Organic Vegetable Gardening Ideas, Tips, Care, Design

Introduction to Organic Vegetable Gardening Ideas:

Today, let us talk Organic Vegetable Gardening Ideas along with design, tips, and care.

Organic Vegetable Gardening is a process that promotes and enhances biodiversity, natural biological cycles and soil biological actives that restore, maintain & enhance ecological harmony. Organic Vegetable Gardening basic tenets are feeding the soil, though decaying organic matter and utilizing natural cycles and predators for disease and pest control.

Organic Vegetable Gardening means growing and planting vegetables and plants without the use of several chemicals. The plant will generally just depend on the natural ways of actually growing them. This will then construct the plants to taste natural and better. It will also be able to give complete nutrition, which your body needs.

Benefits of an Organic Vegetable Gardening:

• Very easy access to fresh produce
• Improved taste due to freshness & lack of chemicals
• To save money
• Better nutrition
• To avoid pesticide residue
• Decrease exposure to harmful chemicals
• Does not damage the water table
• Kinder to the atmosphere
• Improves the biodiversity

Different Vegetable Gardening Styles:

Rustic Precision: This is a very beautiful rustic garden. The tomato cages are prepared from saplings cut on the property. The same twigs were used to make the garden fence. That a cutting garden runs the length of the vegetable garden in front of the tomatoes. The saplings provide a very structured and orderly garden an informal feel.

A Rainbow of Lettuce: This is an example of both wide row planting and just how beautiful simple vegetable gardening can be. This is the Organic vegetable garden at Locust Grove – Samuel F.B. Morse Estate in Poughkeepsie, NY. It’s an organic, historic, heirloom garden laid out much as it would have been in the history. While they have their share of pests & invaders, they have many more successes with this block planting & intercropping.

Tiered Raised Beds: There’s a lot to be said about Tiered raised beds. First, don’t have to till the soil and then better control over the soil in them. You never step on or compact the soil & it warms up earlier than the ground, as well as draining better. This vegetable gardener has gone one step further by stepping the raised beds up 2 levels. Then keep the vegetables separate and happy while squeezing more into the footprint of the space.

Four x Four: Here’s an example of a modified or extended four-square garden. A four-square would have four squares and perhaps a center bed. This gardener had a lot of space and didn’t want the squares to be large to work with. So made a series of square raised beds with permanent bark mulch paths in between. At first glance, it may seem that a bunch of space is wasted with the paths. But the paths make working in the beds easier & since the beds are full of rich soil, he can pack the plants without having to worry about reaching them to prune or harvest.

Fit for a Feast: A very functional garden can be prepared decorative by its fencing. This garden fence and trellis have an Asian feel to it, although the garden itself is extremely Mediterranean. Grape vines are covering the right side of the fence & the cages in the rear are protecting berry bushes. The garden itself is kind of the focal point in the center of a great backyard orchard. With the fruit trees and trellised brambles grown in lines, this Organic vegetable garden is almost an oasis.

Read: Bonsai Tree Care, Tips, Ideas, Design.

Good reasons for Organic Vegetable Gardening:

• You are able to make delicious and nutritious foods for yourself.
• You are able to avoid foods treated with harmful fertilizers & insecticides.
• You have taken up a fascinating latest hobby that may become a source of income as well.

Why is an Organic Vegetable Gardening important?:

Organic Vegetable Gardening seems to be the trend these days as more people have happened to conscious of what they are eating. This is because conventional methods which occupy the use of harmful chemicals may enter our systems. In order to manage the problem, the US Department of Agriculture has issued a new directive. This encourages farmers to shift to organic vegetable farming.

With organic vegetable farming, farmers will no longer need to plant crops using genetic engineering, irradiation, and sewage sludge. In its place, this will be replaced with crop rotation. Crop rotation is the perform of planting a different crop in the same area where another crop once occupied. This keeps the soil’s nutrients fertile so it can be used another time in the following season. This advance is easier said than done as farmers are accustomed to the old ways of doing it. To help them change their minds, the government offers incentives & subsidies to farmers who decide to follow this plan.

