Organic Gardening Questions - Answers, And Quiz

Introduction to Organic Gardening Questions and Answers

Organically grown plants are not treated with chemicals, the fruits and vegetables do not contain harmful compounds that pollute the waters and the soil. Organic gardeners grow healthy and high-quality foods without using any synthetic chemicals. Organic growing methods are healthier, better for the environment, and are less expensive because there are no chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides to buy. The key to organic agriculture is great soil and compost is the main ingredient for developing rich organic soil. Add as much organic material to your soil as you can, preferably from your compost heap.

A Guide to Organic Gardening Questions and Answers

Advantages of Organic Gardening are;

Organically grown food is much healthier than chemical-treated fruits and vegetables. Plants that are grown without using pesticides or herbicides are tastier, more colorful, and healthier because the plants utilized the benefits of nutrient-dense soil.
Organically grown fruits and vegetables are much tastier because they were given more time to develop.
Organic foods have a higher content of vitamins and minerals than do conventionally produced foods.
Eating organic food is healthy for you and your family; it can get expensive to buy organically raised fruits and vegetables at the market. You can even grow organic vegetable plants in containers on your porch or build a raised garden bed in the corner of your yard.

Organic gardening means growing plants without using synthetic products like fertilizers and pesticides. Growing organic plants means your family can enjoy healthy, tasty, fresh produce free of synthetic chemicals or pesticides. Plant in an area that gets full sun, at least 6 hours a day and 8 to 10 hours is also better. Prepare the organic compost and manure for organic gardening by collecting and dumping the organic wastes from the garden and kitchen.

Below Are the Commonly Asked Questions of Organic Gardening

You may also like this: Growing Watermelons Hydroponically.

What is organic gardening and why is it important?

Organic gardening means avoiding synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Organic gardening is making healthy food, healthy soils, healthy plants, and healthy environments a priority, along with crop productivity. Organic gardeners use biological fertilizer inputs and management practices such as crop rotation to improve soil quality and build organic soil matter. By increasing the amount of organic matter in the soil, organic gardeners enhance the soil’s ability to absorb water, reducing the impacts of drought and flooding. Improving soil organic matter also helps it to absorb and store carbon and other nutrients need to grow healthy plants.

Organic gardening is the art of growing anything you plant in a yard or garden without the use of any pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. But going organic is about a lot more than simply just not using chemicals. There are an entire belief system and philosophy on how and why organic gardening at home can be beneficial. An organic home garden differs from a conventional garden because organic gardeners take care to ensure the whole ecosystem is supported naturally.

Why organic gardening is the best gardening technique?

Many gardeners prefer organic gardening methods as a way of growing lots of tasty, edible crops without the use of man-made chemicals and fertilizers. Organic growing methods are also beneficial to wildlife, as many chemicals can create an imbalance in the natural food chain of your garden.

What are the advantages of organic gardening?

This is one of the more frequently asked questions in an organic gardening topic. Organic gardening mainly helps to prevent a loss of topsoil, water pollution, soil contamination, soil poisoning, and death of insects, and other beneficial soil organisms, as well as eliminating herbicide, pesticide, and fungicide residues on food from synthetic fertilizers.

By adding natural organic components and regularly tending to soil, organic gardens thrive in a nutrient-rich bed that produces non-toxic hardy bounties of fruits, vegetables, and blooms to enjoy. An increase in added organic matter to the soil when preparing it for planting also reduces soil erosion over time.

Organic gardening has two main benefits;

Firstly, it allows you and your family to reduce the consumption of pesticides in daily food intake. With the perfect intake of fruits and vegetables, it decreases the number of toxic chemicals that we intake in our day to day life.

Secondly, organic gardening helps you to contribute your part in saving the environment from toxic chemicals. Organic gardening means that you won’t be using several insecticides and fertilizers available in the market to bolster plant health. Instead, you would be using various tools to maintain the plant’s health and prevent pests from spreading.

What is the best soil for organic gardening?

This is one of the important questions in the organic gardening subject. For a healthy organic garden, you need to start with healthy soil. The most important component in the soil is the organic matter like manure, peat moss, or compost, which is the best option because it contains decayed microorganisms of previous plant life.

