Organic Garden
Organic gardening is a passion of mine! I love the feel of dirt between my toes and flingers, and also knowing I can grow my own food from a tiny little seed. However, organic gardening is a lot of work, and does come with some challenges. Essential oils have been helpful at solving some of these problems, and make organic gardening easier (for both pest control and easing sore muscles)!
No-Till Gardening
Several years ago I learned that it’s best not to till your garden in the spring. Leaving the soil so that it mimics mother nature provides several health benefits for the soil (and hence the plants produced), plus saves you time and labor in the long-run. The longer you have a no-till garden, the more you will realize the benefits. The roots left in place will provide organic nutrients to helpful garden organisms (like worms) and feed the soil. With time, your soil will naturally ward off pests and diseases, again saving you time and money. I like to spread woodchips around my plants to prevent weeds, and retain moisture.
Sore Muscle Soother
I find I spend more time on my hands and knees hand digging out weeds at the beginning of the garden season since I stopped tilling. This has left me sore and scratched up, because I have raspberry bushes on the edge of my garden. doTERRA Deep Blue products to the rescue! I love and use all of the Deep Blue products, the Deep Blue Polyphenol Complex (a supplement with plant polyphenols to ease sore muscles and reduce inflammation), the Deep Blue Oil (to make a rollerball blend for topical use, and also to add to an Epsom salt bath, and the Deep Blue Rub and Deep Blue stick for handy relief topically when needed. In fact, using all of these before gardening can help prevent discomfort!
Essential Oil Pest Control
Pests are another issue for most organic gardeners. And while I don’t love insects, I certainly don’t want to harm or kill them. Essential oils to the rescue. Essential oils don’t kill any bugs, but there are many they repel (simply because they don’t like the scent). Different essential oils repel different insects, so you may find it helpful to Google the pests your garden is plagued with and which oils repel them.
A few great choices include Peppermint, Spearmint, Arborvitae, Cedarwood, Citronella, Rosemary, Lavender, Lemongrass, Wild Orange essential oils and the doTERRA blend TerraShield. And no, you do not need to have all of these. This list is helpful for you to try what you have on hand! Or to Google specific oils to repel certain pests. If you don’t know where to begin, I recommend TerraShield, because it is a blend specifically created to repel insects. Another great starter option is Peppermint, which is known to repel many pesky insects and mice.
I recommend putting the oils on craft sticks and spreading them around your garden. Oils do no last like chemical pesticides, so you will have to reapply every couple of days, or after a rain or watering your garden. Another option is to make a spray. I put about 25 drops TerraShield (or whatever combo you like), add about a teaspoon of witch hazel and fill with water. It is safe to spray this directly on your plants! You can also purchase doTERRA’s pre-mixed TerraShield spray for your plants, your pets and your people. I like to keep one handy in my car and in my golf bag.
If you are new to essential oils and want to try some in your organic garden, I put together this starter bundle. It is discounted 25% at wholesale pricing and includes free shipping and free wholesale pricing for a year (should you choose to shop more).
Gardening is truly something that brings me joy, besides that I love providing my own food for my family and friends. Giving away my produce always makes me smile. If you have a tip for organic gardening, please share in the comments!