You hear the words in the media, you see the products in the stores and you may even know a neighbor who practices it. But what exactly is organic gardening?
Simply put, it means using only fertilizers or pesticides that are strictly of animal or vegetable, and not synthetic or chemical, origin. And, although the term organic gardening has recently become a trendy buzzword, in fact, it is a concept and practice that has been in use since cultivation of land first began thousands of years ago. It is, essentially, the way it has always been done.
It was only when scientists in the mid-1800s began developing chemical fertilizers and pesticides that the collective mindset shifted toward accelerated growth of crops, more thorough and faster destruction of pests and weeds, and an increasing disregard for the environment.