What Does Organic Gardening Mean?
ndeed, what is organic gardening? Chemically, organic matter is matter with carbon atoms in it-naturally occurring materials. The term "synthetic" refers to any material that is produced in a laboratory, rather than in a living thing. "Organic Gardening" literally means not using synthetically produced items in the garden. The USDA has specific definitions for organic products, commercially grown, but there is no definition of "organic" for home gardeners. The entire issue is fairly murky-with many people saying that "industrially produced" organic food items are no more healthy for the environment than other commercially produced items.
At the heart of the organic gardening movement, and the philosophy behind organic gardens is seeing the garden as more than just an isolated plot of land, but rather a piece of a larger ecosystem. A garden is part of a larger ecosystem, whether the gardener views it that way, or not. You could say that a garden that is cared for organically is more in harmony with the rest of its surroundings. Inputs are carefully considered, not just for their effects on the target plant or pest, but on the surrounding environment as a whole.
Gardening Naturally
As author and professor Jeff Gillman writes in his well-received new book The Truth about Organic Gardening, the term "gardening naturally" is more descriptive than the term "organic gardening." Gardening naturally describes actions taken to help a garden exist in balance with the ecosystem surrounding the garden. Organic gardening and gardening naturally starts with the soil. The soil is the most important part of successful gardening. Organic gardeners spend much time adding organic matter-compost, grass clippings, shredded leaves, mulches-to the soil, which improves soil structure, soil fertility and adds beneficial microorganisms to the soil. Many of the synthetic inputs that conventional gardeners use are necessary because the soil has not been replenished and is devoid of nutrients.
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