Organic Gardening

Foods Not Lawns: Staying Organic
This organization ties in to the book Food Not Lawns: How to Turn Your Yard Into a Garden and Your Neighborhood Into a Community. The organization aims to work towards a thriving bioregion in the Pacific Northwest, and offer educational services. A useful section of Web resources to help people learn about organic food and organic living are provided, as well as a discussion list. Plenty of events are listed to promote the book and organic living.

Organic Gardening Techniques
The success or failure of the organic approach depends on how gardeners use and prepare organic matter, according to this site. Organic matter improves soil tilth and prevents soil compaction and crusting, while it increases the water holding ability of the soil and provides a more favorable soil environment for earthworms and beneficial microorganisms. Organic matter also slows erosion, and in later stages of decay, organic matter releases nitrogen and other nutrients to growing crops. Carbon dioxide from decaying organic matter brings minerals of the soil into solution, making them available to growing plants. Many soils of the world have been ruined, mainly because they have been depleted of organic matter from prolonged cultivation without proper soil management, the site says.

National Gardening
National Gardening has put together this site for beginner and advanced gardeners and everyone in between. Each week, a different article is featured on the front page. Gardening news is highlighted, and each gardening channel contains an informative feature article. There are many basic, 101 articles that will help a beginner get started in anything from organic gardening to food gardening. An events calendar will help you learn about tours, plant swaps, festivals and much more. Other gardening resources include regional reports, Q&A library, article library, buyer's guide, how-to projects, pest control library, zone finder, dictionary, food garden guide and even online courses. You can also check out message boards, and recipes.

Organic Product Reviews
This is the homepage of the Organic Materials Review Institute, which gives certifiers, growers, manufacturers and suppliers an independent review of products intended for use in certified organic production, handling, and processing. The site covers job opportunities in the organic industry, and also features an organic seed list, as well as a directory of organic foods. Based in Oregon, the site is also available in Spanish. If you’re interested in learning how to make sure your organic goods comply with regulations and standards, this is a great organic food research tool.