Give organic gardening a try

Ruth explains the benefits of gardening the natural way

- Ruth Hayes

THE natural world is in a perilous state as a whole, and the effects are felt in our own little worlds, as insect numbers fall, green spaces are gobbled up, agriculture intensifies and wildlife spotting becomes a rare event.

It feels like a lot to reverse, but we can make a difference in a small way in the way we tend our gardens.

Gardening organically is a good place to start but can feel daunting. Will my garden be overrun by pests? How do I combat diseases? What about weeds? Will it be expensive?

The answer to most of these is a cautious no, though without a chemical crutch gardening can be more laborious. Weeding is time-consuming, for example, but it will get you fit.

Checking plants for pests and diseases takes a few minutes each day, but gives you a deeper knowledge of your plants and your garden so you are quicker to spot potential problems.

Like all aspects of this glorious hobby of ours, organic success isn’t a nailed-on certainty and, yes, things can go wrong. We lose several plants each year, though more often than not the fault lies with us not spotting and acting on potential problems fast enough.