How Do I Go About Starting An Organic Garden
In this article we are going to provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to start an organic garden.
1. Choosing the location.
It is vital that when choosing the location for your organic garden that it is in a place where it gets the sun for at least half of the day, but it also has easy access for watering. Also it is important that you make sure that the ground drains well or you may have to build raised bed gardens instead.
2. Removing the Weeds.
Now you have chosen the location for your organic garden you now need to mow, pull and dig out all the weeds that are there. Then you need to till the land (either by hand using a fork or by using a tiller, but this will depend on how big your garden is going to be). Then you need to remove any further debris by raking the soil over. Now you need to wait a few days and then remove any more weeds that sprout up.
3. Testing the Soil.
Before you begin planting you need to test the soil and then starting building it up using organic matter. You can add compost, bone meal or rock phosphate to the soil. But only add those that are of an organic nature. Also when sowing any plants you should add compost to it about 2 to 4 weeks prior to planting. This gives the compost time to integrate and stabilize itself within the soil.
4. Fertilizers
Now you can start to till and dig in fertilizers and leave it for about a month in order for the nutrients to take a hold.
5. Preparing a Compost Pile
When starting an organic garden it is a good idea to start your compost pile at the same time. You can place in it leaves, grass clippings (so every time you mow the lawn don’t forget to add them to the pile), coffee grounds, eggshells and other organic kitchen waste (fruit and vegetable peelings etc). As it slowly breaks down the compost becomes a great organic fertilizer for your garden. So no longer will you need to search your local garden center for organic fertilizer, as you will always have some close at hand.
Now that we have shown you how to start an organic garden you can go and choose a spot in your garden and get started. Soon you will be on the way to producing all your own lovely organic products.
Watch the video related to organic gardening
To plant your organic garden, you can use young plants, hybrid seeds, native seeds or seeds that you’ve harvested by yourself. Learn tips for choosing and planting seeds and young plants in your organic garden in this free gardening video lesson. Expert: Gale Gassiot Bio: Gale Gassiot makes her own organic compost or “gardener’s black gold.”
Help answer the question about organic gardening
Tags: fertilizer, garden, gardening, horse, manure, organic
April 27th, 2009 at 12:35 am
I can’t wait to do this with Valen and my Husband!
I just hope our chihuahuas and westie don’t get hungry!
April 27th, 2009 at 1:21 am
oh you guys are so cute.
-keith <3
April 27th, 2009 at 12:40 am
Just build a raised bed or find a planter in your yard you can convert. Amend the soil with organic compost and plant away. I would guess at most $100?
Composting is a lot of work, you have to be very dedicated. I've been an avid organic gardener for 12 years and have always been able to buy good stuff for cheap. Some places offer it free if you pick it up, but generally I buy a few yards every spring for under $100 delivered. That and Eleanor's VF11 fertilizer is all you need. Best stuff in the world. Quite simple actually. Easy to use and makes plants strong so you don't need as many sprays for disease and pests. Just keep it simple, there are so many organic gardening products now it should be easy for you.
http://www.vf-11plantfood.com/
April 27th, 2009 at 1:39 am
It depends on the produce. Green peppers are not ripe peppers so the seeds will be immature. to get pepper seeds you need to use a ripe (red, yellow or orange) pepper
tomatoes you can use the seeds but you need to ferment the seed first than dry them which takes about 2 to 3 weeks to do properly so you don't get seed born diseases.
Dried beans will work. Potatoes will work but get only organic as the non organic kind have a sprout inhibitor and tend to have more diseases (seed potatoes are certified disease free)
Strawberries and raspberries do not come from seed but from plant divisions and runners
leafy greens are harvested before they go to seed.
Melon seed would be viable but these are almost always hybrid AND they are not grown in isolation so the seed would not only be hybrid but would have crossed with any other melon varieties grown within 2 miles so what ever grew would be nothing like the melon you got the seeds from. This would be true of zucchini, cucumbers and all winter squash as well.
So in theory you could grow a garden this way but few if any of the crops would come back true because most everything is hybridized and since none of these crops were grown for saving seed you would have a lot of crosses on top of the hybrid crossing.
If you want to experiment go for it, if you want a garden from which you can eat the food (by this I do not mean any food you harvest will be inedible, it won't. I am saying you probably won't get a lot to harvest) buy seed.
April 28th, 2009 at 5:30 am
Hi Amanda!
