If you are one of the millions of people all over the world who love gardening and growing things, you probably understand the benefits of organic gardening already. If however you are a gardening 'greenhorn', then this is a short but nevertheless essential guide to organic gardening that will help you completely grasp the benefits of gardening organically.

It might seem a little surprising nowadays, but there was a time (and it was not all that long ago) when mankind really did believe that artificial chemicals could solve almost any problem. Nowhere was this more evident than in agriculture and farming as farmers realized that it was possible to grow far more products a lot more quickly in soil that had been 'treated' with artificial chemical fertilizers than in soil that had been fertilized naturally.

Unfortunately, the headlong rush to using artificial chemicals to grow our food and other plants totally ignored the health risks which were for a long time pushed to one side.

However, from the 1950s up until this day, it has become ever-more obvious that foods grown using artificial fertilizers are nowhere near as nutritious as those grown naturally, and that chemicals are inherently dangerous.

Furthermore, even non-food plants such as flowers are far healthier and stronger when they are grown organically and of course, the health risks of using natural organic farming and gardening methods are infinitely lower than those associated with utilizing artificial chemicals.

This is in one respect the nub of organic gardening, the refusal to use artificial chemicals and substances to promote plant growth when the advantages of using natural alternatives are overwhelmingly obvious.

However, to an extent, the ethos of organic gardening goes considerably further than this.

Whilst it is true that chemical substances used in growing food represent a health hazard, there are many other reasons why it makes no sense to use chemicals when there are lots of natural organic options available.

For instance, even if vegetables and fruits that are grown using chemicals are not dangerous, they are certainly nowhere near as nutritious as those grown organically.

Furthermore, every organic gardener understands and appreciates that nature represents a very delicate balance between all elements of the environment, everything from man through the plants, wildlife and birds right down to the humble earthworm and the soil they live in.

When you garden using organic methods, the basic idea is that you should do as little as possible to upset this fine balance and that when you do sometimes upset the balance, you must redress it as quick as possible.

As an example, every plant that you sow and grow needs nutrients which it pulls from the soil beneath or around it. If you do not replace these nutrients, the quality of the soil will deteriorate over the years. Thus, as an organic gardener, you will ensure that these nutrients are replaced as redressing the balance is an absolutely essential element of what you do.

Whilst lots of organic gardening information focuses only on the practical side of growing things, I believe that any essential guide to organic gardening should also highlight this critical balance between the different elements of nature, and the role that the organic gardener plays in maintaining it. Organic gardening is a wonderful hobby and the clear benefits attached to practicing organic methods mean that it offers something for every would-be organic gardener.

I don't know about you but I came to the idea of growing stuff for myself pretty late on. In my younger days, food was something that I bought from a shop, although I did gradually progress to the idea of buying foods that needed cooking as opposed to the stuff that I could buy and eat within 30 seconds!

Nevertheless, I guess that I would have to admit that I was something of a pagan as far as the benefits of organic foods was concerned until I read about a lady called Rachel Carson.

Now, if you know anything about organic agriculture and gardening, you may already know Ms. Carson, but if not, she's someone who made a pretty terrifying discovery a good few years back. At that time, chemicals seemed to provide the perfect answer to every problem, including that of making food growth more efficient and profitable.

One of the chemicals most widely used to promote crop growth was DDT until Ms. Carson proved beyond doubt that it was killing birds who were eating the plants that has been sprayed with it!

From that point on, the growth of organic, natural agriculture and gardening techniques was almost inevitable, so that nowadays, organic gardening is a hobby or pastime enjoyed by millions of people all over the world.

But, as I have recently discovered reading an excellent new e-book called 'The easy guide to organic gardening', there are lots of different reasons why organic gardening makes sense apart from the fact that chemicals might kill you (which is admittedly a fairly persuasive argument!).

It has for example become increasingly common to find organic produce in high-street shops and supermarkets over the past few years meaning that most people are somehow aware that organic foods are in some vague way better for you than non-organic varieties.

However, what you might not be aware of is the fact that if you buy non-organic vegetables and fruits for example, you're wasting a lot of money on something that is for most of us completely free - water!

And of course, if buying commercially grown organic produce makes sense, it obviously makes a great deal more sense to grow your own as this reduces the cost still further and allows you to make sure that everything you grow is as nutritious and healthy as possible.

Of course, becoming a successful organic gardener is not as easy as it might seem if you don't know what you're doing. Whilst anyone can become a successful organic gardener, there are never less quite a few factors that you need to take into consideration and master to achieve that success.

This is why 'The easy guide to organic gardening' is going to become a standard 'must have' work for anyone who wants to grow their own organic garden. Not only does it give you the reasons why you should grow things organically, it teaches you everything you need to do so in a very straightforward, 'do this', 'then do that' step-by-step manner so that you know how to do it as well.

It even details some the easiest-to-grow vegetables so that you can get started as an organic gardener pretty much straight away even if you have never been tempted to grow anything before.

The bottom line is, if you have any interest in growing your own healthy, nutritious vegetables and fruits (or even if you're more interested in growing strong, iridescent flowers), 'The easy guide to organic gardening' is the only organic gardening guide you will ever need...