Gardening has long been for many of our compatriots not just a hobby, but a way to get environmentally friendly vegetables for their table. In addition, many in their household plot simply usefully spend time combining agriculture and landscape design. But at the same time, one should not forget about new trends in gardening, which include organic farming. Where to start work and what is organic farming in general?
Introduction to the topic
Any modern horticultural publication says a lot about what organic farming is. Where to start and what does this concept mean? Everything is simple. Today it is hardly possible to find a person who would not hear about the dangers of pesticides and herbicides, but the percentage of use of these substances is reduced very slowly.
And if in industrial conditions, where the cultivated areas are huge, their use is understandable, and under certain conditions justified, then in a personal farm they should not be abused. Many believe that the use of chemicals should be completely abandoned.
Do not use chemicals!
Adherents of such views advocate natural farming based on the use of only natural fertilizers and parasite insect repellents. Herbicides fall under a complete ban, as special agricultural technology is proposed instead: wide aisles, narrow and easily accessible for weeding ridges.
But the main thing is that all gardeners who adhere to organic soil cultivation methods are encouraged not to dig the land at all. This is what characterizes organic farming. So where to start and what to do?
Getting started
But how can you not dig the soil at all? How can one seamlessly switch to this technique from traditional farming? Indeed, many of us firmly confirmed in our memory that digging the soil is the key to its fertility.
Do not be afraid to experiment! First try not to use a shovel. Change it to forks: natural organic farming gives you the unique opportunity not to dig up anything, but only to loosen the soil in spring. Also, purchase a plane cutter to handle weed spacing.
We make beds
Align the beds and the spaces between them according to the formula 1: 2. Beds with a width of 40 cm with row spacing of 80 cm are optimal. Since the beds themselves will be in this place constantly, after a couple of years they will not have to be digged at all: humus will accumulate in the soil, it will become soft and loose.
Start mulching the aisles. For this, weed grass, sawdust, peat and humus are used. This can be done throughout the year, as the weeds sprout. First, you can select only a small area where only organic farming will be used. Where to start the transition to it in a more global sense?
Waste - to income!
If you live in a private house, then it is unforgivably stupid to refuse to use kitchen waste. Where do you usually go peeling potatoes, from cutting fruits and vegetables? How and where do you remove food debris in the form of old soups, cereals and the like? Surely you throw it away, but you can make an excellent natural fertilizer out of all this - compost!
This is a unique fertilizer that is not in vain loved by those gardeners who advocate organic farming. Where to start manufacturing it? First you dig a hole (size - depending on the amount of waste) with a depth of about 50-60 cm. Fill it with straw, weeds and other garbage. You can use wood dust. In the same ditch, you begin to drain liquid food waste. In the hot season, the compost pile should be moistened from time to time.
As a rule, fertilizer is ready in two to three years. As we already said, compost can also be used as mulch. In addition, in autumn, the surface of the ridges is covered with it, and in spring this layer is gently loosened with a pitchfork.
Siderata - “our everything”!
Do you know what manure can replace? Three legume crops are equivalent to one serving of manure. This is the meaning of another key concept of organic farming. We are talking about siderates. So-called crops that are planted before or after sowing the main seed material, and then plowed into the ground.
Since in our case we agreed to do without digging the soil, the vegetation is simply crushed and slightly loosened with a pitchfork. In autumn, it’s even simpler: a layer of beautiful foliage is simply poured on the siderata. In the spring, it is held until stable frosts disappear, and then they are removed. By that time, all the plants are already crossbreeding and will turn into an excellent fertilizer.
What is the meaning of siderata? As we have already said, three such seeding of alfalfa or clover are equivalent to the introduction of one portion of manure. Legumes absorb nitrogen from the air, which other cultures do not know how to do. In addition, their tissues contain many micro and macro elements that will be perfectly absorbed by cultivated plants. In a word, a rich harvest will be guaranteed to you!
Some Potato Tips
The above can equally well be used for all vegetable crops that are grown in our climate zone. Their high yields will always guarantee organic farming. Potatoes, which in our country have long had the well-deserved fame of “second bread,” can also be grown using some “organic” methods.
Surely at least one of our gardeners knows the situation when there is simply no one to plow the garden. The area is rather big, and the fuel and tractor are expensive. In this case, you can grow potatoes under the straw. This technology in our country is relatively new, but has already managed to deservedly become very, very popular.
To get a rich harvest, you first need to treat the surface of the soil with a plane cutter, loosening the top 5-6 cm of soil. You can lay the same layer of compost. Attention! Compost should completely overdo, as otherwise it will vomit, and the potato tubers will simply rot.
At an equal distance from each other (30-40 cm), tubers are laid, after which they are covered with a layer of straw (about 30 cm). As soon as the tops of potatoes begin to dry in the fall, simply remove the straw and collect the tubers. Simple, fast, without crippling lower back work.
Cucumbers
By the way, what about cucumbers? Organic farming allows you to get high yields of this crop as well. It’s not difficult to do this.
Ever heard of a warm bed? In our case, we will have to do its analogue. On top of the ridges, lay a layer of tops, food waste and other organics, and then cover with a film. Until freezing occurs, the mixture will warm up and partially rot.
In the spring, remove the film, and lay about 0.3 m of land on a layer of rotted plant debris. Plant cucumbers. In the autumn, loosen the resulting pile with a pitchfork, plant residues can again be laid on the obtained fertile layer, but it is better to use it for growing some other crops next year.
This is what real organic farming is. Tomatoes can be grown in exactly the same way. In both cases, it is best to use a film to shelter cucumbers or tomatoes from early frosts and morning spring cold weather - this will allow you to get a really impressive crop that you will never forget!