An organic vegetable
garden is a natural and healthy way to grow vegetables for your personal
consumption. Deciding to go organic will result in vegetables that have not
been treated with chemicals or herbicides. Organic gardening may have a few
more challenges than regular gardening, but these can be overcome with research
and hard work. Organic
vegetable gardening is becoming more popular with each passing year, as home
gardeners strive to grow gardens that are bountiful, healthy, and ecologically
friendly. Starting an organic
vegetable garden is fairly straightforward; here's what you
need to know to get started.
Choosing the Right Site
Starting your
organic vegetable garden in the right place will make a huge difference right
from the start. There are a few things you want to keep in mind:
·
Sun: You want a
site that offers as much direct sunlight as possible -- at least 6 hours, and
preferably 8, during your main growing season. If you don't have a space
available that offers that much sun, don't despair -- there are crops you can
grow without full sun.
·
Terrain: Does
the land slope? You'll want to orient your garden bed to take full
advantage of the sun exposure. Is there a depression where water collects?
You'll want to think about filling this in with good soil so it
doesn't stay soggy -- a site like that will take much longer to dry out in
spring, and could result in rotted plant roots during the growing season.
·
Wind: Is the
site at the mercy of high winds? If you live in a windy area, consider trying
to position your garden in a place that has a hedge, wall, or other structure
nearby to reduce the effect of high winds. If you don't already have some type
of windbreak in place, consider erecting strong trellises nearby to serve this
purpose.
·
Access to
water, tools, compost. You don't want to have to drag tools from the other end
of your yard, and toting a watering can around isn't much fun, either. Make it
easy on yourself, and try to situate your vegetable garden bed in a convenient
place.
Soil Considerations
How is the soil
in your potential veggie garden area? Is it rocky and full of tree roots? You
may want to consider building a raised bed vegetable garden or lasagna
garden. If not, then you could go ahead and double-dig the existing soil and
try to grow there. Either way, it's important to assess your existing soil to
see what you need to do to make it perfect for growing organic vegetables.
·
Get Your Soil
Tested: You can send samples of your soil to your local cooperative extension service
for testing. Some garden centers and nurseries also offer soil testing
services. This will let you know which nutrients are deficient in your soil and
what type of soil you have, as well as provide suggestions for how to improve
your soil.
·
Do a Quick
D.I.Y. Soil Test: By doing a few simple tests yourself, you can learn a lot
about your soil. Learn about what type of soil you have, how healthy it is, how
well it drains, and test its Ph -- all very useful information!
Follow the
instructions you get back with your soil test in regards to any nutrient
deficiencies or Ph level issues. If you find that you have clay soil, there are
some straightforward ways to improve it. Sandy soils benefit from the
addition of plenty of organic matter, specifically, lots of compost.
Plants and
Seeds
You'll want to
start with organically-grown plants and seeds. Conventionally-grown plants are
often already loaded with pesticides and chemical fertilizers -- exactly the
types of things you're trying to avoid in your vegetable garden.
Organically-produced seeds are harvested from organically-grown plants, never
treated with chemical pesticides or fungicides, and never genetically modified.
There are several good mail order companies that provide organic vegetable
garden seeds. More nurseries, garden centers, and big box stores are also
starting to sell a selection of organic seeds -- these are usually very clearly
labeled as "organic."
Plant,
Grow, and Harvest!
Now that you've
got the garden sited and the soil amended, the organic plants and seeds bought
-- now it's time to plant and tend your garden. Look up information on the
types of vegetables you want to grow to ensure that you're providing them with
the right amount of water and nutrients. Consider doing some companion planting
for a healthier garden. Pay close attention to your garden so that you catch
pest and disease problems right away. The biggest part of growing a healthy
garden is simply paying attention. If you do that, you're well on your way to a
healthy, bountiful, organic vegetable garden.