A Pragmatic Argument for Organics in the Garden

I will make no argument here about the need to buy and eat organic foods. If you can afford it, that's nice; I'm talking about something else, though.

I surprised myself when I made the change to organic chemicals in the yard and garden. Rather than arguments about the bad, bad people who make chemicals (as though organic compounds are not chemicals, somehow), my change to primarily—not entirely, alas—organic products came from pragmatics, less money and work for at least as good an outcome.

Long-term benefit: Feed the soil, not the plant

Fertilizer bags list the ratio of three main components: nitrogen (for big and green), phosphorus (for blooming and root development), and potassium (for overall plant health and endurance). Inorganic fertilizers include those three in larger amounts than organic fertilizers and for cheaper, so organics seem like a total rip—but wait! Those will be the only nutrients found in inorganic fertilizers, with the rest being inert material used to spread out the other stuff easily over a broad area (otherwise you would be putting a teaspoon of fertilizer over a broad area). Giving your plants (including lawn) a straight diet of the three main nutrients seems good enough, but I ask you to consider a broader, longer term game.

Some berries from a bed I rarely fertilize.

Inorganic fertilizers contain a number of micro nutrients. Think of the comparison of inorganic and organic fertilizers to the comparison of a vitamin and fresh fruit: the vitamin has the main element you want (e.g., vitamin C), but you miss the many other nutrients there (e.g., an organge's folate, fiber, copper, etc.). Likewise inorganic fertilizers give your plants a healthy diet of the innumerable nutrients of life.

Paul James (of HGTV's now cancelled Gardening by the Yard) used to say that inorganic fertilizers turn your plants into junkies, looking for their next big fix. I think of it like people who consume energy drinks rather than having a balanced diet, a quick fix over sustained health. Further, those micro nutrients create healthy soil, encouraging beneficial microorganisms to grow that naturally resist disease and keep all organic things in balance. Having healthy soil means plant life has a greater chance of being happy and healthy. It's about a long game.


Also, can we talk about not working against yourself? Inorganic fertilizers have the very bad habit of leaving salt in the soil, which kills off the good bacteria and microorganisms and squelches the other nutrients present. By using an inorganic you create a weakened (though green) plant and destroy the colonies of good stuff in the soil all of which then requires you to add in more fertilizer.

For the lawn, keep an eye out for organic fertilizer with corn gluten: it keeps weed seeds from germinating (actually, all seeds, so don't use it when reseeding). It will cost more than the regular weed and seed products, but you don't have to worry about burning your lawn or applying as often (I find, anyway). Just try spending as much on organic as inorganic fertilizer for a season (probably applying less for the season) and see if you are as happy: seriously, try it!

Cheaper:

First, organic products can be cheaper in the end because as you build up soil and plant health, you need less of them. I have found that my lawn stays green and the plants bloom well even though I fertilize rarely. I add organic fertilizer only occasionally and otherwise leave nature to keep itself in balance. I have few under-performing plants in the yard (only my azaleas come to mind), but even they could easily be improved by a little organic fertilizers I have on hand (there, fish emulsion) if I were to remember.

Also, some organic products are already pretty cheap. My favorite organic cure all is fish emulsion:  it's about as pleasant as it sounds, fish leftovers emulsified into a smelly, thick liquid. Fish emulsion does not cost much off the shelf, and diluted one tablespoon to the gallon it goes a long way. Straw, which can be lovely in your edible garden (especially strawberries) to lighten and enrich soil as it breaks down, comes pretty cheap for a whole bale.

Additionally, you can find some great organic products to get rid of pests that are way cheaper than inorganic. Insecticidal soap, which I buy in concentrate and dilute in a spray bottle every season, works well on some of my regular garden pests (especially earwigs). I found a popular inorganic pesticide stunted and about killed some of my annuals where the organic options never have (replacing plants=more money). Diatomaceous earth, as another example, comes in small cheap bag and got rid of my grub problem, saving me $40 dollars over my neighbor's solution to her infestation—also, I had some leftover (ha!).

Mouth Table Ready

If you are growing edibles, organics give you the greatest joy of gardening, eating the fruit of your labor right there in the yard. I'm sure I risk some serious gastrointestinal illness from eating cherry tomatoes off the vine, but when they are shining red at me, warmed by the sun, which brings out their sweet flavor, golly, I'm powerless—same for strawberries.


In sum, don't think that organic gardening has to be expensive or labor intensive; it can actually be the opposite of that. All your answers to what to use and when are generally just a Google search away.