Non-traditional farming. Organic farming in the country: myths and reality. Video. Results of natural farming

Currently, the popularity of growing vegetable crops grows rapidly at home. Many residents of large cities and megalopolises are beginning to buy suburban plots in order to provide themselves with healthy food products with a minimum content of pesticides. This type of activity does not require large investments and within the power of every average person. Therefore, every year the number of gardeners and gardeners is growing steadily.

About the technique

In order for future work to bring good results, it is necessary to take care in advance of the correct preparation of the soil composition. Important, so that the soil in the selected area was breathable and fluffy with a high nutrient content. In this case, you will be able to grow strong and fertile crops.

If you intend to treat the soil composition with chemicals, then such an action will not only saturate all food products with unsafe toxins, but will also begin to kill valuable microorganisms in the substrate, which is why the development of plants will not be complete.

An important condition for proper organic growing is comfortable lighting. For this reason, when choosing suitable place for planting vegetable or fruit crops, give preference open areas, where daylight hours last at least six hours.

When preparing a garden bed for an upcoming activity, it is not necessary to dig up the soil. Instead, the soil must be carefully loosened using a fork. For cleaning rows you can use a flat cutter to remove weeds and other unwanted plants.

All preparatory work include leveling beds and the space between them in a ratio of 1:2:

the optimal width of the bed is 40 centimeters;
row spacing is 80 centimeters;

If you are using the same bed, digging up the soil is not necessary, because... As crops grow and develop, humus will begin to accumulate in the soil, which will give it looseness and moisture.

An important feature of the treatment is the mulching of row spacing. In this case, you will have to use:

sawdust;
humus;
I will weed the grass;
peat;

Organic farming in the country should begin with a small bed, the size of which is constantly increasing.

Where to begin

You need to start organically growing vegetable and fruit crops by choosing the right one. planting material. It is highly not recommended to take any seeds that catch your eye, because you will not have any guarantees of their quality. The selection of suitable specimens should be taken with special responsibility.

Do not forget, that certain plant species require complex care and increased care. In addition, they are highly susceptible to all sorts of diseases and pests, which are quite difficult to get rid of. Among such plants are tomatoes.

To reduce hassle When growing plants organically, it is necessary to give preference to those varieties of vegetable crops that boast strong immunity and resistance to pathogens of infections and other diseases.

You can study the morphological features of specific plants using educational videos or instructions that come with a pack of seeds. In order for farming to be as successful as possible, it is necessary to provide the planted green spaces with a number of mandatory fertilizers:

In preparation good substrate for farming in the country, it is not necessary to use fertilizers. When applying large amounts of fertilizer, there is a risk of the development of many pests, which is associated with an increase in the growth rate of the crop. Slow-growing individuals independently develop strong immunity and are able to withstand many dangers without additional intervention from the summer resident.

It is known that yields decrease when a crop is grown in the same place for several years. This is not strange, because in the place of constant planting, characteristic harmful microorganisms accumulate, which not only impair fruiting, but also pose a great danger to the plants themselves. To prevent this from happening, it is enough to change the planting location on a specific bed every year.

For such purposes, you can use a special diagram and table that mentions the order of planting plants in the beds. It is known that some green spaces are susceptible to the same diseases, so they cannot be planted in one place. To give you an idea, eggplants, tomatoes, potatoes and peppers are all vulnerable to the same problems. The same goes for watermelon, squash, cucumbers and pumpkin.

Caring for plants during organic farming in the country

If you intend to see the results of your work in the near future, your garden crops need to be provided with quality care. Mulch is used as good protection. In addition, this procedure effectively fights weeds and pests. It is important that the mulch layer is within 2.5-5 centimeters.

Mulch based on organic materials is especially effective because... it can be decomposed. It is known that weeds attract all kinds of pests, which, in turn, carry various diseases and infections. Also, weed plantations reduce the content of nutrients and minerals in the soil, which negatively affects the growth and development of crops. For this reason, every gardener should know how to effective fight with weeds.

An important condition for successful organic farming– balanced watering. It must be carried out taking into account some subtleties:

watering must be regular, otherwise the plant will not be able to develop well enough;
Watering is carried out directly under the trunk of the plants, because wet leaves and other green parts strongly attract pests;
Spraying and watering using the sprinkling method cannot be carried out. It is better to supply water with a hose, which is placed directly at the trunk;

In order for the crop to bloom fully and yield maximum, it is necessary to provide the plants with free access to a source of oxygen. This is also done using root fertilizing To make the procedure as successful as possible, it is better to plant plants at large distances from each other. It is not difficult to prevent the development of all kinds of fungal formations. It is enough to maintain a good air flow and regularly weed the bed.

