 |
WritersShowcase |
The website for writers |
|
|
Part 1 What is Organic Gardening and Why use organic methods? Introduction. What is organic gardening? A garden is a space outdoors that we spend time in. We usually call an outdoor space a garden if it is cultivated. If we are lucky it is a large space with grass, beds and borders that we can grow plants in. People who live in flats often have a balcony and window boxes. Schools can sometimes provide a space for children to garden. Some teachers may be able to help out. People with any sort of outdoor space can use this book, and the projects in it.Gardening is the activity we do in our garden or other outdoor space to make it look beautiful, smell delightful and produce the tastiest food possible. Everybody has a different idea of what a garden should look like and what it can be used for. Some like to play football or have a swing, climbing frame or sandpit in it. It may be necessary to peg the washing out in it or park the car in. For others the job of making a garden look great is even more important than playing, working or relaxing in it. Gardens can be all things to all people. If we live with other people, we have to negotiate with them to decide what our communal living spaces are for. That means there has to be give and take just like when we are told to clear the table for tea to be served or turn the telly off when we have visitors. If this book gives you ideas about what you want to use your garden, balcony, windowsills or playground for, please talk to your adults before you do anything about your plans. Digging up a prized ornamental tree to plant vegetables will probably not make you popular! There are numerous ideas and possibilities about what to grow in your garden. What you decide to grow will depend upon the sort of space you have, your tastes and preferences. It may be that you love trees and large shrubs and have the space for them. Perhaps you would like an abundance of colour. Some people like to grow plants that produce flowers of all colours and others like themes such as many shades of blue. Your family may like or loathe cut flowers in your home. Others like to grow food. For me, there is nothing more beautiful than the sight of blossom on fruit trees filling me with excitement about the fruit that will shortly follow, rows of vegetables giving me a sense of anticipation of tasty meals and the scents and textures of herbs that will infuse my cooking (actually, my husband’s cooking!) I love to see the pretty flowers that encourage the beautiful and diverse wildlife in to pollinate my trees and eat my aphids. Organic gardening explains the methods I believe will give me and nature the best results. Organic gardening is a way of gardening that works with nature not against it. It makes me feel like I am a part of nature but not it’s ruler. I have a responsibility to care for it and it will care for me. I have to understand nature’s ways and work with them and it will ensure that I have a garden full of gorgeous, scrumptious plants. As we do with our friends, we all have to get along with nature not be master of it. Plants of all types want to grow so we have to help them do so healthily and happily. We have to give them what they need to nurture and encourage their development as adults do with children. For plants (and animals) this is called good husbandry. We have to grow the right plants in the right place at the right time. We wouldn’t grow a banana tree in Scotland in the winter but we may grow it in a heated greenhouse, for example. We need to give plants the conditions they want and protect them from anything that might harm them. Like nurturing a baby, we would give plants the right amount of good food, clean water and keep them at a comfortable temperature. They usually like to have warm feet and cool heads! Plants need to be protected from disease and infection some of which may be caused by pests. They need good hygiene and sunlight in moderation. They don’t like drafts but enjoy fresh air circulating around them.
Organic gardening methods consider what is best for the plant, the environment and for you and me. Organic gardeners do not use harmful chemicals but have other ways of discouraging pests and diseases and dealing with weeds. They believe in feeding the soil and enabling the plant to take up the nutrients they need from it. They use a method known as companion planting, which is about placing plants next to each other that will be good for them. They encourage wildlife into their gardens and value the importance of diversity and balance between species. Organic gardeners recycle and compost as much as they possibly can and wildlife helps them do so. They use mulches and other ways to help them conserve water, which is such a valuable resource. All these techniques result in organic gardeners enjoying nature, the tasks involved in gardening and the wonderful fruits of their labour.June Making a wormery A wormery is a compost bin with worms living in it. The differences between a wormery and an ordinary compost bin are that the liquid that drains from the wormery is used as a liquid feed, the construction of the wormery takes into account the housing needs of the worms and the waste added to the wormery is food that the worms will enjoy. Compared to soil, worm casts have: To make the bin you need a container with a tap at the bottom. You could buy a ready made one or use a water butt. Shop bought ones come in all shapes and sizes. Popular types are a layered tray structure and a wooden box with a drip tray underneath. The layered type makes harvesting the compost easier as you just lift the tray to find it.
It is possible to make one out of a water butt or you may be able to find a suitable piece of furniture at a junk shop. Assuming you use a water butt/ wheelie bin type, make your wormery like this: Equipment needed: The water butt and tap or other container, a bowl (old ice-cream carton) to catch the liquid that comes out at the bottom, stones, compost worms, bubble wrap, kitchen scraps, a book about worms. Method:
|
|
|