Prepare soil for organic gardening;

First, work in 3 to 4 inches of organic matter such as well-rotted manure or finished compost. Mulch around your garden plants with leaves, wood chips, bark, hay, or straw. Mulch retains moisture and cools the soil. Then, add at least 2 inches of organic matter each year.

Different ways to increase soil organic matter levels

Grow perennial pasture
Grow cereal crops
Grow green manure crops
Spread manure
Use organic fertilizers
Concentrate organic matter

What are the common components of an organic garden?

The most common components are compost made from natural or organic sources, beneficial organisms, and organic fertilizers like alfalfa meal, rock phosphate, etc. Organic pesticides and Non-GMO seeds are key to keeping the integrity of the garden.

How important is the soil in an organic garden?

The soil in an organic garden is very important. This is where and how the plants get their nutrients. Beneficial organisms live in healthy soil and breakdown fertilizer components into usable forms for the garden plants to uptake and use as food.

How organic plants are growing?

To feed the soil, gardeners restore the resources their gardens consume, by adding organic matter. That includes adding compost, and possibly growing cover crops called green manure that is tilled back into the soil.

How does organic farming improve soil and water quality?

Using biological fertilizers such as compost, animal manures, and legume cover crops, builds soil organic matter, even when routine tillage is used for weed control. Building soil organic matter increases soil water retention that retains nitrogen in the soil longer. Thus, improved soil quality influences the ability of plants to withstand or repel insect attack and plant disease.

The organically managed soil and its increased capacity to hold and store nutrients are also connected to water quality. Organic biological fertilizer sources release their nutrients slowly over time, providing more opportunity for the nitrogen to be digested by soil organisms and taken up by plants before leaching below the root zone. Increased soil organic matter in the soil leads to tighter nutrient cycling and greater water-holding capability, with the result that nitrate leaching from groundwater is about half that of conventionally farmed soils.

How to choose the right plants for an organic garden?

Choosing the right plants is an important part of planning an organic garden. The first step is to select what you will most likely eat and also want to keep seasonality in mind. Some cool-weather plants such as Arugula or Brussels sprouts won’t do as well during the hottest months of summer, so it is important to be sure the plants are in the right season.

Since organic gardens use holistic practices for optimal plant growth, rather than applying pesticides, instead opt for companion plants that will help thwart known pests or improve flavor. For example, Amaranth and Basil are both companion plants for tomatoes and both plants repel insects. Basil plant also improves growth and flavor as well as prevents disease.

Do organic gardeners use fertilizer?

Building healthy soil is an important key to successful organic gardening. The main advantage of organic fertilizers is that they are made from plant and animal sources, or rock powders.

Can you use too much organic fertilizer for plants?

It is possible to harm your plants with too much applying organic fertilizers. Be sure to follow label instructions. Organic fertilizers increase the biological productiveness of the soil, which increases the sustainability of the soil.

Is organic compost good for a vegetable garden?

Compost is the decomposed remains of organic materials such as leaves, kitchen scraps, and plant remains. Compost contains all the major and minor nutrients plants need to thrive and improves soil structure. The compost will add valuable nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to the soil in the garden. Organic compost contains high levels of organic matter, so it is suitable for different plants.

Compost is best made from some materials like garden cuttings and kitchen peelings and scraps, including fruit scraps, vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, stale bread, and eggshells. Do not use meat, bones, or fat, including dairy products in compost piles these materials will not decompose quickly and also will attract insects and vermin. Compost is the best organic fertilizer and also key to any organic gardening program.

What fertilizers are best in an organic garden?

This is one of the common questions being asked in organic gardening. The beneficial organisms are the most important component in organic gardening. Once they are present items such as dry seaweed, alfalfa meal, bat guano, rock phosphate, blood meal, bone meal, compost, etc. can be added with great effectiveness.

Best examples of naturally occurring organic fertilizers are manure, slurry, worm castings, peat, seaweed, and guano. Green manure plants are also grown to add nutrients to the soil. Naturally occurring minerals like mine rock phosphate, sulfate of potash, and limestone are also considered organic fertilizers.