If planted along the edges of the bed flowering plants, they will begin to attract useful “guests” who will not only protect the crop from pests, but will also become good pollinators.

Organic growing of vegetable and fruit plants will be successful if you combine it with planting marigolds, zinnias, nasturtiums, purple coneflowers and other flowers. Despite a number of difficulties that may arise, you must understand that the end result is worth all the effort.

Mulching the soil

Starting to grow plants in your garden is easy. The main thing is to correctly follow the basic recommendations and avoid irreparable mistakes. An important principle for the successful development of planted crops is to mulch the soil. This action implies providing reliable protection with the help of covering materials. Mulching is not allowed strong hypothermia of the soil and does not allow it to overheat under the influence of direct sun rays. In addition, it protects the soil from moisture evaporation and the rapid growth of weeds.

Under natural conditions, the ground is always covered with growing or dried grass, leaves and other organic deposits, so it practically does not dry out in the summer and does not succumb to intense frosts in winter. When using mulch, it is possible to provide favorable conditions, similar to natural ones. Subsequently, the used layer rots and turns into humus, which increases soil fertility. Choice good materials must be responsible. It is better to give preference to various natural raw materials, including fallen leaves, mown straw, sawdust, pine needles, peat, sand and other devices. Only organic mulch can become humus, and the use of a small layer of sand improves soil fertility.

Do not refuse to use green manure - special plants that have a positive effect on the soil composition and can be a good alternative to organic and mineral fertilizing. They are characterized by high speed growth and the ability to provide the soil with reliable protection from the harmful effects of direct sunlight and wind. In addition, such plants, as they grow, become food for beneficial living microorganisms, accumulating a number of certain substances. They also form channels in the soil through which moisture and air enter. It is better to plant green manure in temporarily empty areas, before and after planting the main garden crops.

When practicing organic farming in your dacha from scratch, be sure to enrich the soil with microorganisms. In our latitudes, cold climatic conditions reduce the number of such inhabitants, so it is restored only in mid-summer. With a lack of such substances in the soil, growth cultivated plants and crop yields are rapidly deteriorating. To reliably enrich the soil, it is enough to use special means based on living microorganisms. Among them, proven over years and experience Many gardeners use compost, which helps quickly saturate the substrate with useful elements. In addition, the active substances from the compost allow plants to absorb mineral fertilizers more efficiently.

Many summer residents and gardeners are accustomed to fertilizing the soil with organic fertilizers. For this reason, they often use organic mulch and water the plants with herbal infusions. During the process, you can leave potato tops on the beds and prepare compost from all plant waste.

If you want to engage in organic farming, you need to take into account such a feature as the influence of green spaces growing nearby. It is known that some plant species coexist freely with each other, while others cannot tolerate such “neighborhood” and negatively affect the soil and their neighbors.

For successful crop maintenance Crop rotation must be observed. It is known that not all plants are able to bear fruit annually in the same place without replanting.

Let's sum it up

Anyone can grow healthy vegetable and fruit crops in their dacha. To do this, you need to “roll up your sleeves” and start acting, despite any difficulties that may arise in the process.

Study the topic in as much detail as possible, watch training videos and take advice from professionals. This will definitely bear fruit.

Are you still fighting weeds and pests in your dacha, earning yourself sciatica? But adherents of organic farming prefer to be friends with nature rather than fight. But in order to live the same way, you will have to start with a radical change in the way of thinking about the purpose of agriculture, about what the “correct” garden is.

Organic farming as a branch of agricultural technology arose from the end of the 19th century, and rumors, disputes and discussions around this method of cultivating the land still do not subside. There are also many approaches and theories within the adherents of this direction of agriculture. But the point is the same: organic farming- this is, first of all, a careful, gentle attitude towards nature, maintaining the natural balance and ecosystem, refusing mineral fertilizers and pesticides.

Organic farming has many interchangeable definitions and synonymous terms: natural, ecological, biological, nature-conforming, life-giving agriculture.

Basic principles of ecological farming:

Refusal to plow, dig up the earth. This is believed to maintain a healthy balance of the soil ecosystem. And healthy soil is healthy plants, capable of resisting diseases and pests.
Growing environmentally friendly products. Complete refusal to use mineral fertilizers and pesticides. Methods of controlling weeds and pests come down to prevention and the use of herbal and folk methods.
The ground should always be covered with vegetation. Green manure crops are widely used here - fast-growing crops planted after the main crops on temporarily empty land.
Less labor intensive processing of a plot or dacha with larger and best result. Farming is pleasure, not hard work.

