The beginner's guide to planting an organic garden

A garden in which a diverse range of creatures can co-exist with plants and people represents a victory in creating a balance between nature and human intervention. An organic garden sets you on the path to achieving such a victory and these guidelines will show you how.

Organic gardeners gently guide the natural processes with the minimum amount of intervention. Proper soil preparation before planting, general care and nourishment, crop rotation, companion planting and composting characterize the approach. Chemical sprays and fertilizers are avoided by organic gardeners in case they have a residual effect in the soil or they taint the purity of the fruit, vegetables and herbs being produced. By encouraging a healthy garden environment with its own balanced ecology, the organic gardener aims to eliminate the need to interrupt the natural processes.

Chemicals can play havoc with a garden, particularly when they are used indiscriminately. When we spray against one insect, we invariably also kill others in the chain, damaging or destroying the natural balance and harmony of the garden. Chemicals can start an unstoppable chain reaction among the garden's creatures. Earthworms may not do so well in chemical-ridden soil; aphid-loving ladybirds may be discouraged from the garden. Birds, too, may be affected when they prey upon insects that have been exposed to chemical sprays. The same applies to frogs and lizards and the like, which all help keep the insect population down.

Healthy plants growing in soil made nutrient-rich by the addition of organic matter will be far more robust and naturally more resistant to pests and diseases than plants cultivated in depleted soil or those grown in an unsuitable climate (trying to grow vegetables, fruit or herbs that are not well suited to your climate or soil type rarely results in success and simply leads to a great deal of hard work and frustration).

Look out for the most robust plants when buying at a nursery

•  Plants lacking vigour are susceptible to disease problems.
• Healthy plants should not need to be sprayed with chemicals.
• In the organic garden nothing is wasted; all of the organic matter that is produced is turned back into the soil.

Composting and digging in animal waste and unwanted plant matter improves the soil's structure, helping it to retain moisture and nutrients. A well-balanced, organic garden will contain a wide range of different plants, which also helps to create a healthy growing environment. In agriculture, where large numbers of the same plant are grouped together (monoculture), the likelihood of insect or disease problems increases. In a domestic organic garden planted with many different species, most of these problems are avoided. A pragmatic attitude is the key to how you rate the success of your organic garden.

In the natural scheme of things, insects and birds will inevitably damage some crops. The occasional caterpillar, for instance, might feature prominently in a garden's ecology while a small percentage of the crop is occasionally going to be affected by disease. Such events are viewed by the organic gardener as a legitimate part of garden life; absolute perfection, where every leaf is in perfect condition, is unnatural and should never be expected.

If you decide upon this approach to gardening, do not expect all the produce you harvest to be perfect-looking and blemish-free, like the plastic-wrapped fruit and vegetables on the supermarket shelf. Be rewarded instead with the knowledge that your homegrown produce is high in nutritional value, comes garden-fresh and is free from those chemical sprays so heavily used in commercial production.