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Since organic gardening, by definition, means avoiding harsh
chemicals to control pests, weeds and diseases in your garden, care is needed
when picking products for these uses. Hand weeding and hand picking of small
insect pests and fences and barriers against larger pests are the traditional
methods used by organic gardeners, there are times when other methods make good
sense. We have found the products you need to make your disease control, weed
control, and pest control easier.
Birds, ladybugs and praying mantises are the gardener's best
friends when it comes to insect control. Birds can be encouraged into the
garden by providing a feeder, a birdbath, or by providing plants that grow
berries for them to eat.
Ladybugs are now for sale by the pint, quart or gallon. The
average-sized garden can get by on a quart or less, as there will be about
25,000 to 30,000 bugs per quart. The cost is generally less than five dollars a
quart. The average adult ladybug consumes between 40 and 50 aphids a day.
Praying mantis cases are also available and each one hatches
up to 400 young. The cost is rather nominal for a case. A few gardeners have
reported that this insect disappears rather rapidly from the garden, so you
might want to experiment with just a few to begin with. They will eat any
insect they can catch.
Get them before they start... Weeds compete with garden
plants for nutrients, space, and sunlight. Weeds can make your otherwise tidy
organic garden appear scraggly, and weeds harbor insect pests that carry
diseases. The best way to control weeds without chemical herbicides is to
prevent them from establishing themselves in your garden.
Adding a 3-inch layer of organic mulch is one of the best
methods you can use to prevent weeds.
Mulch prevents sunlight from reaching weed seeds, preventing them from
germinating. Mulch retains moisture in the soil and keeps it from compacting,
so that you can easily pull young weeds as they sprout.
You can choose bagged wood chips or shredded bark for your
garden mulch, but compost makes excellent mulch. If you use compost or other
finely textured mulch like grass clippings, replace it as frequently as once a
month, as it breaks down quickly.
If you are preparing to dig or till a new plot of exposed
earth, devote a day to removing as many weeds as possible first. Many perennial
weeds, like bindweed and thistle, spread by means of rhizomes or creeping
stems. If you leave root segments behind, your tiller could distribute these
viable plant parts throughout your garden, multiplying your weed problem a
hundredfold.
You can make the greenhouse effect work for you by baking
weeds and their seeds in the sun before you plant a barren plot. In the summer,
cut all existing weeds to ground level. Water the area thoroughly, lay a sheet
of clear plastic over the entire plot. Old shower curtain liners work well for
this chore. Pin the plastic down with metal u-shaped stakes so the wind doesn't
move the plastic sheets. If you use a single large sheet, weigh the center
portion down with rocks to prevent cooling air pockets from forming.
After 8-10 weeks, the suns radiant energy will have
sufficiently raised the temperature of the soil so that all weeds and seeds are
no longer viable. As an added benefit, solarization kills many soil-borne
diseases and pests. Your organic plot is now ready for a fall planting of cool
weather vegetables.