You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to start growing your own veggies. In fact, with all of the modern technology of today, traditional methods still work best.
Here is where I’ll discuss some of the basics of organic vegetable gardening that are sure to get your garden off to an excellent start.
First, you need to know exactly what organic vegetable gardening is. Simply put, it’s a method of farming that uses Mother Nature to grow produce instead of relying on fertilizers, pesticides or synthetic products.
Before running out and buying seeds, you need to first find out what plants grow well with the soil & climate of your area. For example, if you happen to live in an area that often experiences droughts, you’d want to grow plants that don’t require frequent watering.
If you don’t have a backyard or live in an apartment, you can still grow your own veggies. The easiest way to do it is with an indoor microgreens growing kit.
Prepping The Soil
You also need to prep the soil, making sure it’s fee from weeds, rocks and other debris. This will insure that your veggies can grow in the best possible environment.
Once you’ve prepped your gardening area, you’ll want to mix in some compost, rock phosphate or bone meal to the soil to give it a boost of nitrogen, potassium & phosphorous.
It’s also a good idea to have your soil tested. If you find out that the pH level is too high, adding some Sulphur or lime will help balance it out to normal levels.
Another step that will help is to add some organic fertilizer to the soil. Grass clippings, coffee grinds or recycled leaves work well. For the best results, apply your chosen fertilizer a month before planting any seeds.
Once you’ve completed these steps, it’s time to plant your seeds. Be sure to allow for adequate space between seeds. This way, once the seedlings begin to take root, they won’t be fighting each other for water.
While adequate seed spacing is important, you don’t want to have too much distance between them. Keeping an adequate yet tight distance will reduce the possibility of weeds taking over your garden.
The biggest problem you need to be concerned about are pests entering your garden. Insects, birds and even frogs are an excellent way to keep them away.
Here’s a valuable tip! You can attract these creatures by creating an ideal environment for them by making a small pond or putting up several bird houses.
Once you have drawn the insects into your garden, they will patrol your veggies and kill off the unwanted pests that are trying to eat up all your crops.
Putting up a fence can also be helpful. Other items that work well re foil collars, borers and stick traps.
There are even organic pesticides available that can kill a few of the most notorious pests. If you go this route, check the ingredients first so you know exactly what you’re dealing with.
It’s also important to keep your soil fertile. The easiest and best way to do it is by rotating your crops by planting different varieties of vegetables. Basically, once you’ve harvested your crops, plant again in the same area, but with a different vegetable.
Once you have the basics of organic vegetable gardening down pact, you will soon have your own little veggie farm in your backyard. Even better, you’ll be able to enjoy fresh, nutritious, chemical free vegetables anytime you want.
Peace …
RKR 🌱