US Green Living .com
The price of organic food is usually more expensive than regular processed food. This is understandable since organic food doesn’t use any pesticides. The farmer has to monitor his plants closely since pesticides are not used to weed out the bad elements. Utmost care in soil is also emphasized to keep the plants healthy. Ultimately, organic food commands a higher price because the number of hours each farmer has to spend in taking care of
the plant. Not to mention the certification each farm has to go through, they all have the right to ask for a higher price because of the care and time they spend in each plant.
If you think you are paying too much, why not start and organic garden yourself? There are individuals who have found success in organic gardening not for commercial use but for personal satisfaction. Instead of buying an organically grown tomato, some can just go to their garden and pick the tomato that’s almost ripe to use it as their ingredient. If you have a considerably wide backyard, then you’re good to start to have a good organic garden.
The first thing you have to do is to prepare the lot. Believe it or not preparing the lot is actually the hardest part. Aside from pulling out all the weeds in the lot, you have to add lots of organic matter into the soil. You slowly build it with compost to ensure that the lot will have enough nutrients to grow the plants. If you have the budget, test your soil for the pH or acidity level and adjust it to normal level by adding lime or sulfur.
Once you’ve prepared your garden bed, it’s time to select what plants to grow. For this you have to follow nature. Ask the local farmers what are the plants that could be easily grown in the area. For beginners, it’s important to start with the basic since growing non-native plants needs skills and experience. Start with the plants that grow strongly in your area. The breeding of that plant should be strong enough to withstand diseases. Local markets should have these seeds for sale complete with instructions on how to plant them.
While you’re growing your plants, it’s also time to create a compost pit for your garden. This is where you place all the leaves, eggshells, and other biodegradable kitchen waste in one place. The lot should be small enough to be filled immediately and to be closed since it might give out a foul odor. Do not place meat or fish to avoid this smell.
Once you’ve placed the plants in their designated plots, it’s time to relax a little bit. Everyday, you have to go through your garden and look for weeds and pull them out. If you see something bad is happening to your plants, ask for help from your local farmers on how to deal with the disease without using pesticides. The compost should be used once in a while; especially when they compost is already brown in color.
