Durham Organic Gardeners’ Association aims to promote organic gardening and holds monthly events which may be talks or garden visits.
What do we mean by “organic gardening”?
Organic gardening is often associated with food production, but it can equally apply to ornamental gardening.
An organic approach to growing is one that focuses on the health of the soil and the beneficial micro-organisms that live there. It avoids the use of chemical fertilizers, which don’t benefit the natural systems which help to maintain long term soil fertility, and synthetic pesticides which may be harmful to people or wildlife and can persist in the environment.
It also considers the wider environment, as well as the garden itself, and should consider the sources of the materials it uses and the disposal of any waste materials that are produced.
What organic growing is not is an approach based on magic and mysticism. It is firmly based in tried and tested techniques. Many modern organic techniques such as crop rotation and the use of bulky manures would have been familiar to generations of gardeners. But others, such as the use of a wide range of biological control organisms to control pests, depend on modern science.
The national organisation that promotes organic gardening, Garden Organic, is developing a set of guidelines for its members which can be used for all sizes and types of garden, being more general in their application than the legal standards which apply to commercial food producers.
If you would like to join us, please feel free to join us at one of our indoor meetings. Alternatively, you can download a membership form and return it with your subscription.