Organic farming refers to the approach through which farmers cultivate and develop agricultural produce such as dairy products, vegetables, fruits, grains and meat. Organic farming is designed to promote water and soil preservation and lessen pollution and its effects on the environment. Farmers who cultivate organic products and rear animals do not utilize conventional techniques to prevent livestock disease, control weeds or even fertilize their soils. Organic farming refers to the process through which farmers grow their food, which is mainly done through the use of natural methods with no application of any synthetic methods.

There are various ways in which conventional farming differs from organic farming. For conventional farming, the farmers apply synthetic chemical fertilizers to improve the growth of the plants while an organic farmer would simply apply ordinary fertilizer like animal waste or compost manure to add nutrients to the soil for the plants to utilize. The conventional methods of farming advocate for the use of insecticides and pesticides to control pests and diseases while the organic method prefers the advantageous utilization of birds and insects or even disrupting the pests mating season or trapping the pests.

Conventional farming allows the use of chemical herbicides to control or eradicate weeds while organic farming recommends the rotation of crops, tilling, hand picking or mulching to control the weeds. Conventional farming techniques require animals to be given antibiotics and medicines to control disease as well as growth hormones to spur faster growth of animals. On the contrary, for organic farming, animals are given organic food. They also are given a chance to roam in the fields and the use of other preventative methods such as maintaining clean housing, a balanced diet and rotational grazing, which assist in minimizing diseases, are practiced.

Organic foods are gaining popularity as many people try to avoid the risks that are associated with conventional foods. Many people are concerned about the risks the pesticides sprayed on the crops to control pests and diseases may hinder their own children’s development. Studies have shown that organic foods reduce the risk of exposure of children to pesticides used in farming. Organic foods are also seen to be beneficial to not only the individual but also the environment as a whole. It helps by preventing pollution as well as preserving the ecosystem and the wildlife all together. Some farmers chosen organic foods because they believe they taste better, are fully flavored and juicy as opposed to the conventional foods, which only give a good psychological feeling when consumed.

The dispute opposing the consumption of conventional foods is based on their deficiency in nutrients. Studies have proved that the organic foods contain a wide range of nutrients and in various varieties. A study on organic milk discovered that there are 67 percent more omega 3 and 6 nutrients, antioxidants and vitamins than in conventional milk. Organic foods are also not modified genetically and do not contain preservatives or other additives. Organic farming is considered the best option by many people.

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If you want to make your organic vegetable garden a success, then you will have to have a long-term plan on how to do it. You will have to prepare the soil, enrich it and protect it from pests.

What makes an organic garden different from an ordinary one? There are two major differences – the use of pest control and fertilizers. How fertile the soil is depends on the amount of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus present in it. Nitrogen enhances the growth of flourishing shrubbery while phosphorus strengthens stems and roots.

The plant is protected from disease and cold by potassium, and is a requirement for each plant that is more than a year old. For traditional vegetable gardens, synthetic fertilizers involving a mixture of these three main nutrients are used to enrich the soil and enhance the growth of healthy plants. The same ingredients, however, are used in a different way for organic vegetable gardens.

Compost is a natural way to enrich soil. It can be produced easily in the backyard of your kitchen using refuse from the garden and the kitchen. Lawn cuttings, leaves, weeds, carrot tops, fruits and vegetables which are spoiled, pine needles and corn stalk are all prime candidates to form good compost. The decomposition of all the organic material in this compost heap helps to enrich the soil by producing certain bacteria and fungi which convert nitrogen to ammonia and nitrates, by a process known as nitrification. Natural deposits of phosphorous known as rock phosphates can be used as a part of the compost.

Substances such as wood ash, seaweed, rock ground potash, potash salts and tobacco stems naturally contain potassium. So you see, nature provides all three essential nutrients and this can be tapped in the form of organic gardening. A balanced amount of nutrients will go to the plants and make them healthy.

However, this organic material takes a longer time to decompose and thus it should be left for a while longer than synthetically produced fertilizer – about a fortnight beforehand is an ideal time. To raise the pH balance of the soil and make it less acidic, ground limestone can be used. Many soils don’t have magnesium, which dolomite limestone can provide. If you find that your soil is too alkaline, then use finely ground sulphur to make it more neutral and less alkaline.

The theory of pest control in organic vegetable gardening is that pests should not be completely eradicated but kept at a level where they can be managed easily. Gardeners also plant pest-resistant varieties of plants, and natural predators are used to keep the insect level manageable.

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