First thing you need to do is find some organic seeds or starts. Sometimes these can be found at a local nursery so head to one and ask one of the workers.
Next your going to want to prepare your area for planting. So your going to need some organic compost or fertilizer, once again ask your local nursery about this.
You want to make sure that you till your soil and then do it again once you apply the fertilizer. This is great for breaking up the soil and also for mixing the soil and fertilizer together.
You might want to check out using a biological pesticide known as Bacillus thuringiensis which is non toxic. You do want your garden to be organic right? Using harmful pesticides which contain chemicals would not be good for this.
This is some general information on getting your organic vegetable garden started. Hope this helps you, just remember that it takes pratice and the best way to learn is with experience. So don't give up if your first garden does not turn out that great, you will get the hang of it!
April 28th, 2009 at 9:57 am
dig over the ground to the depth of a spade, as soon as possible. spread fertiliser, ( animal , veg compost) when you have sown, or planted what you need. only use organic sprays if necessary, like vegetable oil mixed with garlic, to get rid of pests. Straw for mulch is good, seaweed liquid fertiliser also very good.Keep the weeds at bay. If you put out water for the birds and a little food, it will encourage them in your garden, and they will eat the snails and slugs etc. Good Luck!
April 28th, 2009 at 11:41 am
I'm assuming you mean vegetables. Tomatoes, sweet corn, beans, peppers, okra, beets, salsify, squash, cucumbers, pumpkins, cantaloupe and onions will all take the heat as long as they have adequate water (an inch or more per week).
Lettuce, kale, collards, cabbage, peas, spinach, beets and onions can be planted in the fall.
April 29th, 2009 at 8:42 am
Firstly you need to buy organic soil …. ie TOTALLY non polluted with chemicals, that is, fertilizers, weed killers, bug killers, road grime etc etc.
Next you need to be away from any fields that use chemical sprays, 1/2 mile to 1 mile is good
Next you need to have Organic seeds, NOT those produced using chemical fertilizers, DNA Modified etc.
Then you need to use CLEAN water to water, preferably rainwater from storage butts if you have it.
And you also need natural organic fertilizers, and organic weedkillers
You may look at organic bug repellant as well, Pyrethrum is good (Marigolds) or buy some ladybirds etc to eat aphids
Enjoy the fruits of your labour
You may want to look at some UK sites where they are heavy into Organic horticulture
April 29th, 2009 at 10:26 am
Organic gardening is just gardening with out the use of chemicals. Yes, there are alot of products you can buy from nurseries and even Walmart that say they are organic but what they really are is just a waste of money. Do a search on the internet for tips on organic gardening in your area. There is an Organic Gardening Magazine you can subscribe to. The forums on GardenWeb are very helpful also. Jerry Baker is an author of a lot of helpful books for using household ingredients to battle the bugs and other diseases. Amazon.com has his books new and used. He uses dishsoap and alot of of tobacco juice LOL. I have used some of his recipes and they do work.
April 29th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
I can recommend a great soil amendment for organic gardening! It is called Pozzolan and it is an all natural volcanic diatomaceous soil amendment that will absorb and store water and nutrients at the root zone. Using Pozzolan will reduce the amount of water needed to keep your plants healthy. It will also create the perfect growing medium for the plants root system. Pozzolan is extremely porous and will improve the percolation rate in clay or sand based soils. It will also helps to break up or loosen the soil so that the root zone has a good mixture of air, soil and water.
It only requires one application, it will not leave the soil.
It is not available everywhere (yet) so you will need to ask at your local green house or nurserty if they carry it. Or check out one of the websites below, they may be able to help you find it.
Good luck and happy gardening!
April 30th, 2009 at 7:17 am
Hopflower is right on. The garden will not be perfect for years.
Start with the soil, make compost and add that several times a year to your garden beds.
learn about seasons in the garden. Peas and lettuce like it cool so are best planted in spring. The rest of your list are warm weather crops that cannot be put in the soil until all threat of frost is over in your planting zone.
Corn and beans need to be sown directly. Squash can either be started indoors or sown directly. Tomatoes, eggplant and the herbs need to be started indoors 8 to 16 weeks before you plan on transplanting them out in the garden
http://www.back40books.com and http://www.acresusa.com have the best selection of books on organic growing.
There is a lot to learn to get competent at it-it takes many many years to get a good organic garden established but it is a great hobby, you will learn a lot about growing things and the natural world and you will eat well.