Organic gardening may not be for everyone, let’s consider why. The philosophy behind organic gardening is trying to raise vegetables with the least amount of chemicals possible. Trying to keep your plants safe from pests and everything else that wants to attack the plants you’re trying to grow. As well as not using chemicals that can eventually leach into your soil. Of course chemical free means never using anything on your garden that could be classified as a chemical linked to causing cancer. The question to the hobby gardener is how organic you are willing to go. I have done organic gardening to the max. Trying to use only all-natural, environmentally safe, trying to just keep the bugs away instead of eradicating the insect infestation completely. I have used natural herbicides, all-natural is very safe. I have used organic gardening on my orchard for peaches that would be sold at the market and on the other part, I did not. More than once I have had to really consider the results, cost, and how much yield I had from all organic. Compared to conventional gardening practices. If I didn’t tell you I wasn’t always happy with the organic way of doing things. I have to share with you what I have experienced because you could be disappointed.
I want you to enjoy your gardening and all the fun experiences that go with it. Of course, I won’t mention the work that can go into gardening. If you’re reading this I hope you’re on the way and have started to enjoy gardening for all the health benefits it can provide to you and your family. Working and feeding, pruning, and harvesting all go into making gardening one of the most enjoyable hobbies you can enjoy. Remember too, what kids don’t love playing and digging in the dirt? And never forget a good mouthful of dirt is said to help build the immune system.
Gardening doesn’t have to be an acre of toil and pain, sweat, and misery. The gardens this size require work and more work and planning. If you’re homesteading or going for self-sufficiency by growing everything from that garden. This acre is a start with another 1/4 acre potato patch beside it. But for most people, they don’t have the space, desires, or even the time to take on such a beast. More folks today enjoy small spaces and container gardens. They’re fun, they allow you to affordably get started in gardening while you can learn about organic gardening. The biggest change today for people is there is so much commercially available in the way of organic sprays and pesticides. Just open and spray. Like just getting your tomatoes off the shelf at the supermarket. Not realizing so much produce is shipped in from all over the world. You might say once you’ve realized the healthy benefits of raising your own tomatoes. It’s not about raising enough for an entire year. It’s about self-accomplishment and the enjoyment you get from growing and learning. Learning to grow the most beautiful mouth watering tomato you ever tasted. Maybe a slight exaggeration but you get the idea. I know somebody that lives in an apartment with a balcony. That balcony had one plant and they sure enjoyed those tasty tomatoes. Now today it is a gardener’s oasis with terraced planters and containers with tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers even onions. Not including the hanging planters of fresh herbs growing. All this on a small balcony where every day the gardener sits and she enjoys her glass of wine enjoying her love of gardening.
Part of the fun of gardening like any hobby is enjoying the research. What to plant and how much space you have to work with. If you have a really busy schedule don’t forget about your time to commit to your new hobby. Remember this is about your me time. It’s not about replacing the grocery store it’s not about creating something that causes pain to just think about it. This is about you, about you enjoying a new hobby. Where the rewards are physically and mentally rewarding. It’s not about taking on an endeavor that you need to spend a lot of money on. Find the fun in your gardening and watch how you grow with it. Maybe years ago you remember your neighbors or even your grandparents tending to their family gardens. Years ago large gardens were more the normal and there was a family need. Today there is not.
I recently saw a beautiful small raised bed garden in a space no larger than 8’x10’ that will yield enough that the couple will be able to do some canning. Don’t forget raised bed gardens are framed gardens where you have dumped in the soil free from weeds. Easy to maintain a lot less weeding and is just a pleasurable way to start gardening. They had beautiful tomatoes, onions, several varieties of peppers including containers of lettuce they rotated so they always have fresh lettuce. Watermelon vines were growing with fruit and even beets that looked really nice. All in a small space behind a house you would never guess even had a garden. Just something I love about small garden areas just blooming with growing vegetable plants. Another couple I know were never big into gardening. Today their house has gardens all the way around it. They love their perennials and you never know where you might see vegetable plants sprouting up. Every day at 4:00 they enjoy their cocktails and will tell you they never considered themselves gardeners. Might be extreme but they love it, they enjoy seeing the fruits of their labor and they love the hobby.
It doesn’t take a lot of space to enjoy the hobby of gardening. It’s not expensive to get started and the benefits are many. Well, I’ve got a garden to go water but next time I will share more on my experiences with gardening organically and about those folks that have found healing during these challenging times from the me time in their gardening.
Cheers
