EarthWatch Ohio

Those of gardeners who had been widely using chemicals cannot switch to organic gardening at once because your plants are in such situation that they overly rely on artificial protection. If that's the case, changes should be performed stage-by-stage. Unfortunately, chemically addicted plants get used to having nutrients from artificial substances, and not from the natural composting of soil. If you suddenly take chemicals apart from addicted plants, they are unlikely to live over it. Regardless of their seemingly healthy look, they will need to put enormous amounts of energy (that they got used to receive) into plant growth, at the same time disease resistance is decreased.

At the first stage, go into direction of increasing overall soil health condition, so the living organisms come back to it. This is achieved by adding plenty of organic substance or even replacing the old one with it. Throw piles of fallen leaves in autumn and just allow them to be combusted into soil over winter. You will then notice that worms are back as well as favorable fungi, ants and other miniature creatures that are involved in soil ecosystem.

The healthy soil should also contain enough minerals. Adding minerals to the ground can be achieved by scattering bone meal or kelp meal, which will provide source of nutrients. As soon as the soil is revitalized, gradually decrease amounts of chemicals to none. An advise that can be given for virtually every garden is to form permanent planting beds that no one walks on. This makes conditions for accumulation of the favorable amendments in the area they are needed most. Untouched soil ensures good condition and nutrition of the plant and tree roots, as well as effortless turning. It's not obligatory to set up solid walls around plant beds. Just mound the ground to reachable width, and from then on treat it as impassable area. Nutrients that are mostly consumed by the plants need to be replenished every year. An inch of dung on the soil each year is ever a good treatment.

Unwanted weeds can be resisted by hoeing or removing them early. As for pest insects, start struggling against them at once, before they reproduce themselves, and primarily use the least invasive solution. Pick cabbage loopers and beetles by hand and squish 'em. Remove aphids by strong water shot. If situation can't be handled by mild measures, go for insecticidal water solutions, and the least preferable, Neem. Setting up row covers can be of great use as well. Those are lightweight walls that prevent buggers from getting into the row of plants.