Why does organic food cost more?

This is very common and interesting questions asked in the organic gardening subject. Organic growing food often costs more than conventional food. Organic foods are difficult to grow as they need high involvement and more time to grow compared to conventional food. Also, lower yields of such crops and poor supply chain further increases the production cost. These production costs include cleanup of polluted water and remediation of pesticide infection.

If I put too much compost and organic fertilizer on my plant, will it die?

Too much of anything is bad for plants, even if it’s organic. A common symptom of over-fertilization is tip burn, and it has nothing to do with chemicals. It is caused by a buildup of salts, which are just as present inorganic fertilizers. When over-applied, these salts will leach the moisture out of a plant and result in that burned appearance on the plant leaves and, in extreme cases, plant death. Also, excess nitrogen, which can come from applying too much compost, can lead to plant burning and even death.

What material does a container need to be for organic gardening of food?

While things like fertilizer and pesticides need to be taken into consideration with organic gardening, there’s no need to worry about the containers. One material you must avoid is treated lumber, as this contains chemicals that will leach out into the soil quickly.

Will fungicide on herbs hurt plants?

Most fungicides are designed to be used on plants, so they shouldn’t hurt the plants, whether they are organic or not. Though, not all fungicides are designed for human consumption, so you should always read the label carefully before spraying. Neem oil is a good organic pesticide and fungicide that is completely nontoxic for bees, pets, and humans, and a good go-to choice the next time you need to spray.

What is the best organic pest control for gardening?

When planning your organic garden, educate yourself on which plants repel insects, which plants invite them, and what each bug eats. For instance, ladybugs eat aphids. By inviting ladybugs into the garden you are employing a natural form of pest control and not toxic chemicals.

The best organic pest control is;

Install an electric fence
Try Bacillus thuriengensis (Bt)
Use horticultural oil
Wash plants with insecticidal soap
Get rid of slugs with iron phosphate
Use neem oil
Spray with spinosad

What are the best plant combinations for organic gardens?

Basil with tomatoes – Repels hornworms and mosquitoes
Nasturtium with squash – Helps keep squash bugs away
Tomato with asparagus – Repels asparagus beetles
Mint, thyme, and chamomile with cabbage, collards, and other greens – Discourages cabbage moths
Border of thyme or lavender – Repels slugs throughout the garden
Onions with carrots – Keeps the carrot flies away
Radish with cucumbers – Radish flowers attract cucumber beetles, so they leave the cukes alone.

What are the natural pesticides used to grow your organioc garden?

This is one of my favourate questions of organic gardening.

Neem Leaf – Neem has long been used for its medicinal properties and culinary properties. It is also known to be used in the garden as a deterrent to pests.

Salt Spray – One of the best natural ways to make pesticides at home is salt spray. Also, it will help to increase nutrition absorption. You can add some salt to the water and then stir the solution well. Add it into a spray bottle and sprinkle on the garden plants. Also, you can sprinkle salt around the base of your plants, reapplying every week.

Onion and Garlic Spray – A garlic and onion spray is one of the most versatile pesticides for use both indoors and out, on edibles and ornamentals. Chop a large onion and 4 cloves of garlic, put into a kitchen blender, and add 2 teaspoons of red pepper (cayenne or chili) or two finely chopped fresh hot peppers. Blend for a minute with 2 cups of water and let it steep overnight. Make several batches of the concentrate and then store in plastic containers in the freezer. Apply to the plants at weekly intervals until the pests are defeated.

Homemade Oil Spray for Vegetable Gardens – If your garden plants are affected by aphids, spider mites, and other crawly pests, an easy to make homemade oil spray is the answer. For making this spray we need dishwashing liquid, cooking oil, and water and it is super effective against those bugs that want to eat your vegetable plants. It’s also really safe to use and it won’t harm your plants or the foods that come from them.

In case if you are interested: How To Make Money From Organic Farming Business.

Organic Gardening Questions – Answers, And Quiz

Table of Contents