THE EIGHT PRINCIPLES
OF ORGANIC & SUSTAINABLE GARDENING
Always keep them in mind!
Always keep them in mind!
First Principle: Learn to work with Nature, not against Her. Grow plants in the environments and conditions to which they are best suited. Or, if the conditions suitable for the plants you want to grow do not exist, learn to create them naturally: South-facing walls at their back; use of heat, light and water harvesting techniques; etc... There are many such techniques that work with Nature -- learn what they are, and just use them!
Second Principle: Always remember -- The very foundation of everything you do is the Soil. Feed the soil, not the plant. Keep the natural processes that feed plants working by putting as much back into the soil as you take. For example, it has been proven over and over that you can grow four-five feet (or more) tomatoes plants bearing fruit by the dozen (big ones) or the hundred (cherry types) on four inches of soil (that's 4" or 10 cms). As long as it is healthy, fluffy organic soil teaming with life, kept constantly moist and aerated, the results will amaze you. The only way to get that kind of soil is called "raised beds". Use them!
Third Principle: Learn to use water, AIR and light properly. The need of germinating plants, for example, are very different from adult specimen of the same specie. Harvest and use your grey water -- but make sure you don't use toxic chemicals to wash yourself, your dishes or your clothes. Learn to "think green" in an integrated manner. And remember that AIR is actually as important for plant grow as water. Work the Soil, not the plant: Your fluffy raised-bned garden soil needs to be *aerated* as much as it needs moisture.
Fourth Principle: Integrate your gardens, and particularly your "Potager" or Vegetable Garden, to your life. That garden will actually become the prime factor in maintaining your health, and might actually save your life. Of course, if it actually does, you won't even know about it. All that will happen is that you will just see other people around you getting sick, and ultimately, die from the usual killers: Cancer, stroke or cardio-vascular diseases, immune system collapses, or if they are lucky, just wither away with chronic diseases, diabetes, obesity and finally Alzheimer's. While you continue to enjoy a happy, equilibrated and productive life.
Fifth Principle: Create "Edible Ecosystems" by promoting diversity within your Organic and Sustainable Garden, to maintain Nature's own checks and balances. Encouraging biological diversity will minimize the need for artificial pest control. In other words, mingle vegetables, and beneficial flowers, such as calendula, and herbs, particularly garlics, chives and onions, in your own little "edible urban jungles". Forget rows of crops suitable for mechanical harvesting and pesticides or herbicides applications -- you are not a conventional "farmer". Like someone said: "organically, balanced-fed plants produce their own natural pesticides, which translate into antioxidants for us. Better for the earth, better for the plant, better for us". It couldn't be said any better.
Sixth Principle: Think of the garden as a Natural Edible Ecosystem, and act accordingly! Plants as well as insects, earthworms, microscopic creatures, and other fauna are essential to the health of this system. While some insects do eat plants, natural predators and parasites can keep their populations in check. Remember that nature tolerates some damage -- the occasional chewed leaf or fruit is well worth the advantages of a healthy, productive organic garden. Plus, a healthy Organic and Sustainable Garden created and thriving in a raised bed takes a LOT less work to maintain...
Seventh Principle: Invite the right "weeds". Many plants people think of as "weeds", such as for example dandelion and several relatives of dandelion, purslane, plantain, etc, are in reality delicious potherbs as well as salad herbs when young. Learn to recognize them and cultivate them exactly like you would other plants, you will be glad you did!
Eighth Principle: Be optimistic and open-minded, but DEMAND what you need!
We are so accustomed to a situation where corporations seem so completely dedicated to poisoning us that it is sometimes hard to remember that tools, technology and commerce are not necessarily our enemies. Even standard "consumer outlets" are not necessarily condemned forever to be the conduits for toxic "food", "diet" beverages that are pure poison, GMOs, etc. In the end, what they sell us also depends on us. Sure, there is tons of advertising and manipulation "encouraging" us to do so, but, in truth, no one holds a gun to our head to force us to buy waste unfit to feed animals, and call it "food".
Technology, in particular, can be a powerful ally. To begin with, what would most of us know, if the Internet would not exist? More, and for example, the technology is there to have extremely cost-effective and totally non-polluting automated systems and even robots taking care of our gardens for us. Or at least, do for us a lot of time consuming things such as watering, seeding and even weeding. Sure, right now, such systems do not exist, except automated watering systems, but they *could* exist and be made available tomorrow.
Second Principle: Always remember -- The very foundation of everything you do is the Soil. Feed the soil, not the plant. Keep the natural processes that feed plants working by putting as much back into the soil as you take. For example, it has been proven over and over that you can grow four-five feet (or more) tomatoes plants bearing fruit by the dozen (big ones) or the hundred (cherry types) on four inches of soil (that's 4" or 10 cms). As long as it is healthy, fluffy organic soil teaming with life, kept constantly moist and aerated, the results will amaze you. The only way to get that kind of soil is called "raised beds". Use them!
Third Principle: Learn to use water, AIR and light properly. The need of germinating plants, for example, are very different from adult specimen of the same specie. Harvest and use your grey water -- but make sure you don't use toxic chemicals to wash yourself, your dishes or your clothes. Learn to "think green" in an integrated manner. And remember that AIR is actually as important for plant grow as water. Work the Soil, not the plant: Your fluffy raised-bned garden soil needs to be *aerated* as much as it needs moisture.
