Organic Vegetable Gardening
ORGANIC MATTER
A major basis for organic gardening is the use of abundant quantities of organic material applied to the soil. Usually, it is in the form of animal manures, plant manures, cover crops, compost, or mixed organic fertilizer.
Benefits of Adding Organic Matter
- Improves tilth, condition, and structure of soil.
- Improves ability of soil to hold water.
- Improves ability of soil to hold nutrients.
- Improves “buffering” capacity of soil; that is, keeps soil from “over-reacting”.
- Supports the soil’s microbiological activity (or the life of the soil).
- Contributes nutrients, both minor and major.
- Releases nutrients slowly.
- Acids arising from the decomposition of the organic matter help to convert insoluble natural additives such as ground rock into plant-usable
forms. - Helps vegetables survive stress, as from nematodes.
- Helps dispose of organic waste products.
What Happens to Organic Matter Applied to the Soil or Compost Pile?
Under suitable conditions, the organic matter is decomposed by micro-organisms such as fungi, algae, bacteria, molds, and earthworms. In the process, insoluble and unavailable (to plants) nutrients, such as nitrogen, are gradually changed into simple usable products.
For example, nitrogen is converted from the unusable organic forms to a usable inorganic form through the process called nitrification. Thus, nitrification is the breakdown of protein (organic nitrogen) into ammonia and then nitrate. Some of the organic matter becomes part of the soil humus.
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