14 Organic Vegetable Gardening Tips

Gardening is one of those pastimes that is more than a hobby - it's personal! And to complicate it, Mother Nature doesn't always help you out. How, then, do you succeed with your vegetable garden? It's never a sure thing, but these gardening tips and bits of advice might help.

1. Keep a journal. Record when you plant, how much you planted, how much you harvested, any bug or disease issues and what you think you might do differently next year. Then next year, refer back to what you wrote. You'll be surprised by how much you can forget in a year if you don't write it down.

Raised bed of lettuce, tomatoes, 6 different types of basil, marigolds, zinnias, garlic chives, zucchini. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

2. Keep a positive attitude. That total fail with your tomatoes this year? It will make a good discussion piece with other gardeners. And next year can only be better. Hopefully.

3. Tis better to cover your tender plants before the heavy rain and hail starts, not during. Keep your eye to the sky and take weather forecasts seriously.

4. Every year is different. Don't ever think you've got this thing in the bag, because if you do, you're jinxing your next crop.

5. Plan for moderation. When planning out your garden during the winter, reduce the size and number of plantings you think you want. Looking at those seed catalogs makes you go overboard - I know from experience!

6. It starts and ends with your soil. (I would double-bold that if I could.) The health of your soil is more important than you might realize. Healthy soil makes healthy disease-resistant plants that give a good yield.

Also, it's soil, not dirt.  :-)

7. Kitchen gardens are placed near the kitchen for a reason. Gardeners who break their backs digging, hoeing and weeding, don't want to walk too far to pick a few things to go in the dinner.

8. When seed packs say not to plant outside before the first frost date, they mean it.  But sometimes you can get away with starting before the approved planting date by using row covers, cold frames, or Wall O' Waters. It's up to you if you want to take your chances.

9. If you're planting a seedling, peat pot and all, tear off the bottom of the pot. The pots are supposed to decompose but that can take a while and you don't want your seedlings to become root-bound.

10. Pole beans aren't the only thing that can climb a trellis; so can cucumbers, melons and squash. Think vertical - especially when you're space-challenged.

11. If you have raised beds, you can use an old window or door screen to cover small seedlings so they're protected from birds, bunnies and bugs.

Powdery Mildew on a tomato plant. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

12. Worms in your garden are a good sign. Slugs are not.

13. Your tomatoes will never taste exactly the same from year to year; it's going to depend on the weather and water conditions.

14. Water your vegetables in the early mornings. Midday watering can mean evaporation in the hot sun, and can sometimes burn the leaves if they get wet, and nighttime watering might give your plants powdery mildew problems from being moist all night.

These vegetable gardening tips should give you a leg up, but they're only the beginning. For more, get yourself a gardening app for your phone or iPad, read gardening books and magazines, talk to experienced old-timers, and get out there and experience it firsthand. There's nothing more rewarding than growing a successful garden!

Growing Vegetables For Beginners

Growing vegetables for beginners is probably simpler than you think. Although there are some important rules that you need to follow, vegetables are like all other forms of life - they want to grow! So all you really need to do is make sure they have what they need and protect them from harm. Easy, right?

The first step in growing vegetables for beginners is to make a list of the vegetables that you want to grow and check that you have the right conditions for them. If you live in a temperate climate with relatively mild temperatures and sufficient rain, you can probably grow most of the best known veggies that are used in traditional cooking.

A small vegetable garden in May outside of Austin, Texas (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Some of the easiest vegetables to grow in your garden include: carrots and beets from the root vegetables category; beans; cucumbers and zucchini or squashes; and lettuce and radishes for salad. If you start out with these, you will have a good variety of vegetables for the dinner table. They also provide some variety in your gardening experience, because they grow in different ways.

You can add tomatoes if you have a good sunny spot for them but be warned, tomatoes are not as easy to grow successfully as you might think. They can be susceptible to disease, and they need a lot of water and sun. However, overall they are not too difficult, and vine-ripe tomatoes are well-worth the bit of extra effort!

The next step in growing vegetables for beginners is to plan your vegetable garden.   You can grow vegetables in your flowerbeds, of course. They do not necessarily need to be all together in one place. However, it is sometimes easier if they are in a particular spot. You will want this to be somewhere that gets sun, but is not too hot and dry; is well-drained, not boggy; is sheltered from strong winds; and is easily accessible for you to water the plants.

