Every week we have gardeners coming in to our shops inquiring about “going organic”. For seventeen years now, we have been teaching the way and selling the products that make this task so easy.

In the 1970′s we moved around a lot. Everywhere we went, we would dig a hole, plant, and the plant would thrive. We moved to Texas and we could not even dig a hole. After ten years with a Troy Bilt tiller, volumes of oak leaves and grass clippings (this was the time before mulching mowers) and homemade compost, the soil in our vegetable garden grew anything we planted.

Today it can be done so easily. Great quality organic compost comes in bags if you do not have time to make your own. Organic fertilizers, both granular and liquid are readily available and easy to use. Plant the right plant in the right place. There is no way a gardenia will survive in the full sun here in Texas. Choose plants for the bulk of your landscape that are native, or at least well adapted to your area. Water wisely – we here in Texas do not have any to waste (check out this website – http://www.wateriq.org/ for more information). Mulch all beds to discourage weeds, conserve moisture and prevent disease. If pests appear, first make sure they are harmful pests. Will the local bird control contingent take care of them if they are not desirable? Are there beneficial insects that will control them? I prefer to take that route before using any kind of pest control, even if it is an organic one.

In the end, “gardening organic” is a way of life. You become more in tune with your surroundings – and that is a not a bad way to live.