Organic Gardening Guidelines

Organic Gardening Guidelines covers every area of gardening – from fruit and vegetable growing to lawns and ornamentals, from herbs to hanging baskets, paths to pergolas.

Written by experts - for all gardeners, everywhere.

How the Guidelines work:

This app outlines what organic gardening means in practice. The guidelines are divided into eight main sections, each covering different aspects of garden care. Each section starts with general principles, followed by detailed lists of the practices, materials and products that can, or should not, be used in an organic garden. These have been divided up into four categories, or ratings, from:

‘Best organic practice’ to ‘Never acceptable in an organic garden’.

The app is for use by all levels of gardener, from raw novice to experienced professional. The methods are also relevant for use by children, the gardeners of the future.

********************************** MAIN SECTIONS *************************************

• Organic acceptability ratings

• Organic soil care

• Plant raising and growing in containers

• Garden and plant health

• Weeds

• Water Use

• Wood (timber) in the garden

• Energy use in the garden

Organic gardening methods harness the natural cycles and processes that promote plant growth. The app will help users care for the environment and to cut their ‘carbon footprint’ by ‘reducing, reusing and recycling’ resources, while creating a flourishing growing space.

Why organic gardening matters:

Gardening and growing offers great benefits for us all – benefits for the environment, for people’s health and wellbeing, for food security and for building stronger communities. Our outdoor growing space, be it the private garden, community garden, allotment, school garden, or just a small space nearby, is a place where we relax and recharge both spiritually and physically. It is also a place where we can learn and reconnect with nature and the food we eat and where we can take practical action to adopt sustainable lifestyles.

Using the organic approach to gardening and growing, which Garden Organic has been promoting for over 50 years, will ensure that these benefits can be achieved and enjoyed to their full potential.

These guidelines are based on the principles and practices of organic agriculture, as defined by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) and they have been interpreted and adapted by Garden Organic to apply to garden scale growing.

About Garden Organic:

Garden Organic is the UK national charity dedicated to researching and promoting sustainable growing, and has been at the forefront of organic horticulture for over 50 years. Garden Organic has aimed to ensure that these Organic Gardening Guidelines are practical and cover every aspect of gardening organically, wherever you are in the world.