Fourth Principle: Integrate your gardens, and particularly your "Potager" or Vegetable Garden, to your life. That garden will actually become the prime factor in maintaining your health, and might actually save your life. Of course, if it actually does, you won't even know about it. All that will happen is that you will just see other people around you getting sick, and ultimately, die from the usual killers: Cancer, stroke or cardio-vascular diseases, immune system collapses, or if they are lucky, just wither away with chronic diseases, diabetes, obesity and finally Alzheimer's. While you continue to enjoy a happy, equilibrated and productive life.
Fifth Principle: Create "Edible Ecosystems" by promoting diversity within your Organic and Sustainable Garden, to maintain Nature's own checks and balances. Encouraging biological diversity will minimize the need for artificial pest control. In other words, mingle vegetables, and beneficial flowers, such as calendula, and herbs, particularly garlics, chives and onions, in your own little "edible urban jungles". Forget rows of crops suitable for mechanical harvesting and pesticides or herbicides applications -- you are not a conventional "farmer". Like someone said: "organically, balanced-fed plants produce their own natural pesticides, which translate into antioxidants for us. Better for the earth, better for the plant, better for us". It couldn't be said any better.
Sixth Principle: Think of the garden as a Natural Edible Ecosystem, and act accordingly! Plants as well as insects, earthworms, microscopic creatures, and other fauna are essential to the health of this system. While some insects do eat plants, natural predators and parasites can keep their populations in check. Remember that nature tolerates some damage -- the occasional chewed leaf or fruit is well worth the advantages of a healthy, productive organic garden. Plus, a healthy Organic and Sustainable Garden created and thriving in a raised bed takes a LOT less work to maintain...
Seventh Principle: Invite the right "weeds". Many plants people think of as "weeds", such as for example dandelion and several relatives of dandelion, purslane, plantain, etc, are in reality delicious potherbs as well as salad herbs when young. Learn to recognize them and cultivate them exactly like you would other plants, you will be glad you did!
Eighth Principle: Be optimistic and open-minded, but DEMAND what you need!
We are so accustomed to a situation where corporations seem so completely dedicated to poisoning us that it is sometimes hard to remember that tools, technology and commerce are not necessarily our enemies. Even standard "consumer outlets" are not necessarily condemned forever to be the conduits for toxic "food", "diet" beverages that are pure poison, GMOs, etc. In the end, what they sell us also depends on us. Sure, there is tons of advertising and manipulation "encouraging" us to do so, but, in truth, no one holds a gun to our head to force us to buy waste unfit to feed animals, and call it "food".
Technology, in particular, can be a powerful ally. To begin with, what would most of us know, if the Internet would not exist? More, and for example, the technology is there to have extremely cost-effective and totally non-polluting automated systems and even robots taking care of our gardens for us. Or at least, do for us a lot of time consuming things such as watering, seeding and even weeding. Sure, right now, such systems do not exist, except automated watering systems, but they *could* exist and be made available tomorrow.
Look for them, ask for them, and entrepreneurs will bring them to you.
Automated and, ready-made ORGANIC gardens should be something you and me should be able to order at Home Depot or Walmart, and have installed in the afternoon if we ordered them in the morning. Someday, we will!
More, there is no "Supersize Me" law on the books, that would compel fast food outlets to serve toxic waste and call it "food". In fact, anyone so inclined could start a fast food chain serving exclusively organic and functional foods and beverages, and it would quite obviously soon be a huge success. If we had the money, we'd do it. If *you* do have the money, why don't you do it yourself? And if you don't, clamor for someone to do it, and sooner or later it will come!
= = = = = = = = = =
[How01- V100-080911] The URL and permanent link for this page is :
http://optimalgardens.blogspot.com/2008/09/eight-principles-of-organic-sustainable.html
Copyright 1964-2008 OSL All rights reserved, worldwide. LICENSE IS HEREBY GRANTED to all to freely link to or to reproduce this page by any means of one's choice, virtual or physical, and to republish it, including in a compilation, etc, as long as the entirety of the page is NOT MODIFIED in any manner (except of course your location if you are publishing a community. This includes the present copyright notice and license, and the permanent link (permalink URL) or “web address” of the page, and is granted as long as reproduction is not part of a commercial venture, that is, as long as you do not charge for it in any way, be it directly, or indirectly. Commercial licenses available from the copyright holder."
===========================================
WEB DESIGNERS - GRAPHICS ARTISTS -CODERS -SEO & MARKETING -Etc:
If you wish to volunteer to help us set up specialized websites and particularly complex portal sites using the present material and more, presented in a more graphic way, and complemented with multimedia material, we need you! Software such as like of Drupal or Joomla, more advanced forms of Wordpress, etc, is the way to go, so please contact us, you will be very welcome! We already have the hosting, and quite a few domains, all we need is your elbow grease! ;)===========================================
WEB DESIGNERS - GRAPHICS ARTISTS -CODERS -SEO & MARKETING -Etc:
If you wish to volunteer to help us set up specialized websites and particularly complex portal sites using the present material and more, presented in a more graphic way, and complemented with multimedia material, we need you! Software such as like of Drupal or Joomla, more advanced forms of Wordpress, etc, is the way to go, so please contact us, you will be very welcome! We already have the hosting, and quite a few domains, all we need is your elbow grease! ;)===========================================
Posts
