I like the idea of having an organic garden. And when it comes to my edibles “chemical” free has its attraction. However, I do not want to be over come with weeds or pests. The misconception is, if you do not have huge bottles of sprays and pesticides on the ready to control the natural environment that the garden will look “au natural” or overgrown or weedy. That is not my idea of organic gardening. Nor is time consumption. I do not want to maintain anything that takes so much of my time that I have no life except my gardening.

I do like the idea of composting. That is good organic materials that are going right back into the earth. But I am puzzled as to why this earth that knows how to feed itself needs our help with so many fertilizers, insecticides and pesticides. What are we doing to the soil that it is stripped of every nutrient so that we are dependent on the local garden center to reintroduce vital nutrients back into our earthen environment?

For example, I have seen over the years that fall cleaning means to raked up the yard free of leaves and other debris. Things that grow naturally in my yard. Okay, I am good with that. I don’t like a messy yard but the next step is bag it, burn it or some other disposal option that is “away” from the yard. Then off to the garden center to get new stuff that was never grown in my yard to replace vital nutrients. That is not for me.

Instead I think that composting or mulching with my yard friendly fall leftovers is just smart gardening. My plants know these vitamins and eat them up. And I am not spending uselessly on garden materials or wasting vital energy getting rid of good stuff.

I admit that is an over simplification to be sure but the point is, stripping the lawn environment or vegetable patch is not smart gardening. I do believe there is a time and place for adding amendments that I do not have in my yard. But balance is the real key.

Three things I do regularly are: compost, mulch and water. Then I add as much natural or xeriscaping as I can to make my life easier. Got the latest gardening catalog? That plant you see looks oh so fabulous and would be just right in a special place in the yard. But! It is not zoned for the area. This has happened to me more than once. So now I take a walk or a drive in my area to see what is growing in other yards. Things that are tried and true to survive where ever I am living.

Right now I live in the humid south. Many of my plants are “old timey” plantings that have been here for generations. They need little care and can germinate easily new starts while defying pests and diseases.Can it get any better than that?

Soon I will be moving to a place that is very dry and desert-like. With that in mind I am considering xeriscaping because I see that this new place I am going to has difficulty growing lush plants like I am use to in the humid south. Xeriscaping is perfect for a drought tolerant, low maintenance garden environment and I look forward to do my gardens this way. So I will start blogging my gardening for the desert prairie soil of the Edwards Plateau area of Texas. Wish me luck!