I went to an organic gardening workshop on sustainable, environment-friendly gardening practices hosted by Sue Both of the Garden Shop.
Organic Gardening is the concept of focusing on soil health to enable plants to grow stronger, flower more prolifically, and control pests, diseases and weeds without the use of synthetic pesticides. This relies on natural systems and materials while conventional gardening requires man-made synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
Moving away from chemical use and towards a gentler, more holistic approach to problems in the garden is one of the best ways of sustainable living.
It all beginnings with the soil – things like soil texture, nutrients, and pH.
In order to get the best results with your organic garden, you’ll want to make sure the soil is properly conditioned. You need to feed the soil and let it feed the plants.
How to start Organic Gardening in South Africa
- Start Composting: Composting reduces the amount of trash you toss out each day.
- Good Soil: It can take years to build up good soil, feeding depleted soil with composted plants or planting peas or beans to add nitrogen to an area that had been planted with a heavy feeder.
- Water Source: Educate yourself about the different types of water available in your area and use water without chlorine.
- Attract more wildlife into your garden: A mix of plants will attract more beneficial insects and birds.
- Learning to control Pests and Diseases Without Chemicals
Things I learned at the Organic Gardening Workshop:
- Benefits of Organic Gardening
- Starting a compost pile
- Learning how to read a fertilizer label.
- Differentiating between types of soil
- Feeding my soil
- Types of water that’s good for organic gardens
- Choosing my plants wisely
- Rotating crops
- Pest Prevention
To be a successful organic gardener you must use strategies that grow healthy food and ornamental plants. Some of the best ways to increase biodiversity in your garden are by having a wider variety of plants because each plant provides food and shelter for a particular bird or insect, so the more you can feed and shelter, the better your garden is for the environment.
Thank you to The GardenShop, Garden Guru and Mayford for the insight workshop! I learned a lot, already planted some of my Mayford goodies and will be putting my newfound organic Gardening knowledge into use.