Organic Solutions for a Safer Garden

By Marie Iannotti

Gardening organically doesn't mean you have to surrender your garden to pests and diseases. There are many organic pesticide products and biological controls that will help you ward off everything from aphids to weeds. Organic gardening just requires that you use some common sense:

1. Identify the problem.

2. Decide if the problem is big enough to warrant a pesticide.

3. Start with the least toxic control and move up to bigger guns only if needed.

4. Keep a close watch on your garden so small problems don't get out of control.

5. Accept a little imperfection.

Sounds easy enough, doesn't it? Once you get your gardening moving in an organic direction, it is actually easier to maintain than a garden dependent on synthetic chemicals and amendments. You soil will become healthier, which will make your plants grow healthier - and you'll have less problems to contend with in the long run.

To help get you started, here are some organic and biological controls and techniques for when you've reached #2, above, and you've decided the problem warrants a pesticide.