Some tips and suggestions for starting organic gardening

A friend of mine has retired recently and is looking to start an organic garden. Obviously I think this is fabulous news and I thought to help out RM I would write a few tips and suggestions for starting an organic garden.

I have been an organic gardener for some years now. My early attempts at garden design were poor and a mish mash of ideas thrown together. However I have learnt from my mistakes, increased my knowledge and skills and now have a rather good garden. There are still challenges though.

The best part of gardening is not just playing in the dirt or watching a seed grow into rock melon, carrots or potatoes etc or the satisfaction of growing my own food. It is not the therapeutic value of being outside or physically active. And it is not reducing my carbon footprint and reducing food miles, chemical usage and other damage to the environment. It is eating it!!! Oh, and sharing it with friends and family. Nothing is as delicious as home grown organic salads or roast vegetables or whatever your fancy is.

One of my favourite magazines is “Organic Gardener”. A bi-monthly magazine dedicated to...you guessed it, organic gardening. I love going through it many times over the two months, reading and re-reading articles. I have kept nearly all my copies and refer back articles over and over again.

Some other good mags are ‘Grass Roots’, ‘Warm Earth’ and ‘Earth Gardener’. Grass Roots has been around for over 20 years. These magazines not only cover gardening but also keeping livestock – chickens, goats, cows etc, making your own yoghurt, butter, jams, tools. They have also covered things like mud brick and are focussed on self sufficiency in general as opposed to organic gardening specifically.

Herronswood is fantastic for organic seeds, bulbs, plants and fruit trees. Their quarterly catalogue now also has a few articles on gardening, self sufficiency and the environment. I have been a member for years and have never had a problem with their seeds or trees being sent to me. I also like Eden Seeds and the Seed Saver network is well worth a look for seeds. All are organic and heritage seeds.
If you are after heritage fruit trees don’t forget the Collingwood Children’s Farm. Once a month they have a farmers market. A pretty good time to check out some of their stock and find some unique and rare heritage saplings.

And don’t forget that once your organic garden is up and running you can save your own seeds. Plus you can exchange seeds with other organic gardeners. Seeds can also be collected from organic fruit and vegetables purchased in your local supermarket.

Just a heads up too. When you go the local supermarket and buy fruit and vegetables that are not organic remember to wash them thoroughly. Not only are chemicals used to spray fruit and veg in the orchards and farms but they are also sprayed with more harmful chemicals to preserve them between the time they harvested and sold to you.

Personally, I have great reservations that washing regular fruit and vegetables is enough to make them safe to eat. Surely the chemicals must seep into the fruit and vegetables. Or is that just my scepticism?

Composting is one the most important aspects of organic gardening. Previously I have mentioned the fabulous Bokashi bin. It’s beautiful nectar is every bit as good as liquid seaweed or worm ‘juice’ (the liquid run off from the worm farm). I have all three - two active compost heaps, a worm farm and a Bokashi bin. All recycling my garden and kitchen scraps into lovely fertiliser for my garden.

Permaculture is now becoming a popular gardening method. It is a key component of the Transition Town initiatives that are popping up all over the place. Bill Mollison is considered not only the foremost authority on Permaculture but is also the founder. There are a number of courses available in Permaculture design. Permaculture Solutions in Heathmont is pretty good and offers a range of other services and advice. Their website is http://www.permaculturesolutions.com.au

I love my chickens. These little girls are a fantastic addition to my pet family and are very helpful in weeding the garden and tilling the soil. Their poo is fantastic for the garden. It adds wonderful nutrients to your garden beds. Plus there are the fresh eggs. Oh my goodness the golden yolked loveliness! My cakes are heaps better since I started using the organic eggs from my girls. And added advantage is that I have been selling my surplus eggs to friends and neighbours. The little bit of cash I get goes to buying their feed and bedding.

Apart from the magazines and websites I have suggested above I have listed below some of my favourite books. I am a big reader so I have collected a few books and as with my magazines they are well read and referred to often.

The Permaculture Home Garden by Linda Woodrow
A Slice of Organic Life by Sheherazade Goldsmith (with a foreword by Stephanie Alexander)
The Australian Fruit and Vegetable Garden by Clive Blazey and Jane Varkulevicius (from Herronswood)
Successful Organic Gardening by David R Murray
Garden Feast by Melissa King