Natural Farming Guru

“Curb your ardor, gardener!” - with these words, as a rule, the famous author of many books on biological farming, B.A., begins his address at lectures to gardeners. Bagel. In the traditional idea of a “proper” vegetable garden, many summer residents see such an exemplary vegetable garden: ideal, even beds and rows of crops, not a single weed, and it is also a lot of hard work.

All these myths are debunked by fans of organic farming. They believe that work does not have to be slavish and exhausting. And it is much more useful for both humans and nature to maintain the natural order of things in the ecosystem. “Peep” at nature, learn from it, apply the acquired knowledge and observations at your summer cottage.

Advice. If you decide to leave traditional farming for natural farming, we recommend reading several books on the topic for inspiration: “One Straw Revolution” by Masanobu Fukooka; "Agrarian Revolutionary" Sepp Holzer; “About a vegetable garden for the thrifty and lazy” Bublik B.A.

So, Sepp Holzer has 45 hectares of land and cultivates it alone with his wife with a minimum of agricultural equipment: he has only one tractor. B.A. Bublik believes that steel has no place in the garden and refuses shovels, hoes, does not even loosen the soil with a pitchfork, but plants “under a stick”, watering only with ice water (not higher than 9 degrees). And the well-known author in Russia of many works on natural farming, G. Kizima, preaches three “don’ts”: don’t dig, don’t weed, don’t water.

Practice natural farming in spring and autumn

You can switch from traditional to organic farming at any time of the year. One of the main techniques of biological farming is avoiding deep digging of the soil. It is believed that raising a layer of earth more than 5 cm thereby disturbs the ecosystem. The land eventually becomes poorer and lacks beneficial microorganisms, beetles, worms, etc. Which subsequently leads to the need to use mineral fertilizers, which are harmful to both nature and humans.

Natural farming allows you to get environmentally friendly vegetables and fruits

The soil for sowing the crop is not dug up, but slightly raised using a fork (ideally no more than 2.5 cm). Some farmers don’t even use pitchforks, but plant “under a stick.” That is, they stick a stick into the ground and plant seeds or seedlings in the place where the hole formed. After sowing, the ground is mulched with straw, sawdust, peat, rotted compost, etc.

Advice. To plant plants “under a stick,” you can use a shovel handle or another stick that is convenient for working in length. To do this, the end is sharpened into a cone, which will stick into the ground. For convenience, you can also make a handle at the top of the stick, and a limiter pedal at the bottom.

Due to the active use of mulch, which prevents moisture from evaporating, watering is done much less frequently. Mulch is also one of the main ways to control weeds. But it is better to use mulching on proven crops: potatoes, strawberries, cucumbers, tomatoes. There are plants that do not favor mulching, preferring open and hot soil: corn, watermelons, melons.

With the help of mulching, virgin soil is cultivated. To do this, prepare the beds in the fall as follows:

Mow the grass.
Cover with manure: horse, chicken.
Lay a layer of mulch, for example straw, in a layer of 30 cm.
In the spring, remove the layer of mulch, pick out the remaining weed roots with your hands and plant seeds or seedlings.

You can also cover the beds with dense material, for example: roofing felt, pieces of linoleum. It is useful to cover the layer of mulch with a film on top - this will speed up the process of overheating and rotting of the weed in virgin soil.
All of the above actions can be used at the dacha, both in spring and autumn.

Green manure is our everything

One of the agricultural practices that is an integral part of biological farming is planting green manure on temporarily empty land. According to many farmers, these crops are the best natural fertilizer. For these purposes, fast-growing and micronutrient-rich plants are used, such as:

legumes;
mustard;

clover;
rapeseed;
spring rape;
rye.

Green manure can be planted in spring, summer, and autumn. In the spring, fast-growing and frost-resistant plants such as mustard, rapeseed, and phacelia are planted. They are sown very early and grow until it is time to plant the main crop. Then the green manure is mowed with a flat cutter several centimeters below ground level, and the main plants are planted in the soil prepared in this way. Tops and stems can be used as cover for beds with crops.

In autumn, rye and mustard are most often sown. Sowing is done after harvesting the vegetables. Rye is harvested at the end of autumn, cutting off the stems at the base. And the mustard goes under the snow. In the spring it is cut with a flat cutter and the main crops are planted.

Organic farming is environmentally friendly cleaner production based on respect for nature and human health. There are many techniques and methods natural farming. But, in any case, each site is individual. There are no absolutely identical areas in terms of soil composition, microclimate, or list of crops planted. What fans of organic farming never tire of repeating is: “Listen, look closely at your land, at your plants. And apply the acquired knowledge in practice. We must always trust nature, every day.”

