Organic gardening has become increasingly popular in recent years, although more and more fertilizers and other chemicals for plant treatments can be found on the market. If you are thinking about growing your own garden this year, which will be entirely chemical-free, we have the right advice on where to start and how.
Right at the beginning, we want to congratulate you on choosing a harder but healthier way to grow your fruits and vegetables. If you do not know where to start, then be sure to read the text from beginning to end and you will find everything you need to know.
Cultivation in this way means that you should not use any chemicals in the gardening process, but that does not mean that your plants are left to themselves. There are many ways you can improve their growth. Don’t see organic farming as something that defends many standard ways of growing, but look at it as you try to start a new holistic and completely natural ecosystem in your environment. Let’s take it from the top.
Preparation of the soil
To get the best results with your gardening, you should dedicate yourself to soil preparation in the very beginning. Just as we have to eat and take in nutrients to be healthy, the same situation is with land that needs a lot of fresh nutrients to give us healthy and tasty products. Chemicals that are usually used to treat the soil can not only get into the food itself but also have a detrimental effect on the soil. The best way to prepare it for an organic garden is to take it for testing and measure the nutrient level and pH value. Testing should be done in the fall so that you can apply organic nutrients before winter.
Even if you didn’t do it on time, you don’t need to worry, you just need to apply a lot of humus to the soil, organic matter that you will mix with compost, leaves, grass, and natural fertilizers. Fertilizer should also be composted unless you will not be planting or picking anything from your garden for the next two months. Fertilizers should be completely organic and fertilizer from animals that are carnivores is not recommended.
To prepare your garden you should also pay attention to the following items:
- Choose the right side. In order for your garden to be fertile, the first thing you need to do is choose the right place to plant it. You need a piece of land that is exposed to direct sunlight for at least six hours during the day. If you do not have such a place in the garden, then focus on planting plants that do not need too much sun to thrive. Just some of them are lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, chard, radishes, spinach, kale, beans…
- Soil moisture. Another thing to pay attention to is where the water collects and whether the soil absorbs moisture well. The last thing you want is very moist soil where your crops will rot.
- The wind. Place your garden in a place that is not exposed to direct winds, if necessary, build a temporary protective wall that will protect the plants. And finally, keep your garden close to where your tools are, as well as the source of water, to make it easier for yourself to water and dig.
- Land quality. What exactly is the land where you planned to make the garden? Are there a lot of stones or roots of some plants that were planted there? If so then you should consider either making pallets or digging the ground twice before you start planting. There is also something called lasagna land. Whichever option you choose, it is only important to make sure that the soil is perfect for organic farming.
How to make good compost?
The main thing that will make your garden successful is good compost. The best thing about it is that you can make it yourself and it is completely free. It nourishes plants, helps retain water, reduces weeds, and it’s a great way to recycle. Instead of piling up brown where it produces methane, you use it to grow an organic garden. Isn’t that great?
It needs to be spread around plants/seedlings and it is very difficult to use too much. The highest quality one is a mixture of waste rich in carbon and nitrogen and soil, water, and air. It may sound like complicated chemistry, but it really isn’t.
You also don’t need to worry too much if you don’t have too much time to prepare it, because even minimal piles will give a decent result. To start composting on the ground, fence a square measuring one meter, at least. You can easily collect it in a pile or in special bins, as you prefer.
And finally… the seeds
When it comes to seeds and seedlings, you should be careful because most of the purchased ones have already been treated with some chemicals. Instead, you should get organic seeds from gardeners who already have their own organic plants, like the ones found on this site. Seedlings should not be treated with pesticides, fungicides, or insects that contain chemicals. Make sure that the packaging of the seeds says that they are organic.
For some plants, it is much better to buy seedlings, while some are best grown from seed, especially plants such as sunflowers, annual poppies, coriander, dill, evening primrose, young peas, and cucumbers. When it comes to organic cultivation harvested plants should be planted as densely as possible because in this way you reduce the appearance of weeds. Leave more space between the rows so that you can approach the plants as well as because of the air circulation which reduces the appearance of fungi.
These are just some of the tips every beginner organic gardener should know about. And, this information we gave is just enough to get you going.