Hydrokultur

Those who possess their own garden are fortunate. Cultivating flowers and vegetables is a straightforward endeavour. The experience of working in the garden brings joy. However, a gardener has to make an early decision: Will they work against nature or strive to harmonise with it?

The conventional 'modern' agriculture largely operates in opposition to nature: it fights against unwanted 'weeds', against 'harmful' insects, against 'crop picking' birds, and other inhabitants of the fields. The result is lifeless soil, vulnerable to erosion, where plants can only thrive through regular applications of liquid fertilisers. This approach is often justified by claims that alternative methods yield insufficient returns and require excessive labour. In addition to economic considerations, the biblical phrase 'subdue it (the earth)' from Genesis 1:28 is occasionally cited to legitimise such practices, that’s why environmental destruction sometimes is criticised as a consequence of Christian ethics. The existence of a guilty conscience is evident in the euphemistic term 'plant protection products', used to describe poisons that kill plants and insects.

In our own gardens, none of this is necessary.

There is no requirement to achieve economic yield, nor to produce fruits that conform to the aesthetic standards of supermarket consumers (allegedly). Thus, we can also revert to traditional methods that were commonplace before the chemical industry introduced agricultural practices from DDT to glyphosate. Here are a few examples:
    1. My father (born in 1924) consistently sowed savory alongside bush beans, which kept the aphids at bay.
    2. My mother (born in 1925) planted a thin border of cress around the lettuce beds. The flea beetles remained in the cress and left the lettuce unharmed.
    3. In our allotment garden, we had a large mirabelle tree that was covered with aphids one year. Then a thunderstorm brought a (cold) downpour. Afterward, the aphids laid stiff on the ground and did not return to the tree. So I learned, a cold shower is an effective remedy against aphids.

There are numerous recipes available for cultivating flowers and vegetables in harmony with nature by mimicking its methods in one's own garden. This, along with the essential background knowledge often required, will be provided on these webpages.