This last point is very important. Many people site their vegetable garden a long way from the house because the vegetables are not as attractive as flowers. But your vegetable crops will do much better if you can reach them easily, and especially if you see them all the time. 'Out of sight, out of mind', as they say!

If you are growing pole beans or other climbing vine-type vegetables, you will need to give them something to climb. Keep in mind that they will shade your other plants so you may want to have them on the north side of your vegetable patch. If your vegetable garden is bordered by a wall, of course you will want the tallest plants at the back, against the wall.

Blossoms on a tomato plant in a residential vegetable garden. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You will need to prepare the soil by digging to clear out any weeds and then adding a good layer of compost. Then you can begin to plant. Check instructions on the seed packets for planting dates.

Some seeds are best not planted directly into the garden but germinated in seed trays indoors or in a greenhouse before being planted out as seedlings. This can take a couple of weeks, but it is worthwhile because you will not waste space on seeds that do not germinate or have plants growing too close together. You can choose the strongest-looking seedlings to put out in the garden, and space them properly, as well as giving them a head start if you have a short growing season.

Good luck with your garden planning! With these tips you should find that growing vegetables - even for beginners - is easy as well as fun.

Video: Why Organic Gardening Is Important

This short video describes why gardening organically is important, and how everything in your garden is connected and symbiotically affects one another. She also discusses the rise of organic gardening in America after the publication of Rachel Carson's book, Silent Spring. But obviously gardening organically is about more than just avoiding pesticides. It is about how everything in nature works together to maintain a balance.

Watch this short video to learn more:

Top 7 Benefits of Organic Gardening
Growing a great garden is not always easy. Going totally organic can add to the challenge. But just follow a few simple s...

Pest Control Tips for Organic Gardeners

This time of year garden pests can start to drive you crazy. How dare those little destructive pests think that the plants you worked so hard to get into the ground and tend are theirs too? The good news is that there’s a way to control those little pests without upsetting the balance of nature or harming anything. Organic gardening pest control is a necessary part of maintaining a sustainable and healthy organic garden.

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Organic gardening pest control begins before the plants even go into the soil. Preparing the soil properly will help repel pests and give your plants a good, healthy start so that they’re less susceptible to attacks from destroying insects and fungi.

Natural biological control consists of many items that you might already have around your house. Garlic, fish, rhubarb and tobacco are among the odoriferous things that you can use to repel pests. Others include oils such as vegetable and mineral oils, vegetable-based soaps and detergents and heat from chilies.

It’s good to remember that you should only use what you need to rid your plants of pests and infestations. Using sprays, even if they’re natural and environmentally safe, can sometimes harm the plants. Never spray your plants during sunny days. It might cause the leaves to burn and turn brown.

Your eyes are also good deterrents to keeping pests from harming your plants. If you see a caterpillar on a cabbage, simply pluck it off. Notice what’s around your plants. For example, if you see butterflies or moths flying around them, use an organic gardening pest control mixture that targets just those types of insects.

Insect pests love to find a wide swath of plants in one area of a garden, so practice diversity by inserting other types of plants in between. Your organic garden doesn’t have to be symmetrical and adhere to neat little “rows.” Crop rotation can also help confuse bugs by relocating their favorite plants to a different spot than they were last year, so hopefully they won't be able to find them.

Green Lacewing (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Certain insects can also be your organic gardening friends. Use lacewings, bees, ladybugs and other friendly insects to keep detrimental pests out of your garden. It really works. Encourage tachanid wasps, which lay eggs on tomato horn worms. There are many friendly insects that can help you control pests naturally in your garden.

Experiment to see what works best for your organic garden. For example, if you mix a spray and use it only to find that the pests you were trying to target are returning, make it a bit stronger the next time.

Mildew, mold and fungus present a whole new set of problems than insects. Some plants are more prone to these conditions than others. For example, zucchini, cucumber and peas are very susceptible to mildew, but the problem can be eradicated with a cream milk spray - or choose varieties that are resistant to these problems.

Observe your organic garden carefully and don’t panic if you notice a problem with pests. Organic gardening pest control has come a long way and you can find many helpful suggestions online or from books and other resources.

