Hello all I have been doing huge amounts of reading and learning the last week or so and now I am 100% confused.
It appears there is Organic, Chemical use and natural gardening
things like manure right on the garden as opposed to being processed in a compost pile I don't understand what diffrence it makes. and whey one way is organic and one way is not.
as far as using chemicals I am trying to stay away from that if possible I know it will mean smaller yields the first few seasons but that is life.
I have a shallow well about 22' that we use for every thing so contaminating my water is of utmost concern.
Please explain to me the diffrences if you can thanks
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DoubleDogFarm
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DoubleDogFarm
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Natural must be permaculture and organic go hand and hand. Most of use probably use a combination of all.It appears there is Organic, Chemical use and natural gardening
Not sure here, maybe a misunderstanding.things like manure right on the garden as opposed to being processed in a compost pile I don't understand what diffrence it makes. and whey one way is organic and one way is not.
I don't believe this. This is a whole topic in it's self. It would probably get a little heated also.as far as using chemicals I am trying to stay away from that if possible I know it will mean smaller yields the first few seasons but that is life.
Stay at least 50ft away and down hill if possible.I have a shallow well about 22' that we use for every thing so contaminating my water is of utmost concern.
Eric
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rainbowgardener
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Here's a thread we had going about some of these topics:
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=157520&highlight=natural+gardening#157520
Here's how I summarized the gardening styles you are talking about, in that thread:
conventional - monoculture ( a field that is all one crop, e.g. corn), plowing, synthetic fertilizer, chemical herbicides and pesticides
organic - monoculture, probably still plowed/ tilled, compost / manure/ compost tea, hand weeding or things like vinegar, citrus for herbicide, Bt and things like garlic-pepper spray for pesticide
ecological/ natural - no monoculture, no tilling, composting in the field, mainly using only what comes from the field and mulch and cover crops, companion planting, trap crops, interplanting, beneficial insects, etc
You could also call ecological/ natural style sustainable. That it is works on having no inputs from outside the property and wasting nothing. Usually includes diverse systems with maybe chickens or fish or other animals, where the garden feeds the animals and the animal wastes feed the garden.
You might look at the difference between this and organic gardening as non-interference. In other words, the chemical gardener sees a bug in the garden and reaches for a bottle of poison spray. The organic gardener sees a bug in the garden and reaches for a bottle of non-poison spray. To me that IS a LOT better, but it is still interfering. The sustainable gardener plants a diversity of plants together, including things that repel insects or attract beneficial insects and works to have healthy plants and insect eating birds around, etc and then lets the system work itself out.
I agree that once you know what you are doing and have systems working, organic tends to yield more than chemical and sustainable tends to yield more than organic (though not necessarily more of ONE crop, since it is not a mono-culture, but the land would yield more food over all over the course of a year, with more different plantings through the year). But that is a big ONCE in there. If you have been a chemical gardener, the transition can be hard. They have killed off the beneficial insects and companion/trap crops, so when they stop using the poisons, all the bad guys come roaring back. Takes awhile to get some balance restored. To use sustainable methods, you have to know more and observe more.
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=157520&highlight=natural+gardening#157520
Here's how I summarized the gardening styles you are talking about, in that thread:
conventional - monoculture ( a field that is all one crop, e.g. corn), plowing, synthetic fertilizer, chemical herbicides and pesticides
organic - monoculture, probably still plowed/ tilled, compost / manure/ compost tea, hand weeding or things like vinegar, citrus for herbicide, Bt and things like garlic-pepper spray for pesticide
ecological/ natural - no monoculture, no tilling, composting in the field, mainly using only what comes from the field and mulch and cover crops, companion planting, trap crops, interplanting, beneficial insects, etc
You could also call ecological/ natural style sustainable. That it is works on having no inputs from outside the property and wasting nothing. Usually includes diverse systems with maybe chickens or fish or other animals, where the garden feeds the animals and the animal wastes feed the garden.
You might look at the difference between this and organic gardening as non-interference. In other words, the chemical gardener sees a bug in the garden and reaches for a bottle of poison spray. The organic gardener sees a bug in the garden and reaches for a bottle of non-poison spray. To me that IS a LOT better, but it is still interfering. The sustainable gardener plants a diversity of plants together, including things that repel insects or attract beneficial insects and works to have healthy plants and insect eating birds around, etc and then lets the system work itself out.
I agree that once you know what you are doing and have systems working, organic tends to yield more than chemical and sustainable tends to yield more than organic (though not necessarily more of ONE crop, since it is not a mono-culture, but the land would yield more food over all over the course of a year, with more different plantings through the year). But that is a big ONCE in there. If you have been a chemical gardener, the transition can be hard. They have killed off the beneficial insects and companion/trap crops, so when they stop using the poisons, all the bad guys come roaring back. Takes awhile to get some balance restored. To use sustainable methods, you have to know more and observe more.
Hot manure is very high in nitrogen and will burn your plants. Many dig manure 6-8" into the soil in the fall and let it neutralize and turn into compost. Come spring, you're ready to start your garden!Chaesman wrote: things like manure right on the garden as opposed to being processed in a compost pile I don't understand what diffrence it makes. and whey one way is organic and one way is not.
Getting started can be tough, but you will be rewarded. Good luck!
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