If you talked about ‘going organic’ to your great-grandparents they’d look at you as though you were mad.

But organic gardening is not a phenomenon of the last 30 years. Those same ancestors, if they had a patch of garden on which they grew a few vegetables or a couple of gooseberry bushes, were growing organic produce without knowing there was any other way.

They were doing what comes naturally.

And that is exactly what organic gardening is; growing without chemical additives that can be harmful both to human health and to wildlife. Meanwhile the soil is fed to encourage healthy plant growth with natural fertilisers such as horse manure or decaying foliage that contain nutrients not found in man-made products.

But how do you fend off those nasty little insects whose sole purpose in life appears to be chomping their way through our brassicas without using pesticides?

Bear in mind that some insects are natural pesticides in themselves and there are organic pesticides on the market too. But always read the label – danger lurks even in nature itself.

The key to organic gardening is to work with nature so that the resources consumed by the garden can be replenished both minimally and consistently. Feed the soil and the soil will feed the plants; organic compost is a great, nutrient rich soil conditioner that will give your plants, crops and flowers all they need to blossom and grow.