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Expert Q&A: The Dirt On Growing Organic Organic gardening is more than a fad, and gardening magazine publisher Bryan Welch offers basic tips on the tools and techniques of going green and natural. From "The Dirt On..." episode DTDO-109

Planting long-bloomers like daisies can help keep pollinators and other beneficial insects in your garden.

Bryan Welch, organic gardener and publisher/editorial director of Mother Earth News magazine, stopped by to talk about how easy and beneficial growing organic can be.

Q: Why did you decide to become an organic gardener?

Bryan Welch: Organic methods work better in the long run, they cost less and they're safer for both your family and the environment than using toxic pesticides. Plus, it's fun to watch nature at work.

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Q: How do organic gardeners get rid of weeds?

Bryan Welch: Prevention is always key when talking about weeds and mulch can definitely keep them from taking over. Also, newspaper laid down underneath mulch will act as a weed barrier. If you have weeds already or if you just want to be prepared for the few that will find their way to your garden no matter how hard you try to keep them out, you'll need a good weeding hoe.

	Figure A
	Figure B

Hoes that are specifically designed for weeding make the job much easier. You won't have to get on your hands and knees to pull weeds and in fact you won't even have to bend over so your back won't suffer. These hoes generally aren't available at your average home improvement store so you may have to search online or at a specialty garden center but it will be well worth it.

• Circle hoe. This hoe is great for weeding up close and around your plants in small, hard to get to areas. Hold it upright so the bottom of the circle is the only part touching the soil and scoop the weeds out with the sharp bottom edge (figure A).

• Stirrup hoe or "hula hoe". This hoe will cut on both the push and the pull strokes because both sides are sharpened. It's sharp enough to remove sod so it works well for edging along your garden bed too (figure B).
  

  Figure C

• "Winged Weeder" hoe.This specialized hoe (figure C) is designed for really shallow weeding. If you have a fairly open area where weeds are popping up, drag this hoe just a millimeter or two under the surface of the soil and you'll chop the weeds down quickly. This shallow weeding is particularly good because you're not disrupting the soil too much during the growing season.
  

  Figure D

• "Dutch Diamond" hoe. This hoe is designed to work two ways. You can use it like the winged weeder, dragging it along the soil with a push/pull motion (figure D), or you could use the tips on the end to take out a weed growing in a tight space.

Bryan Welch: We enlist other critters — beneficial insects — to do the job for us. Ladybugs, praying mantises, lacewings, mini-wasps, ground beetles, hover flies and spiders are all beneficial in the garden. You can often buy ladybugs and praying mantis eggs at your local nursery and set them free in the garden. The key to keeping them there is providing them with a source of water and some shaded areas where they can hang out. They'll start devouring those pests in no time.

You don't necessarily need to buy these beneficial bugs though. They'll find their way to your garden on their own if you just create the right home for them. Plant flowers with a long blooming period, like daisies. This will keep the pollinators around so you can have some balance in the garden. Also, create different elevations in the garden by planting tall and short plants together. By creating areas of sunlight and shade, you're creating an environment that will suit a wide range of insects.

Q: Are there any plants that deter insects?

Bryan Welch: Plants like fennel and dill have been known to deter certain insects just because they smell funny. Pest insects tend to stay away from them and I've even noticed this in my own garden.

Go to next article in DIY's "Green Gardener" series.