Helpful Natural Pest Control Resources:
   

Tips for Properly Watering Your Garden Plants

The summer has just started, and already it's watering time here in Central Ohio - this spring has been quite a bit drier than usual. As all gardeners know, watering is one of the most essential components of garden success. Plants are approximately 90% water and therefore it is essential that they get enough water to survive.

Gardening is all about balance and that applies to the amount of water your plants need to stay healthy. Over watering can be as harmful as not giving them enough water. Too much water can reduce the plants ability to draw oxygen and nutrients from the soil and this is as essential to their growth as the water.

The soil that the plants are growing in is a big factor in the amount of water that you should be giving them. If the soil is heavy and doesn't drain well you will need to give them less water or they could get water logged and the roots can rot. If the soil is a lot freer draining then you might need to water a little more often.

Drip irrigation uses a series of pipes and tubes to deliver water to the base of each plant. Because little water is lost to evaporation and runoff, this method uses less water than sprinklers and trenches. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Gentle watering is better than heavy watering with a hose as the higher pressure of the hose can cause the soil to turn to mud, and can also compact it. Once the soil dries out again it will become solidified. This compacting of the soil after heavy watering makes it more difficult for the plants to grow.

Soakers (also called soaker hoses or drip irrigation) are a good method of watering provided the flow of water is not too great. Soakers are also excellent when using a timed irrigation system so that the plants get sufficient water when you are away and particularly in the hotter months of the year when the soil tends to dry out more often.

If you are using timed irrigation you will need to adjust the timing and the flow of water according to the seasons and always make changes when there have been unseasonal changes to the weather that will require extra care for the plants.

Once again, garden plants need the human touch to maintain that balance - and that's what only you, as a gardener, can provide.

Creating Raised Beds In Your Organic Garden

Raised garden beds have a ton of advantages over traditional ground-level gardening. In addition, they can look very attractive and give a unique appearance to your garden. They suit any style of home, and can help keep your garden organized and well maintained. Let's look at some of the advantages and the practical steps to setting up raised garden beds in your organic garden.

High raised beds. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Raised garden beds allow you to design your garden however you want. If you have a difficult shape to your yard, poor soil or limited access, you can change everything by raising the beds. You may have back pain or other problems that prevent you from kneeling and bending to regular ground level beds. Even somebody in a wheelchair can work with raised garden beds, provided they are high enough and there are good paths to navigate the chair around them.

For an organic garden, raised beds have the added advantage of making it much easier for you to see weeds and pests and deal with them in a way that avoids using sprays. Indeed, some pests such as slugs are less likely to bother your raised bed plants because they won't climb all the way up there, especially if you have brick walls on your beds.

When you get to building raised garden beds, you will soon discover that brick or natural stone is the best material to use. Of course, wood is also possible, but it has several disadvantages.

Raised beds with wood edging. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One of the problems with wooden edging to your raised beds is that it is likely to deteriorate. You would need wood that had been treated with preservatives, which is not the best thing in an organic garden. Those chemicals will leak into your soil as the wood slowly breaks down. After a few years, it is likely to sag. Eventually it will not support the weight of the soil any more. Compare that with brick and stone, which can be used for retaining walls that last a hundred years or more, and you can see the advantages of using more solid materials.

It is important not to make your raised garden beds too wide. You will need to be able to reach the middle easily. This is especially important for beds that can only be accessed from one side. The main paths through the garden will need to be wide enough for a wheelbarrow or wheeled trug so that you can bring in heavy items and dispose of waste.

When you are building raised garden beds you have the choice of what type of soil you want to fill them with. You could use soil dug from your own yard or you could buy something else, or you can take the lasagna gardening route. Take into account the acidity of the soil as well as the clay/sand mix, because these will affect the plants that you can grow.

You can grow anything in raised garden beds that you would grow in regular ground level beds, but you are likely to want lower-growing plants so that you can get to the tops of them. Keep taller plants to the middle of your raised garden beds and toward the back of the garden.

Tips for A Successful Organic Garden

If you’re considering bringing the joy of organic gardening into your life, you may be intimidated by thinking that you’re going to have to do everything au-naturale. Don’t be. It’s easy to find the best ways to prevent or get rid of pests and fungus invasions and how to plant and care for your organic garden. Here are some organic gardening tips that will help get you started.

