developing the dreamcompost that crumbles through the fingers, but a little care with yourcomposting will ensure good end results. Soil management. Good gardeners feed their soil, rather than the plants.Soil is living material, with billions of micro-organisms all working away, slowly releasing valuable plant nutrients from decaying material. Plenty of organic material in the soil will ensure good soil structure too: crumbly when worked, easily penetrated by roots and capable of holding enough moisture to sustain good plant growth. It follows, then, that fertilisers which are high in decaying organic material - such as farmyard manure - are more beneficial to the soil than merely adding the plant nutrients in the form of artificial fertilisers.The use of good healthy compost is fundamental to organic gardening. Equally fundamental is the principle of returning to the soil what has been taken from it when you grow your plants. By making their own compost, gardeners can save the cost and the risks of buying manufactured compost, which often contain fertilisers, growth promoters and peat. Composting becomes an integral part of the gardening process, making, maturing and using it complementing the natural actions of the soil and the plants, all this and increased soil fertility to!

Organic Fertilisers

Where there is a need for further plant food during the growth seasons, only certain sources are acceptable to organic gardeners. Compound fertilisers are not permitted for organic growing but here are some acceptable choices, I use the Maxicrop organic range once a month and I use pelletted chicken manure at the start of the growing season. But there are other alternatives to liquid organic feeds, there are even some you can make yourself, but be warned they can be smelly! Good organic choices are:-

Blood, fish and bone. Natural by-product, sold as a blend which, though itsounds unsavoury, is rich in phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen as well asmost of the trace elements - minerals needed in microscopic quantities, but nonetheless, essential to plant health. Always handle with gloves.

Pelletted chicken manure. Available in convenient pellets, very rich in nutrients and a lot more pleasant to handle than you might imagine. Use sparingly, as this product is very concentrated.

Bone meal. Literally sterilised ground animal bones. Rich in phosphorouswhich is released slowly. An excellent fertiliser to add to planting holes whenplanting shrubs. Handle with gloves.

Comfrey. Among organic gardeners, comfrey has become an almost mysticalplant, attributed with all kinds of special properties. The main characteristicof comfrey - a member of the forget-me-not family - is that its penetrating taproots delve very deeply, finding mineral plant nutrients which would be out of reach for other more shallow-rooted plants. If the leaves are composted, these minerals will be made available to other plants. Some organic gardeners like to make an infusion of comfrey leaves and water thisonto plants as a liquid feed. Kitchen waste is valuable composting material. Vegetable peelings,leftovers, even paper made from natural materials, will all rot down to makegood compost. However, avoid using meat or materials that are high incereal, such as stale bread, since this can encourage rats.

Organic Weed Control

Look for emerging weed seedlings - so much easier to hoe out when an inch or so tall, compared with hand weeding plants more than a foot high and going to seed. Here are some organic weeding tips:-

* Flame guns are okay to use but not if you have wildlife in the area that you want to keep! We don't want barbecued hedgehog so always check the area and use this drastic measure as a last resort. If you are going to use them, then use them once to scorch weeds, and then a second time when the singed plant tissue has had a few days to dry up. Flame guns will not kill perennial weeds such as dandelion, so you'll still have to find a way to sort them out.

* Layers of black plastic spread over the ground and anchored down will have a sterilising effect on annual and perennial weeds. Leave them down for a year, if you can - do part of the garden at a time. When the sheet is lifted and the soil worked, expect dormant seeds to germinate, but these will be easy to eliminate by hoeing. As an alternative, try old carpet. Pure woollen carpet will eventually rot and add nutrients to the ground, but man-made rubber-backed carpet makes an efficient, weedproof barrier.

* Above all, prevent weeds from seeding, take time to go round the garden as often as you can, drinking in the scents, getting to know your plants and using your hoe! A few minutes with the hoe will save a lot of back breaking weeding.

Companion Planting

Involves planting flowers and other plants along side each other, such as french marigolds alongside tomatoes, this is one of the most commonly known companion planting combinations. The marigolds will attract hover flies and ladybirds, whose larvae eat lots of aphids. How you actually plant your crops also has a big influence on deterring pests. You can either plant your marigolds around the entire plot, or just around susceptible crops. To avoid diseases you should not plant the same crop in the same place for at least three years. The theory of companion planting works on many different levels. It is basically about choosing plants that have additional properties and functions, beyond simply being ornamental or a food supply, and using them in combination with one another. Plants can benefit their neighbours in different ways by: giving off scent or chemicals that repels insects, attracting beneficial insects that are predators to harmful insects, attracting insects that are pollinators for other plants, attracting harmful insects and therefore distracting them from the main prize crop, absorbing minerals from the soil so they can be ploughed back into the soil as fertiliser, for example green manures fixing nitrogen in the soil to reduce the need for nitrogen fertiliser. Companion plants can creat shade for lower-growing plants that do not thrive in full sun and act as a windbreak for more tender plants providing natural support for climbing plants acting as ground cover to prevent weeds.

Plants To Use In Your Companion Planting Scheme.

Nasturtiums - Have several uses as companions to other plants. When planted with broccoli and squash, they help to keep aphids away with their strong smell - this is also a deterrent to woolly aphid on apple trees. They are also attractive to black aphids and cabbage caterpillars, so they can be planted near cabbages to save them from insect damage.

Asparagus - Prevents a harmful nematode from attacking the roots of tomato plants.

Chervil - Keeps aphids off lettuce.

Chives - Helps to keep fungal diseases at bay; discourages aphids on roses, chrysanthemums, sunflowers and tomatoes.

Coriander - Repels aphids and can be made into a spray to use against red spider mite.

Dill - Attracts hoverflies and predatory wasps which keep aphids at bay.

Garlic - A deterrent for aphids, this is particularly good to plant with roses.

Tansy - The strong scent of this plant deters ants.

Sage - Best planted near brassicas and carrots because its smell confuses pests.

Legumes - This family includes peas, beans, sweet peas and lupins, which are famous for their ability to 'fix' nitrogen. This means they convert nitrogen by way of bacteria that live in the roots into a form that can be used easily by plants. This is then stored in root nodules and, by leaving the roots of these plants in the soil, this essential nutrient is effectively recycled.

Yarrow - Boosts vigour in other plants, as well as accumulating phosphorus, calcium and silica, which are good for the compost heap. It is a good host for hoverflies, ladybirds and predatory wasps which keep aphids at bay.

Attracting Wildlife

This is really helpful in an organic garden, not only to enhance your immediate environment, but also to reduce the unwanted bugs in your garden. You'll be amazed at how many aphids Blue Tits will eat when they are feeding their babies. And at how many slugs and snails toads and hedgehogs can eat. Put up as many nest boxes as you can for lots of different birds, such as Blue Tits and if your lucky enough to be in an area that has bats add some bat boxes and hedgehog houses. You should also put up lots of bird feeders throughout the winter and early spring. And don't forget the Hedgehogs! If you feed them throughout the winter, that encourages them to stay in your small garden. You may find that initially, by growing completely organically, it may seem that every bug in the world has made a "beeline" for your garden. Don't panic! It's not that you're doing anything wrong, it's just that populations of the good guys, the critters and birds, need to build up. This can sometimes take as long as three years. So be patient, and stick with it. Believe me it will really be worth it in the end I promise!

Know your friends

These creatures are very beneficial to your garden:- Ground Beetles, Hoverflies, Hedgehogs, Ladybirds, Wasps, Centipedes, Earthworms, Bats, Frogs, Toads & Newts, Lacewings & Slow-worms.