Natural farming: video

Growing primarily environmentally friendly products on your personal plot is the dream and goal of many gardeners. And one of the ways to achieve it was organic farming in the country; practice has proven its effectiveness and increased the ranks of adherents and defenders of this method of organizing gardening and gardening work.

What it is

The ideas of organic farming are not an innovation that appeared at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. Few people know that the basics of this method of working with land were developed at the end of the 19th century by agronomist and breeder I.E. Osinsky. But then the turbulent 20th century, with its shift toward intensive agriculture, made his ideas irrelevant. And yet, the method proposed by the scientist was not forgotten, and now, out of a fashionable hobby, a non-standard approach to growing different cultures organic farming in the country is a practice that has become familiar to many gardeners.

The terms "organic" and "natural farming" are often used interchangeably. The difference between natural and organic growing methods is determined if we're talking about about the result of the farmer’s activities - obtaining environmentally friendly products and selling them.

In order to position products as organic, it is necessary to obtain a certificate of compliance with the relevant standards, and not only for the vegetables or fruits themselves. The entire farm and the growing technologies it uses must be fully certified, as well as the packaging in which the products are packaged, and even the type of delivery to the consumer.

Organic Farming Basics

The organic farming system is based on a fundamental thesis that defines the earth as a living system, an organism, by influencing which a person can completely destroy the soil ecosystem formed over centuries. As a result, the earth will cease to bear fruit in the way that it is capable of doing so if not for human activity. What do we do as soon as we start working with the land?

Of course, we pick up a shovel and set off to dig, destroy weeds, and also try to dig deeper so that not a single root of harmful plants remains in the garden bed. Why are we doing this? But because everyone does it, did it before us and will do it after us! And if we knew more facts about how soil works, how would our behavior change?

Let's give a few examples. Example. “500 kg of vermicompost per year or a couple of Kamaz trucks of brought manure” During research, scientists found that in the soil of just one hundred square meters, untreated with chemicals, there are approximately 200 kg of bacteria and microorganisms, approximately the same number of worms. And all these workers produce 500 kg of vermicompost in 1 year. We appear, obsessed with the idea of cleaning out the garden, digging it up with two shovels, with a tank for treating plants against pests at the ready.

In general, the result is clear: with this approach we will not get even 50 kg. vermicompost per year, because there will be no one to produce it. Nothing! We will bring new land, saturate it with manure and... dig it up again. Example. “Upside down” All microorganisms and bacteria are distributed in the soil in separate layers. Aerobic microorganisms live in the upper layer at a depth of no more than 10 cm. They require a constant supply of oxygen to survive. Thanks to the work of these bacteria, all organic substances are converted into minerals, which provide plant nutrition.

In the lower layer, 10 to 20 cm deep, there are anaerobic bacteria, for which oxygen and high temperature are destructive. Their task is to create humus, which is the basis of soil nutrition. And here again we appear at the dacha with a shovel. Digging and turning over the earth, happily cutting the inverted lump, slamming it a couple of times with this wonderful tool, wiping sweat from the forehead, we mix the layers, and anaerobic bacteria, having got to the top, die from excess oxygen and high temperature, and aerobic ones suffocate in the lower layer and cannot withstand the new temperature regime.

For those who love sports and extreme sports, we can suggest starting to walk on your hands in order to feel the difference in sensations after changing body position and get closer to understanding what happens to the earth after our impact on it.

We dug up the ground and were surprised that the weeds had not disappeared. Why? When digging, fresh seeds moved to the lower layers of the soil weeds. They will be there until the next digging, and some of them will tolerate such “storage” in the cool lower soil layers just fine. And to the top we raised weed seeds from the lower layer, which, having access to light, begin to actively develop and grow. But we worked hard and were very tired!

Example. “Not a speck, not a blade of grass” Let’s imagine the following picture: an ideal vegetable garden, even beds “with a string”, no weeds, rows of well-groomed cultivated plants. It's good if this is the result manual labor and patience, rather than liberal treatment with chemicals that kill any weed. And here it is - the long-awaited warmth that everyone has been waiting for. With the onset of truly hot days, our plants become noticeably weaker and stop growing. It’s okay, we’ll water them generously and add fertilizer!

However, when watering, we notice that the water is poorly absorbed, literally rolling off the garden bed. upper layer The soil acquires light shades and dust forms. Breaks and cracks appear on the paths. At the same time, in the forest, even with prolonged heat, most of the plants continue to actively develop, there is no dust or cracks. The ground is covered with a cushion of leaves, branches, pine needles, and it is impossible to find a single piece of bare soil in the forest. The difference is obvious.

