Growing organically

Edwardia

In previous years, I have tried to garden organically. In March 2012 my husband and I switched to organic, wild and additive free food. This year, therefore I'm determined to grow everything 100% organically.

The back garden is small and mostly paved. Nevertheless we have altered it and only one honeysuckle remains that was here when we moved in (Hall's Prolific). We've added a fig tree, standard bay tree in planter, standard oleander, eucalyptus in planter, passionflower, two standard olive trees and an olive tree (well bush) plus lavender, mint, chives and pinot noir vine.

From May-September the indoor plants get a staycation - kentia palm, ficus benjamina, yucca, Madagascar dragon tree, banana plant, mother-in-law's tongue, money tree, peace lily,and a draceana of some sort.

My first question is am I likely to encounter extra probs when using organic feed and fertilisers ?

Usually I grow basil, rocket, parsley, sage, borage plus some veg or fruit - in the past chilli peppers, dandelions (in a grow bag for salads), globe artichoke, runner beans, lettuces, salad leaves, rhubarb and curry plant.

In previous gardens I've had apples, plums, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, gooseberries, cucumbers and potatoes.

I found biodegradable cow pots from The Range reduced from 6.99 to 3.49 http://www.therange.co.uk/6-cell-cow-pots-3/grow-your-own/the-range/fcp-product/53259. Got some organic liquid fertiliser fom Lidl 1.49 and have ordered Burgon & Ball organic tomato fertiliser and veg and salad fertiliser from Ocado

My second question is can I still use the blood and bone I had before now I'm being stricter ?

I'd love to read other gardeners' experiences of organic gardening. Please feel free to post anything about organic gardening on this thread

Thanks in advance

sobie

1) Did you use organic compost for your planters? many composts contain all sorts of additives & chemical fertilisers.

2) Fish, Blood & bone is organic. But don't use it if you grow your veg for any body who is vegetarian.

3) don't use water retaining crystals (silca gel)

Your main problem for the first few years will be dealing with pests and diseases organically, just use plenty of netting (Fine Cabbage fly netting is best) and be really vigilant.

Funky_Bold_Ribena

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/guidelines/contents.php

lindseykim13

I don't go to the extremes of checking my compost-although i rarelt buy any anyway as have 3 compost bins. But i do grow without using any chemicals or pesticides at all. I use the organic slug pellets and only net my crops if need be. However you do loose a lot more to pests as you don't have much defence.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

I do.


Unfortunately, this meant I had next to nothing last season, due to the poor weather - plants growing as they were supposed to, rather than being pushed along, meant that they weren't robust enough to stand up to the weather.

Pests weren't anything much as like the problem I had expected, but that was due in the main to the wasps' nest a garden or so down meaning they helped themselves to pretty much anything they could find.

The slugs were initially guided into yeast traps (cheaper than beer), but the sheer weight of numbers due to the weather meant this was unfeasible in the end. Slug pellets were a complete no-no for me.

Snails weren't as bad - and they can fly into the garden of the house with the brat who climbs over the wall to get get his ball without permission and landed in the veg patch without fail every time. :whistle:



However, my one success was the worm breeding programme. If you don't count the unscheduled sunflower forest erupting.


There should be some quite good compost ready for this year, assuming the mouse population hasn't exploded as I suspect it has done.



Basically, the soft fruit was a disaster, the tomatoes were a disaster, the courgettes, the peppers, the chillis, the salad veg - the broad beans were OK, the French beans didn't last beyond the first flush, the peas failed - the potatoes had to be harvested before the blight got them, so they were lovely, but only a few (the just in case ones that were left were hit four days later), the carrots, radishes, leeks, cabbages, swedes, beetroot, Jerusalem artichokes - I've never had such a degree of failure before. There was just nothing I could do to stop it, throughout the entire season.

The most successful things were the cherry tree (which hasn't produced a single blossom this season so far) and the edible flowers.


I do seem to have a surviving patch of fennel, parsley and coriander, however. And water mint, spear mint, sage and rhubarb seem to be quite happily coping in their respective pots.



Now, I recognise that this was mostly due to the poor weather, but perhaps I could have got some crops to make it through the season had I not had to resow several times, or seen them still struggling to reach maturity by the end of the season.



I'll not be using chemical this year, either, but I'm not counting on anything surviving.

tori.k

have a look at companion planting there is loads on the subject, we don't use chemicals because of the ducks but most of my raised beds are caged also, also helps to encourage beneficial insects so don't be too tidy bundle up some old bamboo canes for the ladybird to over winter, pile up some old logs in a corner of the garden and let nature take it course

Leif

I have planted a herb bed, and I will be sowing various side beds with wild flowers, the idea being to attract beneficial insects. I don't know how close the wild flowers have to be to the food crops to be of benefit, but I assume if the place is crawling with insects, they will easily stray 5m.

From what I have seen organic fertilisers often take longer to break down, so they are slower release.

I used slug pellets last year after everything but the perpetual spinach was eaten. According to Which trials the organic slug pellets are just as effective, not that I trust Which.

The wood pile is a good idea. It will also attract birds, some of which eat insects, and interesting fungi. Plus the resulting humus is good for the garden.

