Organic Gardening Catalogue (2024)

FAQs

Is organic gardening worth it? ›

One big reason to start your own organic garden is health. Organic gardening lets you control what goes on and in your plants. You'll know they're pesticide-free because you won't be using synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. This makes sure your food isn't just fresh—it's safe.

One of the primary practices of organic gardening is to continually build the health of the soil by adding organic matter in the form of compost, mulch or by growing cover crops.

Organic gardening helps to prevent a loss of topsoil, toxic runoff, water pollution, soil contamination, soil poisoning, death of insects, birds, critters and other beneficial soil organisms, as well as eliminating pesticide, herbicide, and fungicide residues on food from synthetic fertilizers.

Organic gardening may result in lower yields than conventional farming. This is because organic farming relies on natural processes and can be more unpredictable. Organic gardeners may experience lower yields due to weather conditions, pest infestations, or other factors beyond their control.

Are there downsides to buying organic? One common concern with organic food is cost. Organic foods often cost more than similar foods grown using usual (conventional) methods. Higher prices are due, in part, to more costly ways of farming.

Before crops can be certified organic, farmers must carefully manage their land without using prohibited inputs like synthetic pesticides for 36 months. During this transition period and during the first years after certification, farmers often face many technical and market challenges.

Organic gardening rejects the use of all artificial agricultural chemicals, including pesticides used to control insects, diseases and weeds. Organic gardeners differ concerning which, if any, naturally derived pesticides are permissible and when and how they may be used.

Foods like apples, cherries, tomatoes, grapes, berries, cucumbers and others that have a thin skin are high on the list to spend money to buy organic. That's because these foods are typically ranked as having among the highest level of pesticides when grown conventionally.

Do organic farmers use pesticides? ›

"Organically grown" food is food grown and processed using no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. Pesticides derived from natural sources (such as biological pesticides) may be used in producing organically grown food.

Organically grown foods are better for the environment due to less heavy farming methods used, which cuts pollution, but there is no significant difference in terms of taste or nutritional value.

Organic food is more expensive because farmers do not get as much out of their land as conventional farmers do. Production costs are higher because farmers need more workers. Marketing and distribution is not efficient because organic food is produced in smaller amounts.

A study from the Swedish Food Agency found that organic farming consumes less energy and uses fewer pesticides, but conventional agriculture needs less land to produce the same amount of product. As regards CO₂ emissions, no significant differences were found.

Why buy organic garden soil? Organic garden soil is free from chemical fertilizers, pesticides and other artificial ingredients that are harmful to both your health and the health of the environment. This is especially important if you're growing vegetables and herbs in your garden.