Organic Backyard Gardening
5 Easy Tips for Beginners
There's nothing like picking your own vegetables and eating them straight from the garden. Start an organic garden in your own backyard with tips from Ann Thrupp, director of sustainability at Fetzer Vineyards in California.
What's organic gardening, exactly? Growing organically means eliminating synthetic chemicals (commonly used for pest control and soil nutrition), as well as encouraging biological diversity by planting a mix of species and rotating plants over time.
Note that if you plan to sell your produce, you must follow specific rules as defined by federal law in order to claim that the produce is organic. The term "organic" is defined by the National Organic Standards; details can be found here.
Tip #1: Start with Compost
Having good, healthy soil is crucial to a healthy organic garden, and one way to start improving soil quality is to mix compost into your soil. You can make compost from your own yard trimmings, grass clippings and food waste (such as peels from fruits and vegetables, and even egg shells). Once the mixture is composted, which usually takes a few months, that rich compost can be incorporated in the soil, adding valuable nutrients and biological activity. If you can't wait to make your own, you can purchase compost at most garden centers or nurseries.
Tip #2: Choose Carefully
When you begin planting, usually in the spring, choose vegetables or other plant species that are well-suited to your climate and that tend to be resistant to pests and diseases. Check with your local nursery or university extension service to find out which plants are best suited to your climate.
I tried growing broccoli in my garden, but it really didn't work in the soil that I have: The broccoli was stunted, and the leaves yellowed. I found out later that the soil had too much clay, did not drain well, and needed more nitrogen. I could have fostered nitrogen by adding more compost and manure, or by planting soy beans as a cover crop before planting the broccoli. The lessons to me were: Grow plants that are suited to your environment and soil, and ensure your soil is healthy and well-prepared.
Tip #3: Mix Things Up
Planting a diversity of flowers or other plants in a garden is known as "interplanting" (or sometimes "companion planting"), an approach that helps to protect crops against insect pests. It's wise to interplant flowers or herbs between or around vegetables in order to attract beneficial insects and encourage natural pest control.
You can use small plant "starts" that can also be purchased locally. If you start with seeds, it's helpful to put seeds into little pots or a flat tray first, and then transplant them when they are a few inches tall.
Tip #4: Repel Pests Naturally
Plant marigolds, chrysanthemums, dahlias or clematis vines in and around your garden. These aromatic flowers are natural bug repellents because they have strong scents, called olfactory inhibitors, which may confuse or repel insect pests looking for crops to feed on. These flowers also may act as "trap" plants that entice pests away from crops: Nasturtium flowers, for example, act as a trap crop for aphids. In addition, these flowers attract certain types of beneficial insects (such as lacewings, hoverflies, ladybugs and pirate bugs), which help control insect pests that feed on vegetables.
Tip #5: Grow Easy
Your organic garden should be a source of pleasure, not frustration. The best plants to grow organically vary depending on where you live, but squash, cucumber, watermelon, tomatoes, peppers, greens, green beans and herbs, as well as all the "natural insect repellent" flowers I mentioned earlier, are relatively easy to grow organically in many climates.
From: iVillage.com
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