What can you find here?

The main feature is a practical guide on the art of growing vegetables with organic methods. It provides all the basic knowledge that you need to successfully grow your own vegetables.

If you wonder about the usefulness of my methods - check out my vegetable garden.



What is organic vegetable gardening?

The principal difference between the organic method and the chemicals and poison approach, which is so popular today, is that the organic gardener is more concerned about the quality of the soil. The organic gardener strives for a dark, rich and crumbly soil that retains moisture and releases nutrients slowly at the rate that plants can absorb them.

The most important element of the organic method is to add plenty of organic matter to the soil. During the biological breaking down of this material nutrients are released slowly and humus, gels and other substances that improve the structure and other properties of the soil are formed. To preserve the good biological processes in the soil (and not to poison themselves) organic gardeners do not engage in chemical warfare against weeds and pests. Instead they rely on cunning and wits (actually it is not that hard to outsmart snails and earwigs).

What good is it?

If well managed there is little difference in yields between organic and "nonorganic" gardens, but organic gardens tend to be more forgiving. I you water too much or spread the fertilisers unevenly the punishment will be smaller in an organic garden. The organic method is a buffer against less professional garden practices although not against laziness.

There isn't much evidence that vegetables produced in organic gardens are safer and promote human health better than those produced with chemical fertilisers, toxic weed killers and pesticides. The major benefits are that the organic gardener does not put the environment and it's biological diversity at risk and that organic vegetables taste and store better. Thus, friends of the natural environment, gourmets and all of us that simply enjoy crisp and tasty carrots have equally good reasons to go organic.

www.frideen.com/vegetables.htm
vegetables@frideen.com
Last major update 2004-12-10
Copyright© Anders Frideen