How to Buy Disease Resistant Plants for an Organic Garden

Disease-resistant plants minimize garden problems.

Organic gardening is the practice of growing plants without the use of any man-made additives. The food grown in such gardens is preferred by many gardeners, because there are no pesticides, herbicides or chemical residues of any sort. The main problem with organic gardens is that plants that are not sprayed with fungicides or other products and may succumb to certain diseases. One way to minimize or eliminate this problem is to buy organic, disease-resistant plants for the garden that will be able to withstand many common problems.

Instructions

1. Research which plants you are interested in growing and find out what diseases most commonly affect them. If you have experience with an organic garden, you may already have a pretty good idea.

2. Look for nurseries that sell organic plants. You can buy disease-resistant plants at most nurseries, but not all of them offer organically grown plants. If you are going to have a true organic garden, you need to start with plants that have been started with organic seed and raised organically.

3. Identify which varieties of the plants you want have disease resistance. Some varieties or cultivars will be more resistant to disease than others, but there may be a trade-off in terms of plant size, produce quality, heat or cold tolerance, size or cost.

4. Make a note of any plant diseases you have had trouble with in your garden in the past, or that are common in your area. You should look for plants with a heightened resistance to these diseases, to increase your chances of success with that type of plant.

5. Purchase the plants you feel will work in your organic garden. If you can't find what you need locally, there are many online and mail order nurseries that specialize in various kinds of plants, including those that are both organic and disease-resistant. The plants you get should have far fewer problems with disease than those types that are not disease-resistant.

Tips & Warnings

• Stressed plants are more likely to catch diseases, even if the plants are bred to be disease-resistant. Keep your plants well watered and be sure to plant them hey in fertile soil. Try to minimize insect stress by picking off caterpillars and other pests. Introduce beneficial insects to your garden where practical.

• Just because a plant is disease-resistant doesn't mean that it can't fall victim to that disease. It means that it is much less likely to get the disease, and, if it does, it will not necessarily die from it.

References

• Missouri Botanical Garden: Kemper Center for Home Gardening: Organic Disease Control
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Organic Agriculture and the Environment
• University of Illinois Extension: Watch Your Garden Grow: Tomato