People interested in gardening often think their new hobby will require a trip to the local garden center to purchase fertilizer out of a bag. They think they will need to purchase pesticides to keep aphids from eating their plants. However, there is a better way. Keep reading to discover three key differences between conventional gardening and organic gardening.
1. Fertilizer
Conventional gardening involves using a fertilizer with synthetic nutrients. These synthetic nutrients may facilitate rapid plant growth at first, but they’re not good for your soil or health. In fact, synthetic fertilizer is devastating to the soil. Specifically, synthetic fertilizers that are rich in nitrogen are terrible for the microbiological diversity of soil. Also, you should be aware that some nitrogen-based fertilizers can stunt plant growth due to extreme soil acidification.
On the other hand, organic fertilizer is incredibly beneficial for the soil and your health. For instance, it increases the amino acids found in plants significantly. In other words, the plants you grow with organic fertilizer will have more of the essential building blocks you need! However, this isn’t just good for your health: it’s also great for the health of your soil just as Heirloom Gardening. It helps the soil retain moisture and nutrients so plants can grow stronger and healthier.
2. Pest Control
Conventional gardening involves spraying synthetic pesticides on plants to kill insects and other pests. However, these pesticides are absorbed by the plants that you will one day serve your family for dinner. This isn’t good for your health or the health of your loved ones.
Luckily, there are natural solutions to keeping pests at bay. For instance, growing garlic will keep away spider mites, fleas, aphids, and Japanese beetles. Rosemary and sage are great for repelling carrot flies, cabbage moths, and bean beetles. Radishes keep away stink bugs, cucumber beetles, and squash bugs. There are also natural sprays you can use to protect against fungi, insects, and mites.
3. Weed Control
Conventional gardening also uses synthetic herbicides to keep weeds at bay. However, these synthetic chemicals aren’t healthy. Luckily, there are several ways to kill weeds in your yard without resorting to harmful herbicides. Pulling weeds by hand is a great way to keep your plant beds free from weeds. However, if you’ve already gotten in your exercise for the day and you don’t feel like bending over to pull weeds, you still don’t have to resort to herbicides.
You can kill weeds with vinegar by spraying a solution of white vinegar, table salt, and organic pure Castile liquid dish soap onto unwanted weeds. Just be sure to cover up the plants you intend to grow. White vinegar contains 5% acetic acid which sucks the water out of any plant that doesn’t have waxy leaves.
There are many disadvantages of conventional gardening, including damage to the soil due to artificial fertilizer, pesticides, and herbicides. Making the effort to control weeds without herbicides, avoiding the use of pesticides, and adding nutrients to the soil naturally are great ways to protect your health and improve the efficacy of the soil.
