Organic produce like fruit and vegetables are in demand, but if you want the best-tasting, most nutritious and cheapest organic produce there's no better way than to grow your own. So what does it take to grow your own organic fruit and vegetables?

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions by people considering growing their own organic fruit and vegetables for the first time.

I want to go organic, but where do I start?

Organic gardening begins with a change of mind-set. You have to think in terms of feeding the soil, not the plants directly. If the soil has all the nutrients available for the plants, they will take up what they need, when they need it, which saves you the work of having to figure it out.

This basic concept underpins the all the principles of organic gardening. To feed and nourish the soil, you want to continually add organic materials to the soil in the form of compost, manure and mulch. These raw materials are then broken down by a hidden army of workers in the soil, called 'microflora'. Microflora consist of bacteria, fungi, and other micro-organisms whose job it is to decompose these raw materials and turn them into nutrients that can be easily absorbed by the roots of the plants.

By doing this you are actually building up and helping nature to create new soil. This is a big advantage if the soil you have to start with is poor quality. It also has the added benefit of ensuring that the produce you grow is nutrient-rich.

What makes organic fruit and vegetables different?

Non-organic gardening has evolved around commercially made plant foods in the form of fertilizers, which are 'fed' to the plants mixed in water, thus making it readily available for the roots to absorb.

Great in principle, but, in practice this is where the problem begins. With this method the plant roots are only offered the water and food as a mixture. So, every time the roots need water to hydrate the plant cells, they have to take up food as well.

The roots cannot separate the fertilizers from the water, resulting in the plant having 'excess' nutrients and the only way they can use these extra nutrients, is, by being forced into growing. So even though the plants might grow quickly, and appear to be thriving, they will have a lowered resistance to pests and they won't be nearly as nutritious. In addition, most fertilizers only supply a very small number of nutrients out of the wide range of trace minerals that the plants actually need.

Plants are not so different from humans, they have a pre-determined routine. They have natural cycles, and there are times when they are not actively growing. It is during these periods that the roots only need to take up water to keep the cells moist. At other times they have growing phases, this is when the roots will need to find food and water.

Also, like humans, if the plant gets overloaded with food they become unhealthy and sick. Which is what happens in commercial growing conditions because the plants are constantly getting extra food when they do not need it.

Is going organic expensive?

No, not in the least. In fact, going organic will actually save you money since you don't have to purchase expensive fertilizers and pesticides.

What do I use in place of fertilizers?

In organic gardening you will use animal manure, recycled garden waste like leaves, grass clippings, hedge cuttings and old vegetables. These can be obtained from your existing garden if you have one, by visiting farms and stables, who are usually only too glad to let you haul away some of their manure. While you're at the stable ask if they have any spoiled hay that they want to get rid of. If hay gets damp it will start to rot and go moldy, at that point they can't feed it to the animals, but it will make excellent mulch for your garden.

If you can start a worm farm, or start composting you'll be able to get rid of much of your kitchen waste and turn it into beautiful, nutritious soil for your plants as well.

So hopefully by now you're starting to understand how organic farming is not only more sustainable than commercial methods, but it's easy, cheap. The best part is it also helps to recycle a lot of what would otherwise be waste products, into high quality food for your fruit and vegetables, which in turn become high-quality food for you and your family.