Get into gardening

Gardening organically is great because it’s a system that works with nature, as opposed to against it. Without using chemicals you can create the best possible environment for plants to grow.

The system involves treating the garden as a whole, meaning every action and its impact has to be taken into consideration. For this reason, only natural materials and products are used in an organic garden because these are least likely to upset the natural balance.

Top tip:

The best way to garden organically is to create a great environment for your plants to grow in and basically leave them alone to get on with it.

Six golden rules for gardening organically

1. Improve the soil. Building up healthy soil is the single most important thing to do in an organic garden. Use your time, energy and resources to improve the soil so that plants don't run short of moisture or nutrients, allowing them to grow strong and fast. Healthy plants and crops are able to shrug off pest and disease attacks more easily.
2. Right plant, right place. Choose plants that are suitable for your garden rather than trying to force those you'd like to grow into a place where they’ll never be happy. Use pest and disease resistant varieties where possible – this is particularly important for fruit and vegetables. Make sure all plants get the best possible start and grow well.
3. Mix plants up. Grow a wide range of different plants all mixed together so that if any pest or disease does get established, it has less chance of spreading to nearby plants of a similar type.
4. Use natural materials. Only use natural materials in your garden, rather than man-made or manufactured chemicals and products, which can have a detrimental effect on the environment as a whole.
5. Stay one step ahead. Use your own cunning to outwit any potential pest problems by encouraging natural enemies of the pests, putting up traps and barriers and sowing and planting at appropriate times.
6. Recycle as much as you can. Don't throw away anything that can be recycled and used to improve the fertility of your soil. Composting is the key, where all once-living things (from the garden and household) can be rotted down and the nutrients locked up inside released.