Organic Gardening: Going Natural
Though there is no scientific evidence that the use of organic fertilizers would produce better tasting produce, most organic gardeners would beg to differ. One might agree that with the notion that we are ingesting too many chemicals from our foods, limited use of chemical fertilizers may produce better tasting and higher quality produce. The use of organic compost as a replacement for chemical fertilizers is one of the more common way to fertilizer your crop. Other alternatives include the use of teas derived from plants, such as compost tea. The use of organic matter also replenishes the soil by increasing the organic content.
Organic gardeners use of natural pesticides stems from concerns over pesticide residues on food, groundwater and in the soil. Many reports have linked a large number of health problems to exposure to pesticides, which has many consumers and producers moving toward organically grown produce.
So how does one combat garden pest naturally? First and foremost is healthy organic soil, which produces healthy plants that can fight garden pest on their own.
Other organic pest control products rely on extracts from plants, such as oranges and lemons. D-Limonene, which is the active ingredient in citrus oils, kills many flying and crawling insects on contact. Destroying the insect’s respiratory systems, an insect basically suffocates.