How To Create Your Garden Paradise In
7 Simple Steps!
 Hello and welcome to my site! If you are interested in gardening naturally and using organic gardening concepts … then this is going to be the most exciting message you ever read.
Here’s Why!I am a qualified horticulturist who completely changed my approach to gardening to create my own natural garden paradise. I have recorded every step, hint and tip I used along the way so now I can share with you the 7 steps I used to create my natural garden paradise!!! Have you been told organic gardening is complex, confusing and expensive? Have you been led to believe it is ONLY the vegetable patch where natural, organic techniques are used? Whoever you heard this from is WRONG!
My garden is living proof of what can be achieved gardening naturally. My children play in, on and around the garden with no risk of chemical exposure and our family meals include fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs grown by us……
I promise you, I’m not making any of this up, the incredible information I am about to share with you is based on: |
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- Experience – I will share with you what I have learnt through my formal studies and working in the field.
- Proven Methods – successfully used in past and present gardens.
- Scientific Evidence – of the harmful effects chemicals have on the environment AND more importantly to your health.
In 7 simple steps I will show you how to garden naturally and help you to understand and use organic concepts and techniques in your garden! So grab your gardening gloves and let’s remove the mystery and uncertainty….
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7 Steps To A Natural Garden
Step 1 – Understanding What It Means To Garden Naturally
- Organic gardening is all about using natural concepts to promote organic growth and achieving balance in the garden environment. Natural methods include using companion planting and natural remedies to keep pests and disease under control, using organic matter in the garden and keeping your plants strong and healthy so they can fight pest and disease themselves (crop rotation is a perfect example).
- Natural gardening is about accepting and eating imperfect fruit and vegetables full of flavour, and it is the acceptance of some pests and disease as a part of gardening. When a plant is not doing well or our garden is attacked by pest or disease, it is usually because the soil is unbalanced or plants are under stress. This is a sign for us to look at the big picture and try to bring that balance back.
- An organic gardener completely eliminates the use of toxic or unnatural chemicals from their garden. They rely on natural techniques to do everything and you would be amazed at how simple and cheap most organic remedies are. The home gardener is not trying to become a ‘certified organic grower’ so you do not have stringent testing or guidelines to meet. You set the standards in your own garden and you take control of what you add to it.
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Step 2 – Needs V’s Wants
Deciding on your ‘needs’ and ‘wants’ for your garden will be useful in the overall garden design. I start this process with two columns, my ‘Needs’ and my ‘Wants’. The easy part is writing down everything I expect from my garden in the appropriate columns. The hard bit is the next step, prioritising the list. This is often where the soul searching comes in as we always ‘want’ things but are they a ‘need’? It really is a good idea to give this task your time as it is this step that can save you precious time and money in the future. Good luck with this.
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Step 3 – Know Your Garden
You need to know the different areas of your garden and the environmental conditions of those areas. Consideration needs to be given to aspects such as surroundings, views, light, shade and drainage. Take a walk around your garden at different times of the day and if time permits, through each season. You can easily record what you see and use this as a quick reference guide, a snap shot of your garden.
Surroundings – What is in the immediate vicinity of where you want to plant? Are there structures such as brick walls that will retain heat? Is there an existing garden and what state are the plants in? Are there plants who’s mature height has yet to be reached? Everything in the surrounding area will have some affect on the plants but if you know what is there, then you can plan for this.
Views – Is there an area of your garden you want to make a focal point or is there an unsightly vision you need to block off? Often we can ‘borrow’ a view. Does a neighbour have a large maple you can see and benefit from in the Autumn? What we want to see or not see can often dictate the type of planting we undertake.
Drainage – Drainage is another very important factor in the garden. If you have an area prone to holding water, you will have two choices
- You correct the drainage
- You choose plants that can cope with these conditions
If your plants do not tolerate moist or wet conditions, they will die if planted in waterlogged ground. Knowing about the drainage in different areas of your garden will save you heart-ache and disappointment further down the track.
Light and Shade – Each plant has its own light requirements. It is essential you know the light conditions of the area you are planting. It is no good digging a vegetable patch in an area that only receives one hour of full sun first thing in the morning. If you know what amount of light an area gets and for what time frame, then you can select your plants to suit these conditions.
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Step 4 – Stopping The ‘Chemical Roundabout’
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The hardest thing about natural gardening is breaking away from the belief that we need chemicals and poisons. Chemicals have become such a normal part of life that we automatically reach for the ‘quick fix’. Take the biggest step and throw away every unnatural chemical and poison you have in the garden shed.