What to do? Continue to dig, carry manure, heroically drag it around the site, overcome difficulties, pour water and treat your back, which took the blow. Or you can stop and think about how to make your life easier. If you stop digging and planting a garden for at least one year, you can see how the earth will begin to recover on its own without our help. This was once called: leaving the land “fallow.” Weeds actively grow on such soil. The earth begins to heal itself, since the weed is a shelter for the top layer of soil and a future nutrient medium - after it rots in the winter.

But if you don’t want to stop gardening, you can start applying the principles of organic farming.

There are not many of them, but if you follow them, in a couple of years you can put the soil in order in your dacha and at the same time stop spending a huge amount of time and effort working with the soil. The “DO NOT DIG” principle To implement it you must:

replace the shovel with a pitchfork, since processing with such a tool causes much less harm;
purchase a flat cutter and learn how to use it, and if you wish, you can make it yourself ();
lay out the beds and, if possible, install boxes of any design;
Replace digging and tillage by loosening the top layer no deeper than 5 cm.

The “Carry out mulching” principle Mulch is a protective layer that performs several functions:

protection against weathering of the top soil layer;
maintaining optimal temperature in the soil, its protection from overheating;
fight against weeds, since mulch suppresses their growth;
formation optimal conditions for the vital activity of soil microorganisms;
moisture retention, which will significantly reduce the need for watering;
when overheated, the mulch layer is processed, turning into organic fertilizer.

Mown grass, weeded weeds (before they form seeds), straw, processed bark, pine needles, foliage, and sawdust can be used as mulch.

The principle of “Helping the earth, fertilizing with “green” green manure fertilizers” Growing green manure allows you to replace the application of manure and chemical fertilizers. They nourish the earth and heal it. These plants include: mustard, phacelia, buckwheat, oilseed radish, beans, lupine, vetch, oats, rye. Features of agricultural technology used in organic farming include:

application of crop rotation principles and planting planning;
mixed plantings, in which several types of different crops are planted in the beds, helping each other to develop, repel pests and form a harvest;
the use of non-chemical methods of controlling diseases and pests;
replacing chemical fertilizers with organic ones.

Agriculture according to Ovsinsky

In 1899, I. E. Ovsinsky published the book “The New System of Agriculture.” He analyzed the experience and results of farming using deep plowing with a plow turning over a ball of earth, and provided convincing evidence of the harm from this method of tillage. The book provides indicators of increased yields and soil fertility in cases where intervention in the soil structure is minimized. In addition, the scientist proved that the earth, if left alone for a year (not growing any crops), will recover on its own. Organic farming was subsequently built on these principles.

Kizima method

Those who start looking for information about the basics of natural farming will definitely find information about Galina Aleksandrovna Kizima. At 80 years old, she continues to farm independently, calling her plot “a garden for the lazy.” Of course, laziness here should be understood not as doing nothing, but as the ability to grow plants, saving one’s own strength and not doing unnecessary work.

Galina Aleksandrovna is a practitioner, and her proposals about the rules and technologies for growing different crops are not theorizing, but an assessment and demonstration of the actual results obtained.

Its technology is built on three basic principles: no digging, no weeding and no watering. By acting in this way, we not only save our energy, but also help the earth fulfill its purpose: to grow crops. Using Kizima’s books, you can study the principles of natural farming, or, as Galina Aleksandrovna calls it, the biodynamic method of farming, starting from the stage of preparing beds and ending with the cultivation of individual crops.

beds

Beds in organic farming are not just straight rows with beautiful edges. To organize them correctly, you need to work a little. Perhaps this stage of working with the soil will be the most labor-intensive, but incomparable with the efforts that have to be made for digging or plowing.

Firstly, it is necessary to mark out the area for the beds, calculating not only the width of the planting area itself, but also making the correct paths - row spacing. They should be wide. Of course, not everyone is ready to make such an “uneconomical” use of land, making paths 60-80 cm wide, and the beds themselves 45-50 cm wide. But still, increasing the space between plantings to at least 50 cm will allow the gardener to provide the plants with more light, and this will have a positive effect on the general condition of the crops during the growing season and will increase the yield.

Secondly, the beds must be prepared in advance: not on the eve of sowing the plant, but in the fall. There are several ways you can do this. Way. Immediately after harvesting, it is necessary to sow the ridges with green manure and not remove them from the surface until spring. By this time, they will either completely rot or remain as the first layer of mulch, although quite thin, it will have to be further increased after planting the plants. Way. Filling beds with organic matter is essentially the process of forming warm beds. To do this, furrows with a depth of at least 40 cm are dug, and this is the only case when you will have to pick up a shovel when setting up a garden. Next, branches, organic materials, fresh grass, and soil are laid in layers, after which the bed is covered with mulching cloth.

