So you have decided you want to go organic.  Excellent news!

Your first step is to simply stop using artificial fertilisers, herbicides, pesticides, fungicides etc... Yes just stop. Go through your garden shed and dispose of all the bad things. Now you're committed to the process! If you're not sure if a product is good or bad, call the manufacturer.  Ask them what its made from, how its made, is it registered organic etc... It won't take long to work out.

Your garden will now begin to repair itself but it can take time. Remember that many artificial sprays create a negative influence that can persist for some time.  Also if your neighbours use artificial sprays their impact will usually spread to your garden too, particularly in regards to beneficial insects.

Following are some of the basic areas you need to think about when starting to garden organically.  We recommend further reading (most bookstores carry a good selection of organic gardening books) but these points will at least give you some things to think about!

SOIL
Its very important to have a good understanding of your soil.  Healthy plants grow naturally from healthy soils.  A healthy soil is usually high in organic material and packed full of soil microbes.  Its important for you to know your soil structure (eg clay, loam or sandy) as well as the pH (the measure of acidity versus alkalinity).  With this information you then know what remediation needs to be undertaken.  In almost all cases the answer will be to add more organic material!

WATER
Obviously water is important for growing plants and its important that you choose plants which will be happy with the amount of water/rain they will receive.  You're going to be asking for trouble if you live in a tropical area and go planting desert plants.  Remember that whilst you can grow plants outside their normal climatic zone they will usually be under stress and more vulnerable to pest and disease problems.

PLANT SELECTION
As already said a plant which is growing poorly, or is stressed, is more likely to be attacked by pests and diseases.  To minimise this consider the following:

* Choose plants that are suited to your climate.
* Choose healthy, strong plants from the nursery.
* Look for heritage and non-hybrid varieties, they tend to be stronger plants.
* Grow from seed and then collect the seed, they will acclimatise better.

FERTILISING
Organic gardeners know that its most important to feed the soil, not the plant.  Sound strange? Well its not really.  If the soil is full of nutrients then your plants will feed on these, as and when they need them.  Artificial fertilisers force plants to feed.  This in turn produces poor quality growth vulnerable to pest and disease attack, as well as stressing the plants. 

Regularly incorporating organic material into your soil will keep your soil microbes and plants happy.  Good materials to use include: compost, manures, seaweed, straw/hay, worm castings, leaf litter etc...

If you want an extra boost for your plants there are some liquid and foliar sprays you can use but never rely on these as the only source of nutrients for your plants, keep feeding your soils!  Liquid seaweed tonics, fish emulsions and 'worm wee' (the liquid from a worm farm) are all good options.

BENEFICIAL INSECTS
Your garden will be full of various insects and most of us know the bad guys!  There are however some good guys too.  These beneficial insects usually feed on the bad insects and can be a very useful tool in organic gardening.  For example, instead of spraying to kill some aphids we can use ladybirds to eat them.  This way we don't need to use a nasty chemical spray and we also save time and money by letting nature take care of the problem.

Unfortunately artificial garden chemicals (sprays and fertilisers) usually wipe out beneficial insects along with the bad guys.  This means you will need to do some thing to help them re-populate.  Now that you have stopped spraying nasty chemicals they will start breeding but you will need to give them a bit of time - they're not as fast as the bad insects.  Many of the beneficials also need a water source and secondary food source (pollen and nectar). So plant a broad range of flowering plants throughout your garden, especially within a vegie patch and introduce some ponds.

PESTS & DISEASES
There are many many different types of pests and disease problems that can affect your plants. Don't be discouraged though!  By paying attention to the topics already covered you will be way ahead of the game.  Its also important to be able to correctly identify what pest or disease is present.  With this knowledge you will be able to work out the best way to fix the problem.

SPRAYS
Sometimes despite our best intentions you still need to spray.  This may be because your beneficial insect population isn't large enough yet, your neighbours continue using products which kill beneficials off or you are growing a really susceptible plant (eg roses).  

There are an ever increasing range of 'organic' sprays available but do take the time to check their credentials.  Few of them are registered organic.  This means that the word organic has been used simply as a marketing ploy and their is no guarantee that the product is truly organic.  Look for words like "Registered Organic" or "Certified Organic" and the name of the independant authorising body (usually BFA or NASAA).

The other consideration is how these sprays impact on beneficial insects.  We believe that this is just as important as being organic.  Many organic sprays will harm beneficials and upset the balance you have been working towards.  Pyrethrum is one such spray. 

With these needs in mind we developed our range, eco-organic garden, to help keep your problems under control.  These registered organic sprays were designed to be safe for  beneficial insects but deadly to pests and diseases.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
As already mentioned there are many organic gardening books available and these are an excellent source of information.  Do try and pick a book written for Australian gardens, rather than overseas situations.

Your local nursery is another place to get help.  Remember though that sometimes not all staff members are organically focused and may not have the most relevant information.  

You can also contact us, via phone or email, and we will endeavour to help you.