How to grow organic vegies
Farmers face a number of constraints to ensure their produce can be certified organic. You would think that growing organic vegetables in our own backyard would be much easier. But it isn't. We are faced with just as many challenges as the large scale producer. In fact, it is quite difficult to grow vegetable in our surburban backyards to a standard that they can be certified as organic. The major reason for this is the prior use of the land and the contamination it may have gained as a result of house, fense, shed, garage construction and as a result of perhaps several prior owners. We can make sure that any additions to our garden are organic and so increase the health benefits of food we grow in our backyards.
Mulch
Mulch is a protective covering that is laid on the top of the soil. It functions to reduce the moisture loss from the soil by preventing evaporation from sunshine and desiccating winds. Mulch also prevents erosion by eliminating or reducing the ‘splash-away’ effect of heavy downpours.
Another advantage of using mulch is that it helps regulate soil temperature by shading it in the summer thus keeping it cooler and by insulating it in winter to keep it warmer. By regulating temperature mulch helps encourage plant root growth. Mulch reduces the need for other weed control measures because it effectively smothers seedlings, prevents daylight, which helps foster germination from reaching weed seeds, and prevents air-borne seeds from germinating.
Mulch has the added advantage of enriching the soil as it breaks down and releases nutrients back into the soil. Mulch that is not completely decomposed will encourage microbial organisms that are beneficial to healthy plants.
Common mulches include chipped hardwood bark, softwood bark, compost, straw, hay, rice husks, peat moss, sawdust, wood chip, peanut hulls and lawn clippings.
Mulch needs to be at least 3 inches in thickness. Acid-loving plants can be mulched with a thick layer of pine needles. Optimal soil pH can vary widely for different vegetables. Most vegetables require a soil pH of around 6.3-7.0, although requirements vary with some vegetables having a much wider range than others. A pH under 7.0 is acidic, a reading of over 7.0 is alkaline, 7.0 is neutral.
Natural Pest Control
Interest in non-chemical pest control has increased in recent times along with the interest in organic farming and concern about the impact of agricultural chemicals on human health.
Companion planting, or intercropping provides a method to take advantage of certain chemical interactions between plants. These interactions can be used to encourage plant growth and health in a symbiotic manner. All plants release different chemical agents which attract or repel insects, and either help, or discourage their growth and reproduction. These chemicals are released, either above ground through leaves, or below ground from roots.
There are a number of ‘natural’ sprays you can use to control or eliminate pests and diseases in your garden. For example, garlic, pyrethrum, chilli, wormwood, and rhuarb all make excellent sprays for different garden pests and diseases.
If you have an infestation of aphids, spray the infested stems, leaves, and buds with a very dilute soapy water, then clean water.
Organic Fertilisers
There are many ways we can fertilise our garden and maintain its organic status. One of the most effective is to use worm castings. Liquid worm castings make very food fertiliser. If you set up a worm farm you will have a ready disposal for your kitchen and garden vegetable scraps. You will also have a seedling mix from the worm castings, and you will have liquid worm castings for fertilising your veggies.
A good fertilisers for young plants is one quarter liquid worm castings and three quarters water. For older plants the mixture can be stronger – about 50/50.
Before fertilising your vegie garden make sure it has been well watered as this will help the plants to absorb the nutrients from the liquid fertiliser and prevent the risk of burning the plants roots and leaves.
There are some plants that do not like liquid fertilisers or even don’t like fertilisers. These are root crops such as carrots, potatoes, turnips etc. A good rule to remember is that crops above the ground (leaf and fruit crops) like liquid fertiliser, compost and manures, plants that grow below the ground (root crops) dislike much liquid fertilisers, compost and manures.
Chicken, horse, cow and sheep manure can be added to the soil but these manures must be organic preferably certified organic.
Crop rotation helps to maintain a healthy garden. It is a good idea to plant a root crop after a leaf or fruit crop. In this way a leafy, nitrogen-loving plant is followed by a root crop that gobbles up lots of phosphorous, or a flowering crop such as pumpkin that will need potassium. This way, the chance of soil-borne diseases is minimised as the nutrients are kept in balance in the soil.