Simple steps to organic gardening
Home-made garden compost
is great for your soil
Feed the soil to grow healthy plants, using home-made garden compost, manures or leafmould. Feeding the soil’s living creatures with organic matter will provide plants with a naturally balanced diet.
Recycle garden and kitchen waste to make compost. This reduces waste going to landfill, the need for bonfires and the cost of buying products like soil improvers, fertilisers and mulches.
Right plant, right place Plants grow happily when they and the site are well matched. Choose varieties with natural pest and disease resistance.
Prevention is better than a cure when dealing with pests and diseases. Examine plants on a regular basis, problems spotted early are easier to deal with.
Encourage wildlife and beneficial creatures into your garden by providing suitable habitats such as a pond or nesting and hibernation boxes.
Hoverflies are great
pest-eating predators
Grow flowers like pot marigold (Calendula officinalis), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), Californian poppy (Escholzia) and poached egg plant (Limnanthes douglasii) that will attract pest eating predators like ladybirds and hoverflies.
Don’t be too tidy as piles of leaves or woody prunings left under a hedge or in a quiet corner will provide shelter for many hibernating insects and wildlife.
Use mulches to cut down on weeding and reduce the need for watering. Mulch materials include light blocking artificial membranes, cardboard and shredded prunings from the garden.
The Organic Gardening Catalogue is the official mail order catalogue of Garden Organic Tel 0845 130 1304 for a copy. For an on-line service: www.organiccatalogue.com
Top of pageGarden Organic is the working name of the Henry Doubleday Research Association (HDRA)
Registered Charity No. 298104