Like many people, I have found myself wanting more control over the quality of what I eat. And so - like many people today, I decided to grow some of the herbs and vegetables that I eat the most. Growing them organically seemed the most logical way to know that what I put into my body is not only tasty, but good for me.

To grow organically however, requires learning what that means, and that is where my education began. Online, there are several definitions of what the word organic means.

The USDA defines it this way - anything that is produced without antibiotics; growth hormones; most conventional pesticides; petroleum- based fertilizers or sewage sludge-based fertilizers; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Or to put it more simply, food that is grown without artificial fertilizers or pesticides.

Now, there are two ways you can get the organic garden fertilizer for your garden. You can go out and buy it, and there is nothing wrong with that. I did it for quite a few years. It can be confusing sometimes, you don't always know if what you are buying is truly organic, but there are a few companies out there that have a good reputation and you can feel comfortable buying from them. In fact, I sell them on my organic garden fertilizer website because I do trust them.

The other route is to make it yourself. This may sound extreme, but the truth is it is not that hard. There was a time when finding the right ingredients took some work. Many of the ingredients were not generally available unless you lived near a few good feed stores or had access to lime through special sources. These days, however, the internet can put you in touch with many wholesalers of all of the ingredients and you can have it all shipped right to your home. What is even better - it is less expensive than commercial organic fertilizers, and it's much better for your soil life than harsh synthetic chemical mixes.

Here is my basic formula to produce a correctly balanced fertilizing mix composed entirely of natural substances:
Mix uniformly in parts by volume:

•4 parts seed meal

•1/4 part ordinary agricultural lime (finely ground)

•1/4 part gypsum (or double the ag lime)

•1/2 part dolomitic lime

I recommend adding the following ingredients for your best results. Guano, rock phosphate and kelp meal may seem costly but they add considerable fortitude to the plants and increase the nutritional content of your vegetables. I have also found that they make my plants more resistant to insect infestations.

•1 part bone meal rock phosphate or high-phosphate guano -

•1/2 to 1 part kelp meal (or 1 part basalt dust)

Add the fertilizer in the spring when you are amending the soil in preparation of your first planting and then add from time to time throughout the year in small amounts. Once you start making your own fertilizer, and see the end results in your garden, I think you will agree that for the time and money it is one of the best investments you will make in both yourself and your garden.