That’s it, now you don’t need to touch it until spring. In the first year of operation, we plant melons, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Further use of beds using the principle of crop rotation. Such an organic bed can work effectively for 3-4 years. If organic matter is added in the spring, then soil is added to the planting holes so that the plants do not burn under the influence of temperatures that increase as a result of overheating of the organic layers.

Where to begin

Start the transition from the classical method to growing plants according to the principles of organic farming in your own garden plot necessary to study this technology. It is important to decide whether the gardener is ready to accept such a philosophy of working with the land, or whether he strongly doubts its effectiveness.

If in doubt, you can select a small area for testing to understand how it all works in practice.

That is, carry out one or two seasons of agricultural work using natural methods: stop digging, cover the ground with mulch, plant green manure, refuse to use chemicals or reduce their amount by at least half. Then all that remains is to compare the results and draw conclusions.

Practice

If a gardener decides to learn the basics of natural farming, he must understand that starting from scratch will not immediately achieve amazing success. The earth must restore its strength, so tangible results will be visible in the second year of using organic agricultural technology. It is also important to remember that using only one of the methods will not lead to the desired result. You can stop digging, but if you do not mulch the soil, treat the plants with chemicals and do not comply with crop rotation requirements, active positive changes will not occur. What does a farmer gain when he begins to maintain his garden in new ways and means:

Labor costs for sowing and planting plants, weeding and loosening are reduced, while saving time and effort is significant.
Water consumption is reduced, watering is required less frequently and is not as abundant as with classical agricultural technology.
Plants get sick less, grow stronger, and increase productivity, so smaller quantities can be planted.
The composition of the soil is improving, and even heavy clay soils become easier to process.

Minuses

Is organic farming technology ideal? Of course not. On large areas, it is difficult and quite expensive to comply with all the principles of natural farming. financially: for mulching you will have to purchase covering materials, replacement chemicals biological ones will also be expensive. Within a small personal plot It is easier to complete these tasks, and, nevertheless, the gardener will also need to make certain investments in the purchase of tools, biological products, and mulching materials, if it is impossible to find their natural analogues.

The earth's ecosystem is changing, new viruses and diseases are appearing, which sometimes cannot be combated only with biological products. The earth does not have time to develop immunity against new pathogenic flora. Therefore, in some cases, gardeners either completely stop growing crops that are susceptible to diseases that need to be treated chemicals, or in extreme cases they resort to the use of chemistry. The same applies to pests that appear during the migration of plants from one region to another, especially when crops appear from abroad. As a rule, there are no natural control methods against them yet; in this case, the use of chemistry is also possible.

Organic gardening should be considered as an alternative to intensive gardening, which often uses unreasonably large amounts of fertilizers and pesticides. Of course, the yield of an intensive garden will be higher, but at what cost? It’s no secret that in order to get a decent harvest, you need to carry out chemical protection measures several times a season. This means that plants are doomed to accumulate compounds that are toxic to humans, and, in addition, irreparable harm is caused to the environment, bees and bumblebees die, soil microorganisms and birds suffer.

The practice of organic farming means that only natural fertilizers- manure, compost, leaf humus and other organic matter, as well as wood ash.

In the fight against diseases, the application of the most important principle of crop rotation has a good effect. Attracting birds and beneficial insects that feed on these pests into the garden helps control them.

Weeds are destroyed not with the help of herbicides, but through competent agrotechnical measures, mulching and proper crop rotation.

When starting to create and arrange a garden, we must remember that the key to success is a respectful attitude towards the land. It should be noted that this is by no means “dirt” in which hands and clothes get dirty, as some people think. Soil is a living organism, the habitat of microorganisms, protozoa, fungi and soil fauna. This is a complex biological system, a storehouse of mineral and organic elements from which plants draw strength to produce a harvest. If treated properly, the soil can maintain its own fertility.

Causes of pollution and depletion of fertile soil layer

Depletion of the fertile soil layer leads to chronic crop failures, problems with pests and plant diseases. Soil fertility directly depends on the presence of humus in it, the main soil component, its organic part, which is formed as a result of biochemical transformations of animal and plant residues. It is in humus, which combines with soil minerals, that all the necessary nutrients are found flora. With the help of saprophytic microorganisms, symbiont fungi and soil fauna, the process of soil formation occurs.

