Organic Gardening Products: Essential Tools, Inputs & DIY Alternatives

The organic gardening aisle has exploded. Here's what you actually need—and what you can make yourself.

Must-Have Tools (Buy Once, Use Forever)

• Broadfork or digging fork (aerates without inverting soil life)
• Hori hori knife (plant, weed, divide, measure)
• Quality bypass pruners (Felco, ARS)
• Long-handled hoe (collinear or stirrup)
• Durable gloves (nitrile-coated, washable)

Soil Inputs: Buy or DIY

• Compost—DIY (free, best). Buy: OMRI-listed, diverse feedstocks.
• Mulch—DIY: straw, leaves, grass clippings, wood chips. Buy: straw, cocoa hulls, pine bark.
• Fertilizers—DIY: compost tea, worm casting tea, fermented plant juice. Buy: meals (alfalfa, kelp, neem), rock minerals, fish/kelp liquid.

Pest & Weed Controls: Targeted & Organic

• Row covers (insect barrier, season extension)
• OMRI sprays: neem, spinosad, Bt, pyrethrin (last resort)
• Diatomaceous earth (slugs, crawling insects)
• Landscape fabric + staples (weed suppression in paths)
• Hand tools: hori hori, weed knife, flame weeder

Seeds: Certified Organic Only

For a truly organic garden, every input counts. Certified organic seeds guarantee no seed treatments, GMO-free, grown in organic systems.

Invest in tools. DIY inputs. Buy seeds certified.