Organic gardening was the only method of gardening before the recent development of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. With the recognition that heavy synthetic pesticide and fertilizer use may be detrimental to our environment, there has been a renewed interest in organic gardening over the last fifty years, both by homeowners and commercial farmers. Organic gardening is achieved by:

• Soil fertility that is enriched by the addition of green manures, minerals, compost, or by companion plants, rather than synthetic fertilizers.
• Control of animal pests that is achieved through natural methods, including crop rotation, physical removal of insects, introduction of predatory species, interplanting, and through the use of companion plants that may demonstrate pest-repellant characteristics.
• Unwanted plants (or weeds) that are suppressed without the use of synthetic herbicides. In addition to mechanical weed removal, barriers are often used to prevent weeds from reaching the light they need to grow. Generally called mulches, barriers include stones, leaf litter, straw or wood.