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Handy Rodale Organic Gardening Tips

At the Rodale Institute of Organic Gardening, Paul Hepperly has long discussions with organic gardening enthusiasts. He is a seasoned organic gardener with immense knowledge on the topic. Paul helps gardeners to get into organic gardening and gives them ideas on how to be successful and get good yield.

 

According to the experts at the Rodale Institute dark soil is favorable for organic gardening as it is rich in compost and it has a better ability to retain water. These are two favorable conditions for plants to grow well. On the topic of soil, the institute believes that soil that is hard and forms lumps is not favorable; however soil that forms soft mud balls instantly is very good. They institute also requests organic gardeners to add compost to their crops 3 to 4 times a year.

 

Rodale also believes that organic gardeners do not need to make huge investments in their gardens. Gardeners need not purchase fancy equipment and tools in order to get started. The basic tools will suffice. Gardeners can also improvise on tools that they do not have.

 

A practice that all organic gardeners must practice is to avoid walking on the soil. This compresses the soil and reduces the nutrients in it. In order to avoid damaging the plants gardeners must keep planks in the garden area and walk on them. Gardeners need to practice this even when they are harvesting their produce.

 

Gardeners believe that all bugs are bad; however this is not true. Certain bugs have a positive impact on the bad bugs and they help to get rid of the insects in the garden area. Insects like ladybugs, praying mantis and wasps help to get rid of other insects that destroy crops.

 

Organic gardeners must avoid using herbs as pesticides. It is best to spray bugs with vinegar or with soap solution. Salt water solutions are equally effective. This helps to eradicate insects from the crops. If you are spraying the plants with a soap solution then you must wash the soap off the plants after a few minutes by watering the plants. In this manner gardeners can get rid of insects that may destroy their produce.

 

Gardeners that grow vegetables patches must plant a few flower saplings in between the vegetable plants. This will help to get rid of the insects that get drawn to the vegetable plantations. Sunflowers in between a vegetable patch will make the garden look beautiful. In addition to this the flowers will also attract birds that will help to get rid of the worms from the plants. So planting flowers in vegetable gardens is a win-win situation. In this way the gardens will support biodiversity.

 

Hepperly believes that there is a lot to gain by working with nature. The force of nature is strong and one must not work against it but must work in conjunction with it in order to gain benefits from Mother Earth. The Institute strongly believes that everyone needs to live in love and harmony with nature and avoid trying to control it or manipulate it.

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