The reasons for the depletion of the soil lie in the fact that, unfortunately, man rather unceremoniously invades complex processes, which go in the upper soil horizons. Constant digging disrupts the microbiological balance of soils. Unwise use of pesticides kills all living things, including beneficial soil flora and fauna. The constant use of mineral fertilizers leads to salinization of the soil, due to which the plants are eventually unable to obtain nutrients. Pollution and depletion of the soil leads to the fact that practically nothing grows on the site except weeds.

It is well known that organic fertilizers are better integrated into the food chains of microorganisms living in the soil, while supplying plants with all nutrients. To do harm, you have to try hard. There is practically no overdose, the excess is eroded and washed away by precipitation. Therefore, the use of organic matter at all stages of crop cultivation is becoming increasingly preferable.

The basic techniques of organic farming, that is, literally making the land, come down to three main techniques: composting, using green manure plants and mulching.

Types of organic fertilizers in natural farming: they are...

Is it possible to do without mineral fertilizers? To avoid mineral fertilizers or reduce their use to a minimum, you need to use organic matter. All the main elements necessary for the normal development of plants - nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium - are contained in manure and compost. Bird droppings, peat, and bone meal can also be successfully used as organic fertilizer in natural farming. Has always been an excellent source of microelements wood ash. All types organic fertilizers They are safe for both humans and soil microorganisms.

Organic fertilizers include manure, compost, humus, bird droppings and much more. Our ancestors did not have any fertilizers at their disposal, except for stove ash and manure. This universal fertilizer, which not only promotes yield growth, but also improves the structure and fertility of the soil, has been used in agriculture since ancient times. He was still taken through the snow, on a sleigh (the word manure itself comes from this) to the fields. But even now no one has canceled the use of manure. You know how tasty and large potatoes grow “on manure”!

What is the best manure and litter for the garden as an organic fertilizer?

What is the best manure for the garden and what are the rules for using this source of micronutrients?

Any manure, except pig manure, is suitable for the garden plot.

The trouble is that the almost complete disappearance of cattle from private farms in rural areas, the reduction in the number of horses has led to the fact that now organic fertilizer, especially horse manure, has turned into an almost unaffordable luxury. Where there is a lot gardening partnerships, A farms in the area, it’s happened once or twice, getting a manure truck is a great success. In recent years, private stables have begun to appear in our country, which inspires timid hope that horse dung will finally become more accessible to the gardener.

Bird droppings and their uses. This is a very concentrated organic fertilizer made from manure, so it must be used with caution. Liquid fertilizers are made from clean, dried bird droppings that are commercially available. To do this, add water to 500 g of dry droppings in a ten-liter bucket. When the contents of the bucket turn into a homogeneous substance, this concentrate must be diluted with water at the rate of 1:20 (for example, dilute 0.5 liters in 10 liters) and water the plants at the roots with this working solution (but do not spray them!).

Is it true that you can bring mole crickets with cow dung? Yes, such a threat exists. Cow dung has its own problems. Only rotted manure can be used. If you bought fresh manure, leave it to “ripen” in some secluded corner of the garden, but be careful - mole crickets love to make nests there, successfully winter in a warm environment and reproduce in huge quantities. Therefore, by the time the manure is ready, there is a danger of the mole cricket spreading throughout the garden. To avoid this threat, it is better to purchase and store manure in plastic bags, where it will also ripen perfectly, but is inaccessible to mole crickets.

Which manure is better to use as fertilizer: fresh or rotted?

How to use manure correctly. Manure has three degrees of maturity. It is good to add fresh manure to the beds when digging the soil in the fall. There he will reach the desired condition by spring. Otherwise, you may burn the plant roots. In spring it can be used to create warm beds, walled to a depth of up to half a meter, covered with branches, large plant debris, etc. Slowly decomposing, it will release additional heat, which allows you to grow cucumbers directly in open ground. Manure that has been sitting for a year (no matter in your garden or somewhere else) can already be used in greenhouses, when setting up beds in the spring, when planting potatoes and tomatoes. Therefore, the answer to the question of which manure is better: fresh or rotted, will depend on the goals pursued by the gardener.

Manure aged two years, in fact, has already completely rotted and turned into humus. To keep it in working condition, it’s a good idea to shovel the pile, try not to overdry it, water it if necessary, and be sure to cover it with film. This is done to protect against weeds and maintain a certain humidity. Dry manure loses more than half of its beneficial properties.

Another way to use manure as fertilizer: place a barrel in the greenhouse, fill it halfway with manure and fill it to the top with water. The gas that will be released during fermentation will accelerate the growth of plants in the greenhouse. But keep in mind - the aroma in the greenhouse will be specific!

