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What is Organic Vegetable Gardening?

This post is an overview to help get you started growing your own organic vegetable garden. Organic vegetable gardening is pretty much the same as regular gardening, except that no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides are used. Organic gardeners also utilize the energies of Mother Nature and work with nature, rather than against it. By this I mean using systems that make it easier for your plants to thrive, such as encouraging friendly insects to prey on pest insects, choosing plants that grow well in your climate and using companion planting and crop rotation, to name a few.

Organic gardening is the one way to ensure that your plants will be free of all pesticides, because you choose what goes in your soil and on your plants.  Organic gardening doesn’t really take any more time or care than regular gardening, however there are different techniques and methods to learn. Once you get the hang of it and you figure out the quirks of your garden and climate, it is absolutely worth the change.

Why grow your own organic food?

• Reducing your food budget means you have more money left over to do other things with that money.
• Your food garden is the ultimate source of FRESH vegetables – you can’t get any fresher than harvesting them yourself as you need them!
• You’re guaranteed of getting the highest nutritional content possible from every harvest. That’s not always how it is with store-bought produce
• You get bragging rights. You could even enter your vegetables in contests and displays, such as the county fair.
• Vegetable gardening pays lasting dividends in better health.
• You could create a complimentary (and potentially lucrative) hobby: food photography.
• Promote family togetherness when you get the whole gang involved in planting, harvesting and food preparation of your vegetables, fruits and herbs.
• Helps you lose weight two ways: 1. The extra exercise and 2. Vegetables are lower in calories than most other ‘foods’.
• Vegetables and herbs are not just healthy for you, they can also be decorative and ornamental in your garden.
• Working outdoors with the soil induces a divine sense of serenity and peacefulness… and gardeners live longer and happier lives!

How to get started…

Planning your Organic Vegetable Garden

If you’re new to growing your own vegetables you will need to consider quite a few issues if you want to make the most of your efforts. Plants want to thrive and should be grown as vigorously as possible. You’ll get to harvest quicker and your plants will be less likely to suffer from insect attack or other pests. So please take some time to plan the location of your veggie plots.

Because vegetables are so delicious, many animals such as rabbits, deer, birds and others will try and get to your veggies.  One way to prevent this is to surround your garden with a fence. Your own dog can create havoc in your garden too – you don’t want Fido burying a fresh bone where you’ve just seeded a row of carrots.

You’ll need a good 6 hours of daylight on the area – preferably morning/midday sun as mid-afternoon to late afternoon sun can be very harsh, depending on your climate. The space you choose will need to be protected from strong winds. And you don’t want large trees close by. They’ll shade your area, and eventually you’ll have tree roots throughout your plots, sucking up all the water and nutrients. Your site should provide good drainage and good air flow.

You might want to have your veggies close to the kitchen too, so you don’t have to wander right down to the back of the yard to grab what you want for dinner or even just a few sprigs of parsley. Make it easy for yourself!

And of course, you need to have a water supply close to your veggie garden. I’ve had a garden where I had to cart water by hand to my plants and I would never want to do that again. It’s no fun filling buckets and carrying them any distance.  You end up being scabby with the water and you plants will suffer. Then you start wondering if it’s really worth the effort.

So plan first, plant later. You’ll be rewarded with a healthy, thriving food garden if you get this right!

Building the Soil

Organic gardening starts with the soil.  To keep your garden healthy and productive, you’ll need to continue to add organic matter to the soil regularly.  There’s lots of ways to add organic matter to your soil including compost (bought or made), mulching, making your own liquid fertilizers, chicken poop (after it has matured), worm castings etc. Ideally, over time, the soil will become a dark color, sweet smelling and full of earthworms.

Some soils may need additional natural components such as bone-meal, rock phosphates, or minerals, depending on the type of soil you’re starting with.  A simple soil test will tell you the pH of your soil and most vegetables (not all) grow best around pH 6 – slightly acidic.

And don’t worry too much about the soil you’re starting with. Over time – with the regular addition of organic matter – your soil will continue to improve. In a few years you will have healthy, humus-rich deep soil that your plants will love!

Predator or Pest?

The best defense you have against pests and diseases is to build up your soil and grow your plants vigorously. Make sure you don’t over-water or starve your plants of water. Choose plant varieties that are disease resistant. Companion planting is a good organic method to help confuse pests in the garden.

You can also make your garden enticing to insect predators, such as ladybugs, birds, frogs, and lizards by having a water source nearby or by growing plants that attract insects who feed on nectar.  Other things that are organic and can work are sticky traps, barriers and plant collars.  There are some household items that can deter insects too – like home-made garlic and hot pepper sprays, egg shells and even coffee grinds.

