Organic Gardening Basics

Boxhill Farm offers the organic gardener a wide range of supplies.
Ask us if you have questions. We are here to help!

What does it mean to garden organically?

The simple answer is that organic gardeners don't use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides on their plants. But gardening organically is much more than what you don't do. When you garden organically, you think of your plants as part of a whole system within Nature that starts in the soil and includes the water supply, people, wildlife and even insects. An organic gardener strives to work in harmony with natural systems and to minimize and continually replenish any resources the garden consumes. Organic gardening, then, begins with attention to the soil. You regularly add organic matter to the soil, using locally available resources wherever possible. And everyone has access to the raw ingredients of organic matter, because your lawn, garden and kitchen produce them everyday. Decaying plant wastes, such as grass clippings, fall leaves and vegetable scraps from your kitchen, are the building blocks of compost, the ideal organic matter for your garden soil. If you add compost to your soil, you're already well on your way to raising a beautiful, healthy garden organically.

The other key to growing organically is to choose plants suited to the site. Plants adapted to your climate and conditions are better able to grow without a lot of attention or input; on the other hand, when you try to grow a plant that is not right for your site, you will probably have to boost its natural defenses to keep it healthy and productive.

What fertilizers can I use to feed my plants?

Organic gardeners work to build nutrient-rich soil by continually adding organic matter (particularly compost) to the soil rather than feeding plants directly. Mixing well-rotted farm animal manures (especially cow, horse and chicken manure) into the soil provides an abundant supply of nitrogen to your plants. Nitrogen is the key nutrient plants use for growing leaves. If you can add an inch or so of compost to your garden each year, you probably don't need any additional fertilizers.

You'll see a lot of different packaged organic fertilizers in garden centers and mail-order catalogs. Many derive their nitrogen boost from fish or feather meal—in both cases the ingredients typically are food processing waste. The best of these fertilizers are "slow-release" foods that nourish plants incrementally as they decompose in the soil. Though fertilizer made from municipal sludge (sometimes called "biosolids") is often sold as "organic," we discourage gardeners from using it because research has found that this sludge contains heavy metals that can build up in your soil.

To give your plants a more immediate boost or for feeding those growing in soil that is more difficult to amend (like plants in containers), you can use liquid fertilizers that are commonly made from fish processing waste combined with mineral-rich seaweed (often kelp). You'll find these liquid fertilizers as concentrates that you mix with water and apply directly to plants' leaves.