The term Ecological Gardening seems to be gaining in popularity.
But what is it and what does it mean?
Ecological Gardening is based on sound scientific principles using the study
of natural ecosystems. The aim is to create a system of gardening where nature works for us, and not against
us.
The study of natural ecosystems shows us everything we need to know about
growing food. Natural ecosystems are generally diverse and there are a number of intricate interdependent
relationships occurring between the living and non-living components at any given time.
Put simply, each part of a natural ecosystem relies and benefits from its
interaction with other parts causing the system to be able to sustain itself. If one part of the
system is damaged in some way the whole system is affected.
In a natural ecosystem there are many living components co-existing in a given
area each occupying a niche space. If a component, let’s say a plant, is removed by an animal eating it,
we are left with an empty niche. This empty niche provides an opportunity for another life form to fill the
space.
In natural ecosystems, nature does not tolerate empty niche spaces. Once
the niche becomes available, there will be a whole host of opportunists ready to fill that space. Dormant
seeds, sometimes decades old, may spring to life and quickly try to occupy it.
The same thing happens when we are trying to grow food. In a vegetable
garden there are always empty niche spaces. And as nature doesn’t tolerate empty niche spaces weeds
will try to fill them. Weeds are very good empty space fillers and are the ultimate colonizing
plants. So as we can see there is no difference in the way nature works, whether it is in a pristine
natural ecosystem or a vegetable garden.
From this it is actually quite easy to see how we can have a weed-free
vegetable garden using ecological gardening techniques. You simply do two things. Firstly, you avoid having
empty niche spaces. And secondly, you make sure there is something desirable to fill niche spaces when
they become available.
Find out more about ecological gardening
here
Ecological Gardening can easily prevent a number of problems from
ever arising simply by combining natural weed management, soil ecology, pest ecology and crop management
into a very simple and easy method.
Using ecological gardening methods and simply applying sound scientific
principles it is possible to create a garden that requires very little attention and produces far more
than a traditional vegetable garden.
And from the incredible results that ecological gardening achieves,
I can say, with absolute certainty, that Ecological Gardening is the way we will be producing food in the
future.
Find out more
about ecological gardening here
