PN, My gardening philosophy is based on appreciation of natural processes, some common sense, due diligence, attention to detail, and an inquisitive mind.

The inclination towards organic principles began with realization of of the soil food web. Investigation of natural cycles and coexistence initiated my composting endeavor. Gaining specific details about 'how to' and requirements for vegetable production broadened into the diversity of companion planting.

Weeds became an interest for contribution as signs of soil status - nutrients and condition. Controlling the weeds is an activity requiring recognition and how best to react. Most are reduced by cultivation, lending advantage to crop via transplants, employing mulches and use of cover crops. No weed has become a problem within the cropping area. Being able to control seed development is important since I also save seeds.

Pests do cycle while also impacted by weather (preferred conditions of wet/dry) and presence of predators. Impact on the crops is weighted by the healthy and strength of the plant. Include diversity (scale and inter-cropping) with natural boundaries broadens symbiotic relationships of plants and predatory organisms.

Plant selection and adaptation are also critical. Resistances do exist and are naturally acquired with adaptation. Providing the soil conditions boosts the abilities of the plants to employ their own defenses.

Note: Companion planting has some contribution. This year I gave trial to a bean and potato relationship. The potatoes neighbored by beans had no Colorado Potato Beetle. Two plants without foliage contact with the beans fell victim.

On a broad spectrum I have resolved to feed the soil.

Some plants like the brassicas are a challenge and the value of row covers not understated.

Sound soil structure is a comfort with weather extremes. Rain does not pool, the soil does not crust, and with mulches over drip irrigation there is adequate moisture retention. Minimized plant stress also reduces the pests and diseases. Rotation of plantings, including the cover crops, contributes to soil improvement and reduction of the pest and disease potential.

Being a zone five is a comfort since there are few extremes of the zones.

yeh we do our gardens in a laid back style, weeds? what's a weed? we find bugs would rather infest weeds that your plants milk & sow thistle are good ones.

then weeds attract the pollinators as well dandelions very good at that.

so be cool don't take it too seriously if something fails try something else, don't garden to impress others, if anyone is too critical tell them to do better. so failures are not the be all and end all.

and when you move you may have to learn it all over again. but that's the fun and everytime you learn your knowledge base expands. get the kids involved get the family involved.

have fun and enjoy this years failure will be next years success.

best policy (not to be taken to heart) K.I.S.S - keep it simple stupid.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: lens garden page

gardenlen wrote:

"don't garden to impress others, if anyone is too critical tell them to do better."

I couldn't agree more. While my garden areas are neat and clean I don't spend money to have them that way. I see where people waste hundreds of dollars on gizmos and gadgets to create designer gardens. Gardening should be enjoyable, relaxing and not cost a lot of money.

Greg
Southern Nevada

Dan, yes - diversity and natural boundaries, quite so. I am confident that with sufficient plant diversity and mixture insect pest infestations will balance over time.

Build soil, check (and in that regard, do not overlook humanure); constantly look for companion-planting options, check.

I share your experience of brassica's difficulty with insect pests, I think it is especially a problem in the maritime northeast. FWIW, my naturalized Napus kale which has been hard hit in the past has been doing better and better with no bt or other efforts or protection, and this year is only lightly damaged.

I garden because it gives me peace...even if some things go awry occationally.

Feed the soil and it will feed the plants. That's what I read in Oganic Gardening Magazine 25 summers ago, so I started a compost pile. And, hey, they even sent me a metal OG lapel pin when I sent them (snail mail, of course) a picture of my bin. The compost has worked wonders on my clay over the years and doing without various poisons and synthetics (ok, maybe very sparingly) has only added to the peace of gardening.

As for maladies, viral or bacterial seem the most difficult for me. First to identify and then to deal with, but they still aren't often enough to ruin my peace because there is also a lot of good life in that soil.

tj

depends how you describe neat and clean greg? lol.

ours would win no appearance prizes with weeds hear and there a roll or bales of mulch in the yard, some dead plant material laying around the yard waithing for mowing to occur, no formal edges, we garden to try and get some better food into our lives, and we set them up so we don't need to spend time other than first up every day check for bugs and harvest adn tuck kitchen scraps under. would suggest it would rate high as a sustainable garden.

when we prune fruit trees we just drop the prunings around teh drip line an they get mulched under at some time or other. i ahve seen threads here about gardeners who are worried about what neighbours think or say, if any of my neighbours said anything i would begin to convert them. no one complains when i shae excess.

when we cut out the banana's the will be laid around the front edge of the front food tree area to act as edging along the fence until they rot away.

very laid back, enjoy.

len

pnbrown: "Philosophy" is coming it a bit strong. I can only go as far as "Attitudes" and "Basic Practices". Under "attitudes" I place: 1. Patience 2. When in doubt do what Nature does 3. Stewardship of the soil is 80% of one's concern 4. Don't be too proud to accept something contrary to what you've done for decades. Under "basic practices" I have, over the years, boiled it down to three: 1. Never step on the soil, ever. This requires narrow beds with paths in between of course. 2. Build soil carbon. The easist way is a mulch of shredded leaves, but compost and green manure crops are also obligatory (sounds didactic, I realize) 3. Crop rotation. I was taught this in elementary school during WWII; it must have made an impression. And it requires lots of planning and record keeping. Thse are easy to remember for a beginner and produce a host of benefits and suggest other beneficial practices. Regards, Peter.