Mulching the Soil

Mulching with organic materials has so many benefits in an organic food garden. My favorite mulch is pea-straw – it’s cheap, easy to buy and easy to use. But you could use anything organic that will break down and add nutrients to the soil. I just soak the pea-straw in an old baby bath filled with water, then lay it out like a carpet over my veggie plots, leaving space for my plants or seed furrows. I add a fresh layer of mulch every Spring.

Mulch helps keep down the weeds and those that do come up are so easy to pull. It helps prevent moisture evaporating from the soil and keeps the soil cooler in summer. And it stops water and mud splashing up on my plants, so it helps reduce the chance of fungal diseases and keeps the plants cleaner. Another advantage is that mulch breaks down and helps feed the soil.

Rotation of Crops

Crop rotation is another organic method to help each vegetable do its best and to help prevent disease. It’s necessary because if you were to grow the same type of plant in the same position each year, it will deplete the soil of its favorite nutrients. Different plants like different nutrients, so by rotating their growing position, you’re not depleting that area of the same nutrients all the time.

With some vegetables, such as cabbage, this is almost essential, and practically all are helped by it.

The fundamental rules of crop rotation:

1. Crops of the same vegetable, or vegetables of the same family (such as turnips and cabbage) should not follow each other.
2. Vegetables that feed near the surface, like corn, should follow deep-rooting crops.
3. Vines or leaf crops should follow root crops.
4. Quick-growing crops should follow those occupying the land all season.

These basic principles should determine the plant rotations. To get this right, use your planning time to consider the different crops you want to grow and the best ways to rotate your plots. That way you will have time to do it properly, and won’t need to think about it again til the following year.

Watering

I highly recommend installing seeping hose in a grid pattern throughout your plots. If you plan your plots so that you have a plot with plants that like a lot of water together and another plot that likes it a little drier and so on, you will be able to automate your watering routine. Trust me, this will save a lot of time… you’re welcome! Install the hose before you mulch, so your water goes directly to your plants. Deep watering, less often is way, way better than frequent shallow watering. This just trains the plant roots to stay near the surface. You want the roots to dive deep into your soil, searching out water and nutrients. This leaves them way less vulnerable to dry spells.

How much to Grow

Now we all have different diets, likes and dislikes, different family numbers, how often we eat out, or invite others to join us for a meal, so it’s hard to know how to guide you here.

Just for example, it doesn’t make much sense to grow 10 zucchini plants if only one of your family members like it. But if you want to make enough of your own tomato sauce to see you throughout the year, you’ll want to grow extra tomatoes, onions and garlic to make sure you have enough of your own delicious, fresh organic ingredients.

Some seasons you’ll end up with an excess of some things. Not that I’ve ever found it to be a problem when there are so many great recipes for pickles, preserves or sauces – not to mention my friends and family who are thrilled when I turn up a bag of organically grown goodies for them!

And you will also need to consider how much available space you have. If you have limited space, just grow the things you like most – or vegetables that cost the most if you had to pay for them – or maybe more exotic vegetables that perhaps won’t be particularly fresh by the time they get to your table.

Oh, and it’s a great idea to keep a garden diary. That way you’ll know what you planted last season, how well it grew, what the weather was like and if you grew too much or not enough.

When to Start Planting

When you are finally ready to begin planting your vegetable garden, make sure you start planting at the right time of year. Choose cold-loving veggies if you’re starting in Autumn, warmth-loving plants if you’re in Spring. If you are dying to get an early start, you may want begin your garden inside in a hotbed and then transplant when the weather permits.  I urge you to start with some of these 10 easy to grow veggies to get you off to a great start.

It always pays to plan out what you’re going to plant and when. Then you can mark it on your calendar. I like to use winter as planning time for the next main growing season. There’s not a lot happening in my veggie garden in winter and it’s often too cold to be outdoors anyway.

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Now that all might sound a bit overwhelming, but you’ll get there. Just start with planning and grow (yes, pun intended) from there. There’s lots to learn, but you don’t have to learn it all at once. In fact, it’s impossible. A lot of your learning will come from doing.

Get some learning, put it into practice and see what happens. If it goes well, great! Learn some more and continue. If it doesn’t go so well, learn some more, check your soil, get advice from your local gardening outlet or community groups – gardeners in general are a friendly and informative bunch who love to share their knowledge… and often their cuttings… and excess produce. Happy gardening to you!

Warmest regards,