Instead of chemicals in your soil and on your food, why not try organic gardening?Start small with just a few plants in pots or a small garden patch, or think really big and dig up your whole yard!
Actually, if it’s your first garden, it’s better to start small.It's easy for gardeners to plant more than they can easily care for. Looking at all the goodies in gardening catalogs makes us want to plant everything we see!There's a lot of fun and satisfaction in raising a garden, but there's also a lot of work.Once you got into the hoeing and weeding and harvesting, you'd likely wish you hadn't planted such a big garden.It's a lot easier on your sanity and back to start small, then work up to bigger gardens as you gain experience!
On Location…
Like the real estate agents are fond of saying, “It’s all about location, location, location.Though some plants will grow in the shade, most vegetables need sunshine. An ample amount of sunshine is one thing you can’t provide artificially, unless you’re planning on a huge bank of portable lights out in your garden, and with the price of electricity these days, that’s a definite no-no.
Sunshine is required for any garden, organic or otherwise, to thrive.An area with at least 6 hours of sun on it daily is the best place for your garden plot or to place pots of plants.It's nice to have the garden close to the house so you can get to it easily, but shade from trees or the house itself may make that impracticle. Sunshine has priority over easy access.
Ample sunshine on your garden location is important, but it also needs to drain well so plants don't sit in water.It's great to have fertile soil, but you can always add soil amendments if needed.
Down and Dirty
Adding compost will help your soil no matter what type it is. You can also use natural fertilizers and organic materials to improve the soil and help the plants grow.Most roots of vegetables are found in the top 6 inches of soil, so double digging or tilling the materials into the soil will put them where the plants can easily reach them.
Time to Plant
Seed catalogs and nurseries are brimming with all types of vegetables.You need to choose vegetables that will do well in your climate, besides choosing what you like to eat. For instance, some long season crops like sweet potatoes wouldn’t do well up north, while cool climate crops might not fare so well in the deep south.
To help conserve water, add humus and nutrients, as well as discourage weeds from growing, a mulch of organic material works well.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.Spraying plants with plain or soapy water will dislodge bugs, or hand picking caterpillars and other bad bugs off plants is another option..
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 also helps not to expect perfection.Store bought vegetables may look perfect, but taste blah. Your organically grown vegetable may not look perfect, but it will taste a whole lot better.Before eating the food, just cut away any problem areas.
Get The Weeds Out!
Weeds have been defined as “a plant growing in the wrong place.That's a pretty good definition.Till under or pull up anything that grows that you didn't plant.Whatever method you use, just get it out of the garden.Your vegetables need the nutrients and water those extra plants are hogging.
Get Your Garden Going!
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.Enjoy your own organic garden!
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