How to Plant a Small Organic Vegetable Garden
Being able to provide fresh vegetables for your family from your own backyard can be a very rewarding experience. When you start small and build up your experience, you have an opportunity to grow with your garden and learn how to turn mistakes into abundance. Growing your own vegetables organically is one of the few ways to be sure to serve food free of unknown chemicals and additives. A small organic vegetable garden can be a first step toward providing healthy organic food for you and your family. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Shovel Soil amendments (optional) Organic seeds or seedlings Water hose
Instructions
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Starting Your Garden
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1
Determine which vegetables you want to grow and make a list. A good, relatively easy start may include tomatoes, peppers, green beans, peas, carrots, squash, zucchini, lettuce and spinach.
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2
Purchase young seedlings or packs of seeds from your local greenhouse. Only get enough plants for your space and don't overcrowd your garden bed. Organic seeds are also available from companies like Ferry-Morse Seed Company at major home and garden centers.
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3
Dig up the space for your garden and turn the soil. Add any garden soil or amendments if needed to add nutrients or improve moisture control. Organic soils can be found among the other garden soils at your local garden shop, but they tend to be more expensive than the treated soils. Consider composting to give your garden the most nutrient soil possible.
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4
Plant according to recommended time, depth and spacing for each type of vegetable. Some seeds require soaking the night before to increase success; be sure to check seed packets for such instructions.
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5
Water your seeds and seedlings daily if necessary, but do not over-water and drown your plants that need air from the soil as well. Look for potential diseases that may begin at the roots or base of the plant.
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Check your garden often for possible pests, fungus or disease. If you do spot some not-so-nice spots on your plants, try purchasing organic-specific pesticides or concoct some home-ingredient recipes for pest and disease control. For pests, you can also try some natural predators such as ladybugs to keep aphids in check. Also look at growth, as fruits and vegetables can show you when you have over- or under-watered them by splitting or growing deformed.
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Harvest vegetables when fully ripe and easy to pick.
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Tips & Warnings
A walk through the garden daily will keep you aware of any changes that may be occurring in the success or demise of your plants and their vegetable production. If you find yourself with more plants than your garden space can sustain, try container gardening with vegetables like tomatoes, peppers and even squash or zucchini.
If you spot disease in your garden, don't be afraid to pull the infected plant out. It is better to lose one plant than the whole garden.