From a concentrated infusion taken from the same barrel, you can prepare a solution for liquid feeding during the first half of summer. To do this, it must be diluted 10 times (1 liter per ten-liter bucket). Water at the roots, being careful not to get on the leaves. In smaller concentrations (1 cup per bucket), manure infusion is successfully used to combat powdery mildew.

In addition, it is very useful to use manure when preparing compost, layering it with plant residues and kitchen waste folded for composting.

Evgeniy Sedov

When hands grow out the right place, life is more fun :)

Content

Human health directly depends on nutrition. Eating foods with GMOs or grown with the use of pesticides and fertilizers leads to irreversible consequences for the body. Modern agronomists propose to turn to the experience of our ancestors, to make the basis Agriculture natural farming.

Organic farming - what is it?

Ecological farming differs from traditional soil cultivation by its gentle approach to natural ecosystems existing in nature. The use of pesticides and deep cultivation has become detrimental to the land, reduced fertility, disrupted the natural cycle of substances, and negated the benefits of worms and microorganisms. Eco-farming is based on the awareness of the free interaction between soil, plants, animals, and organic residues, while humans should play the role of a helper, not a pest.

Organic Farming Basics

The principles and basics of organic farming are easy to understand and are as follows:

The earth is a living organism, the structure of which should not be disturbed. Intensive cultivation of the topsoil, excessive digging, loosening, mineralization, and other agricultural work are very labor-intensive and lead to high material costs with low efficiency. Natural farming on a farm or garden leads to minimal expenses, while allowing you to harvest a good harvest every year.
Mulching is the main method to improve soil quality and create favorable conditions for the natural system. Mulch is straw, sawdust, hay, fallen leaves, roots and trimmed weeds - everything that covers the beds on top protects the black soil from excessive evaporation of moisture, erosion and hypothermia.
Reasonable feeding, which is designed not to destroy beneficial microbes and fungi that utilize organic matter, but to give them the opportunity to multiply, suppress pathogenic bacteria, fix mineral elements, and process everything that can serve as natural humus.

Agriculture according to Ovsinsky

The initiator of parting with the classical method of digging up a vegetable garden was the Russian scientist I.E. Ovsinsky, author of many scientific works, agronomist by training. Farming according to Ovsinsky is an ideal way to allow the earth to recover itself without interfering with the natural course of nature. As evidence, the innovative breeder in 1899 wrote the work “A New System of Agriculture,” in which he argued for minimal plow intervention in the soil structure, which ensures an environmentally friendly environment and the production of high-quality, safe products.

Organic farming - Kizima method

Galina Kizima can be considered a modern authority on the benefits of organic farming. Having received her PhD degree, the woman seriously took up issues of increasing productivity through the correct approach to soil cultivation practices. Organic farming using the Kizima method has become widespread and is described in books and articles. The basic principle of her garden is the three “don’ts”: don’t weed, don’t dig, don’t water. The author introduced the concept of a “smart” garden bed into use, personal experience proved the effectiveness of her method.

Organic farming - beds

Create conditions for plants in the beds similar to those existing in wildlife, the agricultural technology of natural farming is called upon. The goals of the method: improving the quality and volume of the harvest, preserving natural fertility while saving time and effort. To bring this idea to life, the following are used:

gentle loosening of the top 5-7 cm of soil in spring and autumn;
the use of exclusively organic fertilizers in the garden plot, including compost, manure, humus, green manure, as well as microbiological developments;
biological products, agricultural products that protect plants from pests and diseases.

Organic farming - where to start

The question of when and where to start organic farming is increasingly asked by rural residents and owners of garden plots. The answer is encouraging: you can transfer your homestead to a completely new system, known as “organic beds,” at any time of the year, but the most suitable is considered autumn period. In practice, the main task of agriculture will be the rapid restoration of the top fertile layer, correct selection means of protection, maintaining the natural ecosystem, preserving it in this state through basic actions.

Natural farming in the garden plot - practice

Periodic, deep digging is not acceptable if your goal is organic farming in the country. The desire for perfect soil cultivation spoils the soil, has the opposite effect on it, making it heavy, dry, lifeless, hard as stone. As practice shows, this can be avoided using certain techniques:

divide the area into small beds, depending on the species composition of the plants that will be planted;
try to cover the soil with natural, organic materials, since bare land is unprotected, less infertile;
Regularly mulch the soil to a depth of at least 10 cm, which will reduce the growth of weeds, protect plants from pests and exposure to ultraviolet radiation, and ensure long-term retention of moisture in the soil.