Organic Gardening

Organic gardening or horticulture refers to the art and science of cultivating flowers, ornamental plants, vegetables, fruits and other crops. It is based on the principles of organic agriculture in terms of the preservation of heritage-species, pest management and soil conservation and building. In other words, organic gardening uses natural and organic materials in the cultivation process instead of relying on chemicals.

The term horticulture is derived from the Latin words "hortus" (garden plant) and "cultura" (culture). Horticulture is similar to agriculture considering that the two follow almost the same process. However, the difference between the two lies on the tools used in the cultivation of the plants. On one hand, horticulture relies on human labor and the gardener's tools or other smaller tools such as rotary tillers. On the other hand, agriculture makes use of a bigger set of equipment or machinery such as the plough.

Horticulture comprises five areas of study namely: floriculture, landscape horticulture, olericulture, pomology and post harvest physiology. Floriculture is concerned with the production and the marketing of floral crops. Landscape horticulture refers to the production, maintenance and marketing of landscape crops. Olericulture covers the production and marketing of vegetables. Pomology includes fruit production and marketing. Postharvest physiology is the area concerned with the maintenance of the quality of the crops, as well as their protection from spoilage.

Organic vs Convential processes

Organic gardening or horticulture is based on techniques and knowledge that have been developed over thousands of years. Unlike chemical based gardening, organic horticulture depends on natural processes that often take place over a certain period of time. Organic gardening also makes use of a more holistic approach unlike the chemical method that involves reductionist techniques and isolated effects.

Soil fertilization, which is one of the core activities in horticulture, is what sets the difference between organic gardening and a chemical-based horticulture. The chemical method tends to use artificial and synthetic materials in cultivating and protecting plants. But organic horticulture depends on natural processes such as decomposition. Instead of using synthetic fertilizers, this type of gardening makes use of compost in order to increase the amount of nutrients in the soil. Organic gardening depends greatly on the natural breakdown of organic materials by using techniques such as composting (for soil fertilization) and green manure (the use of animal manures). It must be noted that most gardeners today make their own compost.

In terms of pest control, organic gardening employs several organic and natural techniques. In contrast, chemical horticulture applies artificial substances to prevent or stop pest infestation. The supporters of organic gardening argue that the repeated use of herbicides and insecticides can contaminate the soil and the water. These substances can also kill natural predator animals or insects that help in eliminating pests. The repeated use of these chemicals can also increase the resistance of pest, thus requiring the need for new and more powerful pest controls.

Gardening and Farming

Both organic gardening and farming are based on the same principles, which promote and support the use of organic materials and natural processes in plant cultivation. The difference between the two lies in their scope and the tools used in growing plants. While gardening makes use of smaller tools and machine, farming uses bigger machinery. Horticulture covers a wide range of plants, including flowering and other ornamental plants, vegetables and fruit bearing plants or trees. Meanwhile, agriculture is focused more on the production of crops.