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Growing Organically 
First, let's bust a few myths. Organic growing isn't just for hippies left over from the 1960's. It isn't just for the tree huggers. It isn't a "fad" but has become a trend, even though the practice has been around since ancient times. Simply defined it is the practice of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers and other plants using only natural means. This means using organically produced seeds, adding only natural materials such as compost to the soil, and eliminating the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
OK, so how do you do this? Begin in the spring by amending your poor southwest Colorado soil with cow manure, sheep & peat, garden compost, mushroom compost, or homemade compost from your backyard pile. Prepare it by turning it into the soil by rototilling. The more material you can work in, the better, and the looser you can make the soil, the better. This is important because our clay soils here are compacted and contain virtually no organic material to provide nutrients for the gardens growth throughout the season.
A word about seeds. If you want to grow "organically," then you must be sure that you purchase organically produced seeds. These will be seeds that have come from fruits or vegetables that have been raised without the use of pesticides or chemicals. Organic seeds are available at your local garden center. Heirloom seeds are usually varieties that have not been hybridized from their original plants, but may or may not be organically produced. Although there are many heirloom varieties, some of the better known heirlooms would be Brandywine tomatoes and sweet peas.
Fertilizers are the next component in your organic garden. Generally, organic fertilizers will be in the form of manures- bat, chicken, cow, horse. If you are using something from your barn however, be sure that it is very well aged -- usually at least two years -- or you will likely burn your plants. Be sure to check labels though. Just because it's a manure, doesn't necessarily mean it's organic. Organic fertilizers may also come in the form of bone & blood meal, greensand, alfalfa meal, seaweed, worm castings and others. Commercial organic fertilizers such as Grow Power are also available and will yield good results. Which is best? Honestly, to a plant, a nitrogen atom is a nitrogen atom- they really won't care, though some folks prefer and swear by one over the other. Use what you feel is best for your needs.
Now, picture your beautiful healthy organic garden full of delicious vegetables. As inviting as they are to you, they are equally as attractive to bugs and pests and that becomes the next issue in organic gardening- how to deal with pests and maintain the organic status. If you are going to garden organically, you will probably need to be prepared for an acceptable level of pest infestation and damage. It simply goes with the territory.
Some of this can be accomplished by carefully selecting your plants when you begin. Read the labels to determine the more pest and disease resistant varieties.
There are several things to try to ward off the critters. The first is to plant companion plants to help keep the bugs at bay. This means to plant flowers such as marigolds whose odor is undesirable to some pests and will help deter them from feasting in your garden. Some herbs such as sage, and chives or plants such as garlic are also known to have some efficacy in keeping bugs away.
Another strategy to keep your garden healthy is to introduce beneficial insects. An example of these would be ladybugs that feed freely on aphids or praying mantis that eat many times their body weight in pests on a daily basis. Other critters that would be desirable to attract might be frogs, birds, centipedes and spiders that will also feed on the harmful bugs. This can easily be accomplished by putting in a pond, bird bath, or feeders that will help to attract friendly wildlife.
Insect traps or sticky strips can also be used to help keep the bug populations at a minimun. If you have a population that you can't control using one of these methods, there are also several commercially available certified organic sprays that will help keep the populations down. One of the best is Capt'n Jacks, which is a form of spinosad, a bacteria found in caribbean rum distilleries. The other is Don't Bug Me. We've had good success with both and you can use either of these on your fruits, vegetables, and flowers for organic pest control.
Organic gardening can be easy and fun with a huge benefit of that you will know where your food comes from and what was used to safely produce it. | 
