Ahhh, spring! The snow has melted (in my home state of New Jersey, anyhow) and the early bulbs are starting to poke their heads out of the ground. The garden is coming back to life and I’m beginning to spend more time outside. Now is a good time to consider going green - not just in terms of color but environmental attitude. I’m talking about organic gardening. Here are some tips on how to do this without incurring pain.

Getting Started

What’s the point of going organic? For one thing, regular gardening uses regular pesticides and insecticides that kill both beneficial and harmful pests. Harmful pests generally reproduce faster than beneficial ones. This “rebound” effect often frustrates gardeners who don’t understand the process. Check with a local garden center (not a big box store) for the “natural” pesticides that work in your region.

Take fallen leaves and cut branches and build a compost pile. Composted organic material is truly “black gold.” It can be used as a top dressing for grass or planting beds. It can be used to make a compost tea, which can be either a foliar feed or a root feed. It is also great to help grow worms. If you need more information on building a compost pile, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service. Or this information from Virginia Tech might help.

The Protective Gear You Need

As with other activities that involve sharp tools and chemicals, organic (and non-organic) gardening requires the use of appropriate protective equipment. Let’s look at what equipment you’ll need.

Footwear

Good footwear is essential for 3 reasons:

1. The ground might still be cold. You’ll need footwear to keep your feet warm. You might also want to consider wearing a couple of pairs of socks. The inside pair should be made of either cotton or wool, which will wick the perspiration away from your feet.
2. The ground may be wet, damp or slippery. So your footwear should have good traction soles.
3. Footwear provides protection against the unknown. When gardening, you need to be careful about stepping into piles of leaves or dirt. You never know what these piles may contain. For example, I used to have several Honey Locust trees in my garden. These were very mature trees, 40 to 60 feet tall; the oldest one was over 9 ½ feet in circumference. Honey Locusts are known for their needle spines, which can be 3 to 4 inches long. Wearing flip-flops in my backyard was thus a bad idea considering that the needles were strong enough to go through the bottom of a flip-flop. (The needles of the Honey Locust are also strong enough to catch and hold a full-grown squirming squirrel. Don’t ask me how I know that.)

Hand Protection

You need gloves!

“Why,” you ask, “do I need gloves?”

Raking, cutting, digging, hauling, lifting ... should I go on? You need to protect your hands and fingers. Early spring work in the garden is hard on your hands. From the rough materials that you handle to the heavy pots you move to the cool temperatures, gloves will help protect you.

To be effective, gloves should fit well, but not pinch between your fingers. Women should wear women’s gloves; men’s gloves will not fit them properly. You may also need more than one type of glove, depending on what you’re doing. And don’t forget some insulated waterproof gloves for handling cold, wet leaves this time of year.

Eye Protection

Yes, safety glasses with side shields. Pruning and trimming require it. Whether it is with hand pruners, loppers or string trimmers, the chips will be flying. When spraying insecticides, you may want to use chemical splash goggles and/or a face shield.

Last, But Not Least - What About the Chain Saw?

Chain saws, be they gasoline powered or electrical powered, require special precautions. Chain saw safety starts before you take it into the garden. Place the chain saw on your potting bench and and turn the chain by hand, with your heavy work gloves. Is it free running in the unit? Not too tight and not too loose? Do you have your oil, gas and lubricant levels where they should be?

What type of PPE should you use when operating a chain saw? Gloves, hearing protection, safety shoes or boots, hard hat and face shield are standard. Some manufacturers indicate chaps or leggings that will protect the front of the leg from flying wood chips, possible kick back or chain breakage. And of course, read and follow your manufacturer’s instructions in using the saw properly.

Conclusion

Gardening is a pleasant diversion for many people. It reduces stress, gets us out into the fresh air, provides exercise and can give us immediate gratification. It is a physical task and it requires a great deal of safety awareness. So warm up, gear up and go play in the dirt.

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