The truth about organic gardening is that most people think that gardening without sprays and poisons means that their vegetables and flowers will be inferior. Nothing  could be further from the truth. Organic gardening done properly can produce healthy, thriving plants that produce extremely well.

Not so long ago, organic gardening was thought of as something only practised by nuts and flower children. But now with global warming, many different “green” movements and ecology awareness it has become highly popular and mainstream.

Supermarkets have sections where  you can buy organically grown produce.  Organic vegetables, free-range eggs, unpasturized milk, natural honey and a host of other naturally produced foods fetch a higher price simply because they are organic.

This is because organic gardening requires more effort and commitment than conventional gardening.  Many gardeners simply lose patience with the first sign of a few pests. It’s so easy to get rid of unsightly bugs with a quick spray of insecticide.

Clearly, not everyone is cut out to be an organic gardener. You do need patience and you do need to be willing to learn by trial and error.  But the advantages of organic gardening are so great that it is worth every bit of effort.

What puts most people off organic gardening is the thought of being unable to use insect sprays to deal effectively with pests and diseases. But pests and diseases shouldn’t be top of mind when you start out – otherwise you’ll give up before you begin!

Don’t anticipate problems before they arise. Nature will tell you what to do if you observe your garden carefully.

The Micro-climate of your Garden
For example, the micro-climate of your garden plays a very important role in the success of your plants. The micro-climate simply put, is the local climate within your small garden – how it is affected by the trees, by the walls and by whether the sunshine reaches your garden or not.

The bottom line is that you have to learn to be observant and sensitive to nature.  Many people who live in cities don’t even know where the sun rises and sets. So don’t forget to take note of where the sun rises and sets before you plant because this will make a huge difference to the results.

Of course there is much more to working hand in hand with nature and this is only a small example. But that is the general idea.

In particular, organic gardeners don’t like using poisons and fortunately there are a number of solutions for non-toxic sprays.  I will be writing about them from time to time in my organic gardening section. Meanwhile, go to Roses and Gardens where I have given the recipes for a few safe sprays for organic gardeners.

Craft and Create - The Creative Route to Personal Development

I love home gardening- it really is a passion with me.  But there is an area of gardening that I find difficult to come to terms with – spraying for pests and diseases.

We all know that toxic sprays damage the environment.  But it damages our own gardens too. It upsets the delicate balance of nature and as a result, you find yourself having to use poisonous sprays and fertilizers more and more.

Obviously this has a toxic build-up and there are side effects. Not only are poisonous sprays dangerous to human health; they make your pets suffer too.

All this can spoil any gardening experience. And that is why I decided to join the organic gardening fraternity.

Years ago, Prince Charles got a lot of flack when people found out that he was into organic gardening. Many jokes went the rounds about how he was secretly chatting up his favourite plants. But the joke is on us!  His organic farms thrived. And now he is the one smiling his rueful “I told you so” smile as gardeners everywhere try to follow his example.

Organic gardening simply makes sense in these ecologically challenging times. And now that America too is going greener after getting involved with the Kyoto protocol we will find that environmentally friendly gardening will become more and more popular.

But I digress. I was talking about poisonous sprays.  The bottom line is that I don’t use them. I have found some great alternate methods – some really effective non-toxic sprays that are easy to make – and best of all, are completely safe for your home garden.

You’ll find several helpful and easy recipes for non-toxic sprays at Rosesandgardens.com. It’s all about growing roses and vegetables the safe, organic way.

P.S.
I just discovered a detailed online book about getting rid of pests organically – without  poisons. You  may  be interested too.  Here it is:

Organic Pest Control

Craft and Create - The Creative Route to Personal Development

Here is my tried and trusted recipe for the really Scrumptious Pumpkin Fritters that I promised you in my previous post about “The Great Pumpkin Adventure“. They turn out puffed and golden.

2 cups mashed pumpkin (500gm)
½ cup flour (125gm)
2 level teaspoons baking powder,
Pinch of salt
1 beaten egg
A little milk if the consistency is too tight.

Mix well and drop with a tablespoon into hot oil. Lightly brown both sides.
Drain on absorbent paper and serve hot with cinnamon and sugar.

Tip: I never deep fry or use too much oil. 1cm of light sunflower oil covering the bottom of the pan is sufficient.   Don’t use olive oil as the flavour is too distinctive.

Pumpkin doesn’t always have the same consistency so you may have to adjust your ingredients.  Try not to use pumpkin that is too young or watery.  If you do find that your pumpkin is a bit watery, add a little more flour.  The consistency should be firm but not sloppy.

Let me know how your pumpkin fritters turn out!

Craft and Create - The Creative Route to Personal Development

The Great Pumpkin Adventure is a success story of great magnitude. Or put another way; small beginnings lead to great results.

I’m talking about pumpkins – yes, the ordinary garden variety. And this is how it happened.

I kept a few pumpkin seeds from a really good pumpkin we had bought at the supermarket.  And like Jack and the beanstalk the day arrived when I decided to plant them. Just 6 seeds at the bottom of my garden.

Now the garden is slightly sloped so they were out of sight and I forgot about them until a few weeks later when I saw some big healthy pumpkin leaves.  It didn’t take long before yellow pumpkin flowers started to develop and soon one plant in particular began to trail down the slope bearing lots of little white pumpkins.

A few good rains and some overhead watering and the pumpkins really started to take on a life of their own.  It wasn’t too long before I began to invite visitors to see our giant pumpkin plant with its huge white pumpkins.

They are still thriving at the bottom of the garden and now each pumpkin is so huge that I need help to carry it up the slope.

I’m still giving away pumpkins to friends and family and I’ll have plenty to last through the coming winter. The joys of organic gardening!  No fertilizers beyond a little compost and certainly no toxic sprays or poisons.

Next time I’ll share my excellent pumpkin fritter recipe. They’re puffy and delicious.

Craft and Create - The Creative Route to Personal Development

Gardening is every bit as creative as any craft or hobby and it deserves to be top of the list of creative pursuits. Besides, it’s maintained its popularity for hundreds of centuries!

A beautiful home garden is one of the finest things that you can ever create. It gives you all the scope you need to express your creativity and sense of design.

Gardening has many excellent benefits too. It’s healthy because it keeps you out of doors and provides you with the best type of exercise.  It teaches you patience because not only do you have to learn to work with the seasons, you also have to wait patiently for your plants to grow. It helps you to understand and stay in tune with nature and the ecology. It encourages your sense of design.  And above all, it keeps you happy, optimistic and forward looking.

Can you think of a better hobby, craft or interest?

And by the way, gardeners are among some of the nicest, down-to-earth people I have ever met.  In fact, home gardeners belong to a particularly generous tribe of hobbyists who get pleasure from plying their guests with flowers, cuttings of favourite shrubs and home grown vegetables.

As far as I am concerned, gardening earns the highest score on my list of crafts, hobbies and interests. Let me know what you think. If you have a craft that you think deserves pride of place please write in about it (just click on “comments below”)  and if it’s really as great as you say it is, we may be able to feature it here on Craft and Create.

For ideas about organic and poison free gardening go to Roses and Gardens

Happy gardening!

Craft and Create - The Creative Route to Personal Development