Organic gardening for sustainable and green living is all about providing a healthy, nurturing environment where plants thrive without chemical intervention. It's about selecting plants suited to the climate and soil. Endemic species may be more suitable than thirsty exotics, and non-hybrid varieties of plants and seeds are often more resistant to pests and diseases. It's about creating balance with diversified plantings, a pond or other water source, and stands of native shrubs -- grevillea, hakea leptospermum and melaleuca species -- in quiet corners. It's about continually improving the health of the soil, putting back what you take out, plus a little bit more. It's about understanding that all living things have a purpose, for by doing these things you build worm and microorganism colonies in the soil and attract lots of predatory wildlife: birds, lizards, centipedes, beetles, snakes and frogs that you welcome because they keep the problem insects under control.

Healthy soil for green and sustainable gardening

The structure of all types of soil improves with the addition of large amounts of organic matter such as compost, animal manures, green manures, wood ash from untreated sources, leaf mulch, blood and bone, urine, fish meal, shredded paper and composted lawn clippings. These naturally occurring materials facilitate root penetration, help with nitrogen fixing, make nutrients more available to plants and increase the soil's capacity to retain water.

Large garden centres carry fresh animal manures and pelletised chicken manure, which contain the highest level of nutrients. Because birds don't urinate, their dung is exceptionally high in nitrogen. If you are serious about going organic all the way, look for organic manures, because non-organic brands may come from farms that use antibiotics and chemical weed killers and fertilisers. Composting breaks down many contaminants, but it may take some time, depending on the heat of the compost pile. If you are prepared to take the risk, go for a drive in farming country and look for signs offering horse, sheep or cow manure for sale. Stable manure is particularly good as it usually includes straw, which collects the horse's urine: check the classified ads for local stables offering bulk deliveries.

Because fresh manures may encourage root rot and other pathogens if applied directly to the garden, they should always be composted first. Always cover the manure heap with soil or sawdust to prevent excessive nitrogen loss. When the manure has decomposed, spread it over the top of the garden rather than digging it in: let the worms and other soil life pull it into the depths.