Going Organic
Getting an organic garden started and helping it to flourish is easier than you might suspect, and it’s well worth the effort. In the balmy climate of Southern California, you won’t have many of the disease or insect problems you might in less hospitable place, which makes gardening organically easier from the word go.
Organic gardening is more than avoiding the use of chemical pesticides or fertilizers. It’s a cohesive approach to soil health and balance that encourages lush plant growth and discourages “bad” bugs with natural predators.
Michael Maltas, who runs Fetzer Vineyards’ 5-acre experimental farm in Hopland, Calif., is the envy of any gardener just starting out on organics--and of many who have been gardening organically for a while. The Fetzer garden is immaculate, lush and extremely productive, and you would swear that no aphid had ever ventured anywhere close.
Maltas has a few tips for budding organic gardeners:
* Don’t start too big. You can grow all the vegetables one family could want in a 20-by-25-foot garden. Even 100 square feet will give you enough space for almost anything you want to grow.
* Before you touch a shovel or a hoe, sit down with a piece of graph paper and plan your entire garden. Figure out exactly where the “hardscapes”--paths and drip irrigation systems--should go first.
* Make a list of the vegetables and herbs your family really likes. Why waste space on radishes if no one is going to eat them? Decide if you want just enough to eat what’s in season or if you want ample quantities for canning. Or maybe you’ll choose to plant only flowers. Regardless, realize that you can’t do it all at first, so aim small.
* If your family is like most, you should probably include two or three tomato plants (try a couple of different varieties, including a yellow or an Italian). Plan on planting several dozen lettuce plants, and stagger the planting so that you’ll have fresh salads all summer long. About five pepper plants of different varieties will give you a good selection, and you’ll definitely want several basil and oregano plants.
* Prepare your soil by cutting out the sod and taking it away--don’t just turn it under or you’ll have a garden full of grass within a month. Dig in as many bags of compost as you can find or make.
* Tamp the pathways down hard and you’ll cut way back on the amount of weeding you have to do. Many gardeners cover their paths with pea gravel or wood chips to help choke weeds back. If you can keep the paths weed-free, it will be much simpler to keep the occasional weed that appears among your vegetables pulled. Plus, your good planning will ensure that the paths don’t get watered; without water, no weeds.
* Keep your planting plan for next season. You don’t want to plant the same vegetables in the same spots year after year, especially those from the cabbage family.
* Avoid any chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Many organic gardeners supplement with fish emulsion--just follow the directions on the bottle. Pick off bugs by hand or wash with mildly soapy water if you get an infestation of leaf hoppers or aphids. Some people swear that tobacco juice works wonders on the pests, others just spray with clear water a couple of times a day to keep them washed off.
* Try to think about how each of your actions as a gardener affects the whole, not just the effect on a specific symptom. This is the critical difference between organic and conventional gardening.
