Your Organic Garden: when a dream can actually come true! | House

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Your Organic Garden: when a dream can actually come true!

Written by Laurence

Monday, 02 March 2009 14:32

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It’s your haven of peace and tranquility, where you come to relax after a busy day’s work or play with your kids. It’s your part of the country near to your house. You may have a garden or just some potted plants on the terrace, but it’s your green space.

This space is important to you and your well being. Therefore you need to make it as natural and healthy as possible. In the countryside, farmers and landowners are increasingly aware that they must use fewer industrial products on the land and that pollution must be contained.

The same is true for your piece of countryside at your home. Make it natural and pollution free: you can, you should, you must.

There are many actions that you can take to make your green space more organic and natural:

Use natural fertilizers. There are many different solutions. The easiest is to buy organic fertilizers from your garden centre - there are an increasing number available. Compost your organic waste and use this as a fertilizer. Grow plants such as mustard, spinach and peas, cut and mix with your soil.
Choose plants that don’t require much water, they’re better for the environment and easier to look after.
Apply mulch to exposed soil to prevent the growth of weeds (and the need for herbicides) and to conserve water.
To avoid weeds growing in your lawn, don’t cut it too short, leave about 2 inches / 6 cm to avoid seeds from dandelions settling in your soil.
Plant flowers, vegetables and herbs randomly in a vegetable patch. This way they protect each other and keep undesirable insects away. For example, slugs don’t like thyme.

Trap slugs using potato or grapefruit skins and move them to a corner of the garden where they can do no damage. If you need to eliminate them use poisons containing ferric phosphate which is permitted in organic agriculture.

A healthy, natural and organic garden is a healthy natural and zen place for you and your family to enjoy nature. It can also be an excellent source of organic food and herbs.