| Successful organic vegetable gardening can demand | | | | phosphates, natural occurring deposits of phosphorus in |
| a great deal of work and careful planning. This includes | | | | combination with calcium, can be mixed with the |
| the preparation of the soil by enriching it and protecting | | | | compost. Natural potassium occurs in substances like |
| the soil from the infestation of harmful insects. | | | | wood ashes, tobacco stems, seaweed, potash salts |
| Organic vegetable gardening is unlike from | | | | and ground rock potash. They can be also mixed for |
| conventional gardening in two major ways. They differ | | | | organic vegetable gardening. |
| from the utilization of fertilizers and pest control. The | | | | The organic material takes longer to break down and |
| fertility of the soil depends on three components: | | | | affect the soil. Therefore it should be added at least |
| nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. | | | | two weeks before planting the vegetables. |
| Nitrogen increases the growth of lush foliage. | | | | The pH scale extends from 0 to 14. 0 indicates |
| Phosphorus assists with strong roots and sterns. | | | | extreme acidic conditions. 14 is extreme alkaline and 7 |
| Potassium protects the plants from disease and low | | | | suggests a neutral soil. The most inexpensive and |
| temperature. These nutrients are required for every | | | | effective material for elevating the pH is ground |
| plant that stays alkaline for more than a year. In | | | | limestone. Dolomite limestone has an extra ingredient, |
| conventional methods, man-made fertilizers are used | | | | magnesium, which many soils lack. If the pH of the soil |
| to enrich the soil. Commercial fertilizers are available as | | | | is alkaline, finely ground sulphur is used to lower it. |
| a mixture of the three primary ingredients mentioned. | | | | Pest control in organic gardens is likewise done in a |
| However, in organic vegetable gardening, these | | | | dissimilar manner. Organic vegetable gardening relies in |
| nutrients are added in a different fashion. | | | | the theory of manageable pest levels. This model |
| Composting is a very effective organic way of | | | | theory, suggests that the pests are not to be |
| enriching the soil. Compost can be made easily in pots | | | | completely eradicated, but kept at an easily |
| from your backyard with garden and kitchen food | | | | manageable level maintaining the balance and |
| waste. Materials like leaves, lawn cutting, pine needles, | | | | concordance. |
| weeds, carrot tops, spoiled fruit and vegetable, animal | | | | When pest resistant varieties are planted, natural |
| manure and the like, can be used to attain good | | | | predators and parasites are used to consume the |
| compost. The decomposition reaction of the organic | | | | harmful insects. Mulching the soil serves to avert direct |
| material forms bacteria and fungi in the soil. This aids in | | | | contact with sunlight as the harmful organisms need |
| changing over unavailable nutrients like nitrogen to | | | | bright sunlight to develop. These methods employing |
| ammonia and nitrates making it usable for the plants. | | | | organic vegetable gardening techniques will facilitate in |
| This process is known as nitrification. Rock | | | | enhancing a healthy and abundant crop. |