Organic gardening is also known as natural gardening. By observing nature we see that natural systems, for example indigenous forests, maintain themselves and thrive without any help from human beings. All waste material is recycled, and with the help of the elements of sun and water, as well as insects and animals, this material is turned into food for the soil and plants.
Let Nature teach you
When practicing organic gardening, we donıt use any chemical fertilizers as they do not feed the life in the soil. We also donıt use chemical poisons as they not only kill harmful pests but also helpful insects which help to keep things in balance, as nature intended. Nature is therefore our teacher and we learn to work in harmony with it, and not to control it.
The secret is in the soil
The basis for effective organic gardening is a well cared-for soil feed the soil and not the plants. Most living creatures in the soil are microscopic (so small we canıt see them) and tend to get unnoticed. These living creatures manage the soil for us, and itıs important to keep them well supplied with their favourite foods, which are compost, manure and other organic food. As they feed, they steadily release a supply of well-balanced plant foods, which are used by growing plants.
Adding organic material like compost to the soil improves its structure. It helps to bind sandy soils, increasing their water-holding ability, and slows down the leaching (draining out of the soil) of plant foods. It helps to loosen up clay soils, improving aeration and drainage (plant roots need oxygen as well as food, and most donıt like sitting in water).
The magic of compost
A compost heap is made up of layers of dry organic material (dried leaves, grass, straw, small twigs) and green material (weeds, vegetable peels, grass cuttings) and manure, together with water. The green material and manure release nitrogen into the heap, which raises the temperature. Look out for our step-by-step guide to making a Classic Compost compost heap.
GARDENING CALENDER DECEMBER
This time of year is usually too hot to plant most crops. Make sure that your beds are well mulched (covered with a layer of straw, wood chips or stones), which will help to keep moisture in the soil longer. If you have a vegetable garden you should be harvesting lots of salad ingredients and summer crops such as lettuce, beans and mielies.
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This information is brought to you courtesy of Jet Club Green Corner by Dave Golding, a founding member of Abalimi Bezekhaya. Abalimi Bezekhaya is a non-profit organisation focusing on urban agriculture and greening on the Cape Flats in Cape Town.
If you have any gardening questions, send them to Dave at: Jet Club Green Corner/Ask Dave, P O Box 16607, Vlaeberg 8018.
Cook the whole cauliflower in a little bit of water until it is just tender. Smother with the zesty tomato sauce, sprinkle with grated cheese and serve with crusty brown bread.
2 tablespoons Marmite, mixed with litres hot water
1 cup sunflower oil
6 large onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, crushed
3 green peppers, seeded and diced
8 10 cups chopped greens (carrot tops, spinach stalks, and leaves, turnip leaves, lettuce, Lucerne, outer leaves of cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, pumpkin and squash leaves)
4 cups diced butternut, carrots, turnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and whatever else is available from the garden
1 tablespoon dried origanum
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 kg chopped tomatoes
3 tins tomato puree
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
27 September 2006
Food from the home garden
Eat five servings of fruit and vegetables every day
Most of us know that to be healthy we must have a balanced diet. This means that we should eat something from each of the three food groups every day; body building foods (proteins), energy foods (carbohydrates, fats and oils) and protective foods (vegetables and fruits).
Climate change is arguably the most crucial issues of our time and is the biggest environmental challenge that we face. While many of us agree that we must do something, it seems too vast a problem for any one of us to tackle, until now.
The Carbon Standard Consortium has been formed to make it easy and affordable for government, individuals, corporations and communities, their office buildings, schools, homes, meetings, events, conferences, celebrations, a business unit, product or brand to offset carbon emissions by planting trees.
There's much more to gardening than just growing vegetables or pretty flowers. There are many benefits that come with growing a garden. What we are doing is bringing nature into our homes and lives. By creating a garden, we develop skills and gain knowledge. We also create a beautiful, peaceful and even productive environment that benefits the health and wellbeing of the whole family or community.
As part of an organic gardening practice, companion planting is used. This is the art of planting certain plants together because they are good for one another, and avoiding planting certain other plants together, because they dont grow well together. As with relationships between people, certain plants like and dislike one another, so we plant certain herbs with vegetables to improve their growth and flavour and some of the herbs also have strong scents which repel harmful pests or may attract beneficial insects.
For very little money and effort, you can have the healthiest soil around. Hereıs how to make lovely compost thatıll give you prize fruit and veggies. In our last article "Don't Panic - It's Organic" we gave you a taste of what materials should go into a good compost heap. Now here is the nitty gritty.
Plants get most of their nutrients (food) from the soil. With the help of microorganisms (tiny living particles in the soil), the mineral and organic matter in the soil is processed into a form that plants can use. These nutrients dissolve (break down) in the water in the soil and are taken into the plants through their roots.
Did you know that all life on earth is sustained by only one percent of available water. Isnıt that a miracle? While most of the earthıs surface is covered in water, 97 percent is seawater. Most of the remaining three percent is locked up in ice caps and glaciers, deep underground or suspended as vapour in the air.
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