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Prepare – Prepare your garden long before you begin to plant by mulching the soil with organic materials (compost from plant or animal waste). You’ll be so glad you did when you see the results. Mulching helps the soil retain water and nutrients and even keeps weeds from taking over your garden.

Start a compost pile – Recycling certain food waste and other materials that add strength to the compost. Besides enriching the soil, composting will help your plants develop a strong and healthy root system.

Choose plants according to environment – Plant certain plants where they’ll thrive. If a plant is known to adapt best in the shade, don’t plant it in full sun.

Treat infestations without chemicals – It is important to use natural means to treat problems with insects and other types of infestations. You can find formulas online that can be mixed at home and that will prevent certain pests from invading your garden.

Use organic alternatives whenever possible – There are so many organic and earth-friendly products on the market today that keeps toxic buildup from forming in our drinking water and soil. Look for those rather than chemical and synthetic solutions.

Use soaker hoses – These cleverly made hoses will water the base of your organic plants, keeping moisture from evaporating, and preventing water waste.

Red earthworm enjoying organic garden soil. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Utilize helpful bugs – There are a number of varieties of insects that actually help your organic garden. Insets such as ladybugs, praying mantises, spiders, ground beetles and fireflies work to decompose organic matter and help to pollinate plants.

Organic gardening should be largely simple and fun. There doesn’t have to be a lot of work involved in preparing the garden, preventing problems and addressing the problems organically if they do occur.

Many online sites can tell you everything you need to know about becoming a successful organic gardener – visit http://www.newholisticliving.com/sustainablegardening.html for helpful tips and resources - or if you prefer a book, see below for some suggestions, or check your local library or book store. You’ll learn the best material for composts, how to mulch your garden and how to plant so that you’ll get the most yield from vegetables and herbs and the most beautiful flowers. And of course be sure to check this blog often for more ideas!

After learning a few organic gardening tips, you’ll have more self-confidence to begin your own sustainable organic garden.

A Few Helpful Organic Gardening Books:
   

Revisiting the Basics of Organic Gardening

In case you're just getting started with organic gardening, I thought I'd give you a quick refresher on the concept. As you probably know, organic gardening is basically using a method of gardening that’s free from chemical fertilizers and pesticides. It’s working with Mother Nature to ensure that you get the best crop of plants and flowers by using the natural eco-system. Here are some helpful tips for making your organic garden successful.

Young beans (Photo credit: Nick Saltmarsh)

The soil is extremely important when considering an organic garden. You’ll be nurturing the soil with organic matter consisting of decayed plant and animal waste. It doesn’t matter what type of soil you have to begin your organic gardening adventure, feeding it with organic matter will strengthen and improve it.

The first thing most people want to know when they’re just starting out in organic gardening is how can they keep their garden from being overrun by pests and diseases if they don’t use chemical compounds.

There are organic pesticides, but an occasional bug in your garden doesn’t mean you have to immediately rush to get rid of it. It depends on the type and severity of the problem as to how aggressively you treat it.

One thing that’s good to do when planting an organic garden is to diversify the plants. Don’t plant row after row of one type – instead, vary the plantings. Harmful insects are usually attracted to a large amount of the same plants in one place, so placing them randomly and with other plants will help ward off pests - plus your garden will look more interesting!

If you do need to use an organic or natural pesticide, be sure to choose one that targets your specific problem. Some organic pesticides are used to get rid of bacteria and others kill harmful pests. Look online to get the information you need about your particular type of problem or check with a nursery. We've also got some helpful resources on our website at www.newholisticliving.com/sustainablegardening.html.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Using the least intrusive method of controlling pests and diseases in your organic garden is the best way to go. For example, an invasion of aphids can usually be taken care of by spraying them off the plants with a water hose. Caterpillars and other harmful insects can simply be plucked off your plants.

One myth about organic gardening is that you’ll just have to accept the fact that the produce and flowers from your garden won’t be as “pretty” and will be bug-ridden. That’s just not true. If you carefully inspect your garden periodically, you should be able to produce gorgeous and bug-free vegetables, plants and flowers.

Let your organic gardening experience be a great one by not obsessing too much about bugs, fungus and bacteria. Just be observant and take preventative measures to ensure your garden is the best and most productive it can be.