- Chemicals may fix the immediate problem but what are the long term affects? Chemical pesticides are designed to kill and they do this very effectively BUT when we spray a plant with pesticide, it can affect :
- surrounding plants
- the soil
- beneficial bugs
- humans
- We need to re-learn what gardeners in the past knew so we can help the garden in the long term and stop poisoning ourselves.
This is not an easy step to take and at the first sign of your plants suffering, you will be tempted to reach for the chemicals BUT DON’T…… there are natural remedies to all your garden problems. You just need to look at the big picture and see what you can do to return balance to the garden.
Step 5 – Soil Nutrients, Your Gardens Life Force
A gardens soil provides plants with food, air and water, all essential elements to survival. To give plants their best chance, we need to ensure our soils are rich in nutrients. To increase nutrients we add natural fertilisers to the soil in the form of manures, blood and bone, seaweed and the all time favourite compost!
You do need to be cautious when adding fertilisers to the soil and this is definitely a case of ‘less is best’. You do not want to overdo the fertiliser as this can actually be detrimental to your plants. There is however one exception to this rule and that is compost. When properly made compost is the complete fertiliser.
Good soil requires constant enrichment and replenishment of organic matter, and this is where fertilisers come into their own.
Step 6 – Companion Planting, Working With Nature
Companion planting is a method where particular plants are grown together to assist each other in a number of ways. Companion planting can be used for things such as deterring pests, stimulation, attracting beneficial insects, fixing nitrogen and acting as ‘the sacrificial’ plant. One thing to remember is that some plants can have a detrimental effect on each other.
Deterring destructive insects – some companion plants ‘camouflage’ the scent of others. If the companion plants scent overpowers another plants natural odour, insects get confused and look elsewhere for their food.
Stimulation – there are a number of companion plants that release substances from their roots. This in turn stimulates the flavour, minerals, vitamins or productivity in others.
Attracting beneficial insects – there are plants that beneficial insects will go out of their way to visit. Plant some of these companion plants in your garden and you will attract armies of beneficial insects to keep on top of the destructive type.
Nitrogen fixers – there are a number of companion plants who’s roots reach deep down in the soil. These plants bring nitrogen up to a level where more shallow rooted vegetables can access it. For this process to work effectively, companion plants will need to be within root proximity of the desired plant.
Sacrificial plant – This companion plant is the sacrificial plant, acting as the decoy. Destructive insects are attracted to this companion plant and attack this plant instead of your desired plants. You must ensure these companions are planted at a distance from the desired plants so that any infestation does not spill over to them.
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Step 7 – Control pests and disease with natural remedies
There are natural methods and remedies to help you control pests and disease and much of this topic starts with the plants themselves. The following are only some of the numerous methods available to the natural gardener:
Knowing a plants requirements – For a plant to be at its optimum health, it will require growing conditions that meet its needs. By knowing the plants requirements, you can ensure you place it in the correct position. If a plant is able to have all its needs met then it will be a strong, healthy plant that is more likely to resist pest and disease. Also choosing resistant plant types can reduce the risk of attack by pests or disease.
Provide the correct environment – Many diseases can be kept under control by providing the correct environmental conditions. Many fungal problems can be eliminated simply by providing adequate ventilation and light to a plant. You need to also be aware of your watering regime so you are not creating an environment where disease can flourish.
Use companion planting – Introduce companion planting in your garden to deter pests. Companion planting works in a number of ways and is a very worthwhile method for repelling and reducing pests in any natural garden.
Crop rotation – Crop Rotation is a very simple and effective precaution against pest and disease in the vegetable garden. If you grow the same plant in the same bed year after year, your soil will harbour pests and disease specific to that crop. When you rotate your crops, the pests and disease loses its host and they die out. The aim with crop rotation is to only have a crop return to the same bed every fourth year.
Pruning – Infected or infested plant parts can be pruned and destroyed to prevent the spread of pests and disease. Removing weak growth from the plant also makes it less susceptible to attack. When pruning diseased plants, it is essential you sterilise your secateurs to avoid spreading disease.
Physical barriers – Installing physical barriers around plants or on the ground will often be enough to prevent destructive pests from reaching your plants. If you do a little research on the pest itself, you will find the best method to use against them.
Natural recipes – There are countless recipes for natural pest and disease control. Most organic remedies are cheap and easy to make at home. They do not require specialist materials and many of the ingredients can be found in your own kitchen or laundry.
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There you have it, the 7 steps to a natural garden. Now I would like to show you what other gardeners have said about my 7 steps to a natural garden….
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Now it’s your turn!
Are you ready to return natural balance to your garden? Do you want to garden in a way that enriches the earth and your health?
Happy Gardening
