Many people are keen to avoid using chemical fertilisers and sprays in their gardens. While the organic option is equally applicable to both ornamental and edible plantings of herbs, vegetables and fruit trees, you should not expect miracles overnight.

What is the biggest barrier to more producers and home gardeners converting to organics?
When conventional farmers change to organic techniques they go through a transition period. This period is the biggest barrier to more producers becoming organically certified.

When producers initially stop using chemical fertilisers and sprays, they get lower production and more pest problems.  It takes a minimum of two years before a commercial producer can convert to organic growing and achieve organic certification, but in some cases can take five years or more to achieve production equal to their previous conventional production techniques. Many producers simply do not have the funds to support themselves during this conversion period. Anyone converting from chemical use to organics in a home garden must expect to go through a similar transition.

Expect your garden to look much worse, before it looks better. 

Organic gardening is not a do nothing approach! 

When you first adopt organic gardening techniques you will need to be prepared to do lots of work.

How long before your garden to becomes the organic paradise you dream of?

• How extensively chemical fertilisers and sprays have been used in the past
• Whether you wean yourself off gradually or go cold turkey
• Your existing soil type and the existing levels of organic matter
• The style of gardens around you and the habitat they create
• How much time and effort you are prepared to put into the garden
• Your access to resources like animal manure, grass clippings, legume mulches and general composting materials etc
• Your experience and knowledge and the effort you are prepared to put into your garden
• Whether you are prepared to axe some species that support pest populations

Follow the Example of Certified Organic Growers
You may never want to become a commercial organic grower, but it is useful to be guided by the standards that apply to certified organic products. The Draft National Standard for Organic and Bio-dynamic Produce, can be viewed or downloaded from the AQIS website at [www.affa.gov.au]

Soil Improvement
You will obtain better results if you concentrate on generously enriching the soil in one small area and expand the garden as materials and time allows.  The draft National Standard permits use of:

• compost, composted animal manures, blood and bone, fishmeal, hoof and horn
• natural crushed rock, dolomite, gypsum, lime, rock phosphate and potash, sulphur and bentonite.
• seaweed
• straw and other plant by-products
• wood ash and wood products (from untreated sources)
• worm castings
• zeolite and other trace elements

Off-The-Shelf
The Biological Farmers Association (BFA) lists all products certified by them with contact details of manufacturers on their website at [www.bfa.com.au].  Gardeners anxious to get started can purchase BFA certified soil improvement products as a useful way of supplementing available sources of organic material in the early stages of converting your garden.

Pest and Disease Control
The National Standard permits use of:

• biological controls such as BT (Bacillus thuringiensis)
• copper hydroxide
• diatomaceous earth (in non-heat treated form)
• fruit fly baits in enclosed traps
• iron phosphate
• vegetable oil and light mineral oil (such as paraffin)
• lime and lime sulphur
• natural pyrethrum
• plant oils such as neem and garlic
• potassium permanganate (Condy's Crystals)
• potassium soap
• powdered or wettable sulphur
• plant extracts such as quassia (Quassia armara), rotenone (Derris elliptica) and ryania (Ryania speciosa)
• seaweed
• sodium silicate and sodium bicarbonate
• vinegar