Organic Gardening: Creating Your Own Organic Vegetable Garden

With the increased awareness of our own health and the need to eat healthy food coupled with the ever growing movement towards sustainable living, creating and maintaining your own organic vegetable garden seems more appropriate than ever.

Organic gardens can be as big or as small as your available space allows for which means even urban dwellers are picking up a spade.

By growing your own vegetables you can also benefit from the huge savings over shops or farmers markets.

So what is ‘Organic gardening’? Organic gardening is the practice of      gardening without the use of artificial fertilisers or chemicals, increasing the fertility of the soil naturally to support healthy growth.

Getting started couldn’t be easier. All you need is a patch of soil in your garden, as big or as small as you like. If your just starting out why not keep it small? You can add to it as you progress and become more confident in your technique.

Choose a location in your garden carefully. Check to see which areas get the most sun, where the soil drains well, where its most convenient for you to work etc.

Around the same time you should start to think about making your own compost. The compost heap or bin is an essential component of your organic garden and one that you will make good use of throughout the growing season. When you have decided on a location you will need to start digging! Make sure to turn the soil over thoroughly and spread a generous amount of compost on the soil too. If your compost isn’t ready by the time you do this you can easily buy some ready made just to get you started or maybe borrow some from a fellow gardener. Turn the soil and compost over once more to make sure its well worked into the ground.

Next, you can work the soil into evenly spaced furrows or drills. Once you have this done you are ready for planting!

If you haven’t already decided what you want to grow then give it a little thought at this stage and do some research. What will grow best in your soil? What plants will grow best in your climate and your area? And above all, what do you want to eat when it’s grown?

Do plenty of research into your chosen crops and decide when it’s the best time to plant and how long it will take before you can harvest? Is there anything special you will need to provide for a particular type of plant? A small amount of time spent at this stage will make a big difference to the end result and will avoid a lot of frustration and disappointment with failed crops.

You can purchase your seeds or seedlings easily and cheaply from a garden centre or farm shop or even from the garden section of the big DIY outlets.

Once planted, mark the furrows so you remember what’s planted and where, so you know what to expect when the young plants start to arrive. Remember to keep your vegetable patch well watered in the dry season and be patient, it wont be long before you see the green shoots of your endeavours begin to appear!

If you'd like to find out more about growing your own healthy organic food..... 

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