What is Organic Gardening? We need to start with "The Dirt on Soil".

What exactly is Organic Gardening? 

The simple answer is that organic gardeners don't use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides on their plants. But gardening organically is much more than what you don't do. When you garden organically, you think of your plants as part of a whole system within nature that starts in the soil and includes the water supply, people, wildlife and even insects. An organic gardener strives to work in harmony with natural systems and to minimize and continually replenish any resources the garden consumes.

Good soil is the foundation of a successful garden.  Good soil is not just dirt, it is the storehouse of the nutrients plants need to grow healthy.  It also contains organic matter in the form of remains of plants and animals that lived there.  Most importantly it is composed of many living creatures ranging in size from large worms and beetles to small bacteria and fungi.  To grow healthy vegetables you need many different nutrients.  To accurately evaluate your soil's nutrient content, you need to have it tested.  The ultimate test of any soil is the condition of the plants growing in it. 

Gardeners can do a lot to improve their soil.  If the soil is too acidic or not acidic enough you can add limestone or peat moss to change this.  You can add greensand or phosphate rock or other nutrient sources if the soil is deficient in nutrients.  But if the soil doesn't have good structure...it is not something you can fix.  You will have to hire this work out to the worms. 

Well structured soil is crumbly, a lot like leftover chocolate cake crumbs.  Some of the most important organisms to get your soil into good shape are worms.  As they mulch their way through soil worms ingest clay, silt, and sand particles as well as bits of organic matter.  These nutrient rich ingredients are expelled as water soluble granules called castings.  The castings help make the soil more granular, which helps create soil capillaries and spaces that improve soil structure while allowing air and moisture to flow.  Worms also make tunnels that permeate the topsoil , allowing easy water access.  The best way to make worms welcome in your garden is to mix plenty of compost into your soil. 

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