Regarding practice, my garden is utterly haphazard, so not stepping on the soil isn't possible - everywhere is soil. This may be a loser in the long run (vs having established paths), though my soil is very light so compaction isn't the issue that it can be in heavier soils. Perhaps yet another example of no rule can fit all.

pnbrown: point taken. Regards, Peter.

Wow. Love this thread. I'm reading some good stuff- I had a bad year with extreme weather and insect pests. However, I learned a lot. It did stress me out and make me sad, after all the time, energy, and money put into it all.
Regardless, as it's said...feed the soil, well, gardening feeds my soul. A neighbor of mine said she gave up a long time ago trying to grow anything (mostly flowers). Well, I can't and I don't want to.
After this year, I take some comfort in this quote:
"A garden is always a series of losses set against a few triumphs, like life itself." - May Sarton
Well said, len. And organicdan, I always learn something from reading your posts.

I keep trying to think about how to respond to this thread. So heres a start.

I'm fanatical about bare dirt - there shouldn't be any. Mulch it, plant something, but don't leave it bare. If nothing is growing, and I can't think of anything to plant there, I'll start a compost pile and eventually, do something a bit more botanical.

For insect pests, I go by the philosophy that when there is an abundance of some bug, another something will eventually come along and feast on it, multiplying until it's under control. This process might take a few years: I've been having issues with sod web worms for three summers, and the local (I hope) flock of several hundred small black birds with yellow beaks has now discovered them, feasting away on the little guys. They're around all the time now, snarfing away in the lawn.

There are some exceptions to this, eg the pine bark beetle, where the means of beetle population "control" seems to be killing off a few million acres of pine trees and they eat themselves out of their food source, and then I'll spray the trees.

For soil building, I am a firm believer in Holy Trinity of Compost, Mulch, and Worms. I'm just now discovering the wonders of an intentional clover lawn / worm thing to build the over-all nutrient level, using the clippings to mulch and fertilize the vegetables and flower beds.

The other posters have covered my main 'philosophies'; but something that's interesting me a lot at the moment is re-educating myself about weeds.
Rather than trying to get rid of weeds, I mulch the heck out of where I absolutely don't want them, and leave them to it everywhere else.
Much more relaxing than trying to pry innocent dandelions out of the lawn. Actually, I got rid of the lawn. It's now a luxuriant area of...well weeds, I suppose!
That could be another philosophy..."no lawn unless required by kids, dogs or other recreational activities".
What say North Americans on the lawn thing? I have noticed lawns are a big deal for many over your way.
Another aspect is that while my personal gardening philosophies might be a bit "out there" for some, it's important I don't alienate people with my hippy ways: my luxuriant weed patch is out the back, the front is attractively mulched and planted.

I'm with you on the lawn philosophy, Pippi. An absurdity in it's native suburban habitat, and increasingly absurd the more arid the climate. And yet even I can't help but catch my breath at the sight of a huge closely-cropped super-green lawn. Something very primal in the human brain really loves seeing it. Note that when one sees an open green expanse in a more natural state like a recently-burned over forest the response is the same. I think it is also the same cause in the lust over water-views. Open expanses make us feel safe, perhaps.

My own lawn is a mix of grasses and weeds such that I can handle it in a few minutes with the scythe and push-mower. Very small, zero fertilizer or irrigation.

Dave, we are twinned in the pest-control philosophy. Few there are who are willing to take inaction when it comes to insect pests munching on their gardenings.

When you have some time on your hands do a search for ...philosophy of gardening. Many thoughts and history expressed there to get your mind around.

Lots of memories flashed through my mind as I read the original post. Through the years good fortune has blessed me with customers who taught me that gardening philosophy is unique to each gardener. The 85 year old famous military person who wanted to buy a single English holly in a small pot to be planted where he could watch it grow.

Another woman of fame who would wander into the nursery, garden gloves in her back pocket offering to give me hand. " I have pulled all my weeds. Nothing to do in my garden today. May I get my hands dirty here for awhile?"

The numerous customers who would leap from their cars demanding to know "what is new? I must have it."

And those who would wander with enjoyment through the growing fields touching and smelling, reading labels. Then leave without buying anything.

I learned that each customer had his/her own agenda, own gardening interest and philosophy. I tried to take time to talk with them all and they in turn became friends.
We were partners in the earth, each growing plants for our own interests and needs. Every customer had a gardening story or growing tip to tell me. I listened. And, as you all know, thoughtful gardeners are kind and sharing people.

Today, many are turning to organic gardening and are begining to understand the frustrations it presents. We all understand the philosophy of organics, but how to cope with the day to day problems discourages many. Do I grow a lawn? Am I a bad person if I grow a lawn? Etc. Etc.

We get many questions on this Forum from those encountering growing problems in their organic yards. Sadly they do not do a Forum search before asking as many of these questions have been answered over and over. Some of us have tired of responding and pretty much dropped out.

To define the Philosophy of Gardening each gardener should question himself, why he gardens and what satisfaction level he receives.