Kirri

^ I've tried a lot of companion planting but can't say I notice much improvement in pest control!

I have an allotment (full size in old terms - lots of people only take on half at the site I'm at) and grow everything as natural as poss. I grow a huge variety of veg/fruit/herbs/flowers.

Last year was fairly bad though due to weather, seeds didn't germinate, so much didn't grow, not enough bees around in the rain, first the drought then the floods... every year I've had different issues.. but I get enough out of it.

Most winters I have a lot of veg stored, squashes, potatoes, onions etc but hardly anything this year. I have stuff in the freezer but didn't get the amount of beans I usually have - one winter I didn't buy any veg for myself, just lived off stored stuff... bit dull though.

Though at the moment it's too wet and too cold - some of last year's potatoes are still in the ground (though I read that happened to Riverford too so don't feel too bad myself now!). Things didn't get cleared at the end of last season either and with the freezing weather nothing has been planted or over wintered either. Even the few broad beans in over winter died in the snow/wet ground.

REALLY annoyingly there are 3 plot holders reasonably close who use weedkiller without a thought.

I've tried the organic slug pellets but for me personally I don't even like killing slugs - admittedly I do tend to throw them off my plot, mainly onto plots who annoy me by not cutting back their weeds

Have lots of compost bins too.

Worst issues are:
Weeds - from other plots with lazy owners
Raspberry bettle (I tried the hanging trap - think someone stole it..)
Pea moth - though fine netting of peas worked fairly well
Caterpillars on broccoli - just had to try and wash off not successfully garlic spray didn't work and ditto with..
Black fly on runner beans, tried washing off with hose...
Carrot fly - again under mesh and growing above 60cm improved things but still not 100%
Pigeon attacks - all brassicas have to be under netting but sadly bird got stuck in netting and died so I don't like using netting but sort of have to

Would love to learn more organic pest tips.

Has anyone been to Ryton? There used to be one in Kent too but think it got shut/taken over.

I've bought seeds from the garden organic website, cheap and quick service, can recommend. I don't have all organic seeds though, is a bit of a mix.

Edwardia

Thanks for all the replies !

sobie - I had no idea that composts other than stuff like Miracle Gro compost, would contain additives. I looked this morning and I don't have much compost left and no seed compost. I'll put the compost I have left as mulch on a non-food bed.

I had been using blood & bone stuff as fertiliser but OH cheerily informs me he mixed it with Growmore to save space in the shed so I'll give that to my mother for her gardener.

Jojo - wow that's what I call a bit of a disaster and Kirri seems you get lots of pests too Do you sow seeds outside ? I always start mine off in the kitchen.

I'm feeling really lucky as my pests are generally slugs and ants (go for the grapes and figs). Surprisingly I haven't had probs with birds eating them, maybe because I'm in a town ?

Leif - I got some organic slug pellets as they are my main pest and my garden isn't big enough to be using piles of salt.

I put leaves in black bags to start rotting over winter, then they'll go in my mother's compost heap.

tori.k - ducks I lurve ducks and geese I had three ducks and a pair of geese as a kid. Lucky you ! Do the ducks lay eggs ?

lindsaykim13 - must admit I put food waste out for collection by council which is then composted on a local farm. It's sold for 2.50 but judging by the number of pizza boxes I see in the recycling in my road, I wouldn't want to grow anything in composted fast food eww.

My mother keeps telling me to investigate compost more. My garden is much smaller than an allotment though and I don't want the smell. Do they ?

Funky Bold Ribena - love the username, thanks for the link !

Edwardia

B&Q www.diy.com has a thing called The B&Q Club which is free to join. Currently, membership gives 20% off all plants, seeds, bulbs, indoor/outdoor pots, planters and hanging baskets, in-store.

I noticed that B&Q has joined up with Suttons Seeds to offer an online shop. www.growingwithsuttons.diy.com Putting organic in the search engine produced two pages of herb and vegetable seeds and p&p for seed orders is 1.50. I hope that B&Q will be carrying the organic seeds instore too so I can get 20% off

Because we don't have a big garden and because most of it is paved, I have grown a lot of things in pots. I tend to grow different things each year too so maybe that helps re: pests ?

Kirri

Edwardia - I sow some seeds outside, depends what it is but my parents have a greenhouse so lots of stuff can get started off in there. Don't think there's much to stop the pests, they will find it whatever.. and I'm in surburbia but the birds seem to congregate on the allotment.. but I do feed them anyway, just wish they'd concentrate on the seed and not my plants! Sparrows love chard too, it's not just the pigeons. I don't tend to net strawberries but if it's very dry they did have a bit of a go at them too. I also don't net the blackcurrant bush as although I find the pigeons in it it produces far more blackcurrants than I need.

Compost bins don't really smell that much - put lots of brown stuff in, card, paper etc as well. Might be worth seeing if your local Council supply them - I got one free from mine and they delivered it.

Who is also growing wild flowers to help the bees?? Don't forget Soil Assoc were giving away seeds. Co-op gave away bee friendly flower seeds last year too - they grew well. I grew a small strip so can be fitted in anywhere.

Heinz have free tomato seeds on fb at the mo (though not org ones!).