Gardening Tools & Supplies For The Organic Gardner (Part 1)

If you’re new to organic gardening, chances are you’ll need to buy some new materials that are effective and environmentally sound substitutes for chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Even if you’re a longtime organic gardener, it’s useful to take a yearly inventory to see what you’ve run out of or what new tools or supplies you’ll need if you’re starting a new project.

Garden Supplies

Organic gardeners use many of the same basic supplies as conventional gardeners, but they also use a range of alternatives to synthetically formulated fertilizers and pesticides. Consider the following categories as you inventory your garden supplies:

Organic soil amendments and fertilizers: No more bags of chemical fertilizer for the chemical-free gardener. You’ll be using compost, mineral supplements, and possibly foliar feeds to nourish your soil and crops. You may be able to find free local sources of organic matter if you can’t generate enough compost from the materials in your yard. Rock phosphate, green- sand, bonemeal, and many other substances that boost the content of specific nutrients are commercially available.

Barriers and traps: These are essential items for preventing or combating insect and disease problems. Barriers keep insects from reaching plants. For example, you can spread floating row covers over many crops to barricade them from flying insects. Tree bands block or capture some fruit tree pests. Copper strips can be an effective barrier against slugs. Insect traps usually serve best as monitors of pest populations. You can make some of these barriers and traps yourself with simple materials; others are available commercially. Many are preventive controls, so you must have them on hand before a problem develops.

Sprays and dusts: Some insecticidal or insect-repelling sprays can be made at home from soap, garlic, and other substances. Diatomaceous earth is used as an insecticidal dust. There are several botanical poisons sold as sprays or dusts. Copper and sulfur compounds are used in natural sprays that help prevent and treat fungal and bacterial disease problems. If
you plan to use sprays and dusts, also make sure you have the proper equipment to protect your health and safety. Even though botanical poisons are natural substances that break down in the environment within several days, they are toxic - to insects and to people - at the time you apply them.

Biocontrols: Biocontrols include insects, bacteria, fungi, viruses, and nematodes that are predators or parasites of plant pests. The most widely used of these, Bacillus thuringiensis, or BT, is generally available at garden centers. However, many other biocontrol agents must be specially ordered from insectaries. Timing in releasing these agents is important. It may also be important to plan to make plantings of shelter or attracting crops to encourage native or released biocontrols.

Watering equipment: Lack of water is one of the most common causes of poor plant growth, and weakened plants are easy targets for pests. A good watering system is a wise investment for the chemical-free gardener. The least expensive way to start out is with a long wand and some fancy spray nozzles.

Drip irrigation systems and soaker hoses are invaluable for dry periods when you want to
conserve water. Not only are they valuable water-saving devices, but once installed, they are a labor-saving way to water the garden.

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