How to Do Organic Gardening for Vegetables and Herbs

How to Do Organic Gardening for Vegetables and Herbs: Starting Off

To plant an organic garden, determine how you can take advantage of natural resources you already have.

• Choose a garden location on the south side of your home or an open field.
• Fence off the garden, if possible, in areas where there are excessive animal populations.
• Determine which plants you want to grow, since soil amendments are specific to the plants in your garden.
• Test the soil using a test kit, available through most local gardening centers.
• Use organic fertilizer to balance the nutrients in the soil as needed for your plants.

Preparing Your Soil

One of the foundations of organic gardening for vegetables and herbs is having soil that can nurture your plants. The ideal soil is a composition of equal parts sand, clay, and silt. It should be composed of about 5% organic matter. Most soil throughout the United States that hasn't been used for gardening in the past is likely to only contain about 2% organic matter.

Remove all large plants and weeds from the gardening site. Use a tiller to till in any grass or other vegetation in the area so that nutrients are kept within the soil. Invasive plants, including Bermuda grass, should be completely removed. Till the garden to a depth of 10 to 12 inches.

Adding organic fertilizer to the soil may be necessary. Adding all natural ingredients to your soil is essential in organic gardening. You can purchase over the counter products to help you. Ensure they are certified organic fertilizers.

Add manure, composts, and green manure are added. Green manure is any plant substance grown specifically for turning into the soil. The most common are legumes and grasses. These add nutrients like nitrogen to the soil.

Composting

From the start of your organic garden, begin a compost heap. It will allow you to have a constant source of organic matter to add to your garden, packed with nutrients your garden needs. Composting is one of the best ways to add natural nutrients to the soil without any chemical based fertilizers.

Some items to include in your compost include:

• Non-invasive plants and vegetation you remove from other areas of the garden
• Fruits and vegetable waste including peels, seeds, and pits
• Egg shells
• Tea waste

Planting and Managing Vegetables and Herbs

From seeds or starter plants, select the vegetables and herbs you wish to plant. When purchasing these plants, be sure they are organic from the start. Organic products will be marked.

Choose the proper locations in your garden for each vegetable type or herb type. Keep like plants together, with taller plants in the back, away from the sun. Plant as directed. For example, tomato plants should be planted in a hole at least three inches in depth with a foot in between each plant.

Once the plants are in, care for them using organic means. This means protecting the plants from insects and disease, organically. To prevent disease, start off with the strongest plants possible. Look for organic certified VFN plants. This stands for Verticillium, Fusarium and Nematode resistance material.

Keep the plants dry; overwatering leads to plants that are waterlogged. These plants are more likely to become disease infested. Remove any plants from the garden as soon as you spot any signs of disease, such as plants with discolored leaves.

Plant plants early in the season since most insect infestations worsen in the later part of the growing season.

Use only organic pesticides and herbicides when needed. Never use chemical based items in your garden.

The key to learning how to do organic gardening for vegetables and herbs is to always seek out the most natural alternatives. Plants thrive when provided with good soil, good sunlight and naturally introduced nutrients.

Resources for Plants

Each vegetable and herb requires time and attention, as well as soil amendments of their own. These resources can help you gather information more specific to your area and the type of plants you are growing:

• United States Department of Agriculture
• Vegetable Gardening Guru
• Helpful Gardener
• Organic Gardening