Organic Gardening Ideas

Instead of chemicals in your soil and on your food, why not try organic gardening?Begin with just a few plants in pots or a small garden area, tuck a few vegetables in your flower beds, or go really wild and make your whole yard into a garden! 

Actually, if it’s your first garden, it’s better to start small.  Gardeners have a tendency to plantmore than they can reasonably care for – everything looks so great in the catalogs!  But even though gardening is a lot of fun and a satisfying pastime, it’s also a lot of work.Part way through the growing season you may wish you’d been a little less enthusiastic in your planting.  It’s better to work your way up to that huge garden!

On Location…

Like the real estate agents are fond of saying, “It’s all about location, location, location.You can find plants that will gorw in the shade, but usually just flowers. Most vegetables need lots of sun.Ther right amount of sunshine is one thing you can’t provide artificially. Even electrical lights wouldn’t really do the trick, and one could hardly call that practical anyway.

Any garden has to have ample sunshine to thrive.  Put your pots or garden plot where the plants will get at least 6 hours of sun a day for best results.  While it’s nice to locate the garden close to the house for easy access, shade from the house or trees may not make that possible.  Sunshine has priority over easy access.

Plants can’t sit in water, so besides ample sunshine, a garden location should drain well.Having fertile soil in the garden area is a big plus, but if needed, soil addments can be added to improve soil.

Down and Dirty

Adding compost will help your soil no matter what type it is.To help the plants grow, you can use natural fertilizers and organic materials to improve the soil.Double digging or tilling materials into the soil will easily mix them in where roots can reach them since most vegetable roots are in the top 6 inches of soil.

Time to Plant

Seed catalogs and nurseries are brimming with all types of vegetables.You should not only choose vegetables you and your family will enoy eating, but be careful to choose plants that will grow well in your area.For example, some long season crops like sweet potatoes wouldn’t do well up north, while a cool climate crop like peas might not do well in the deep south.

Organic material mulched around your vegetables will discourage weeds from growing, help conserve water, plus add humus and nutrients to the soil.It helps the soil, keeps the weeds down, and helps your plants grow better!

Don’t Let Them Bug You

Where there’s lovely young plants, there’s bugs looking for a meal.Caterpillars and bad bugs can be hand picked off plants. Another option is to spray them loose with plain or soapy water..  

 Not all bugs are bad, and some are even beneficial such as ladybugs, green lacewings, praying mantis, spiders and wasps since they eat insects that try to eat your vegetables. 

Companion planting with insect repellant plants such as marigolds or nasturtiums can also help keep bugs away from your garden.

It’s more reasonable to learn to live with some imperfections.Taste is what’s important. A vegetable doesn’t have to be 100% perfect to taste 100% wonderful.  You can cut off any problem spots before eating it.

No Weeds Permitted Here!

A weed is really just “a plant growing in the wrong place.That tells it like it is.If you didn’t plant it, it’s a weed. Pull it up or till it under.Employ whatever method you desire, but just be sure to get the weeds out of your organic garden.There is only so much water and nutrients in the soil to go around, and weeds steal some your vegetable plants could be using.

Ready, Set, Garden!

The right location, good soil, plants that grow well in your climate, and keeping the garden weed and bad bug free are the ingredients for a great organic garden.  Growing an organic garden is a wonderful way to put great tasting food in your diet.Get out there and grow your own!