But the main explanation why Organic Vegetable Gardening is so important is the fact that the crops harvested have 50% more nutrients and vitamins compared to that of conventional farming methods. This means the food they consume will decrease the risk of people suffering from a number of diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and certain cancers.

As a component of organic agriculture, Organic Vegetable Gardening promotes & enhances natural diversity and biological cycles on the farm. Rather than relying on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, Organic Vegetable Gardening is based on making the garden self-sufficient and sustainable.

The principles of Organic Vegetable Gardening:

Build and maintain soil health:  The soil is full of life, which encourages healthy plant growth.

Encourage biodiversity:  Different life forms such as plants, insects, birds & mammals all have a role in creating a resilient growing system.

Use resources responsibly:  The organic grower uses resources sustainably, with the least amount of damage to the planet. Includes guidelines on the use of water, energy, wood, plastic & growing containers.

Avoid using harmful chemicals: Toxic chemicals used to kill weeds, diseases, and pests can injure the health of your growing area, and all the life-forms within and beyond it.

Maintain a healthy growing area:  Keeping your growing area in good health, rather than just pest & disease free, is at the heart of organic growing. A diverse and vigorous growing system, good hygiene & close observation all help prevent problems.

Organic Vegetable gardening and Fertilization:

Most organic gardeners consider soils to be a living, biotic system & reject artificial chemical fertilizers as too harsh to be applied to living soils. Organic gardeners emphasize building soil organic matter & then rely on natural sources of supplemental nutrients.

When you fertilize an Organic vegetable garden, organic fertilizers are always the preferred method, especially when you plan on eating from it. One of the easiest and, most commonly used forms of organic fertilizers for the vegetable garden is compost, which promotes greater soil & plant health. Just about any type of plant material can be composted for organic vegetable garden fertilizer. These materials can include leaves, lawn clippings, straw, and garden and kitchen scraps. Crushed eggshells & coffee grinds are particular favorites of mine for use in compost.

Consider fertilizing the garden with nitrogen-producing plants, such as alfalfa or crimson clover. This method can help increase fertility by sowing the plants into your garden soil during fall. Before any blooms appear, just chop up and work into the soil. Since nitrogen is required by most crops for healthy development and production, this technique is an extra natural alternative.

Wood ashes are also very good for the soil, provided they are not from any wood that has been previously treated with chemicals.

Read: Kitchen Garden Tips, ideas, Benefits, Design.

Effect on Soils with Organic Vegetable Gardening:

Organic soil is a crucial element in maintaining a healthy Organic vegetable garden. The main part of organic soil is organic matter, such as compost, manure, or peat moss. Properly made compost is the greatest option for organic soil; it contains microorganisms of previous plant life, which will feed your plants the nutrients they need. There are no artificial ingredients necessary.

When planting your vegetables, make sure that your soil is in great condition. What you can do is to plow your soil using a rot tiller or a little tiller before adding any fertilizer, as this will help expand the soil that you have in your garden. You can also add in compost & earthworms to your soil. When choosing a fertilizer, it would be better to want something that is organic.

Soil Caring – Much of the Smiling Gardener Academy goes into making great soil, but the basics of making excellent soil are incorporating a couple of inches of quality compost into the top few inches, maintaining a 2 to 4 inch layer of straw or leaf mulch (not bark, wood or stones), and providing adequate water. The soil needs to be fertilized for the vegetables to grow very well. You can add at least 2 inches of compost or fertilizer, to help prevent any diseases from infecting your vegetables’ roots. If you need for pesticides, it is better to select organic ones.

Location – Of course, the location will also play the main role when it comes to Organic Vegetable Gardening. Plants need to have ample of light for them to grow healthily. It is improved to give them six to eight hours of sunlight for them to grow better.

Full sun – Full sun means at least 8 hours a day. To have some areas that are just part sun (four to eight hours) where can tuck in some lettuce, greens & certain herbs, but most of the main vegetables want to plant need plenty of light & heat in order to photosynthesize. This is one of the more common Organic Vegetable Gardening tips you’ll find, but a crucial one.

Vegetables – When choosing your vegetables, it would be best to select the ones that are not prone to pests attack and diseases. The reason behind this is because it will help to do the planting easily, which will make you learn easily.

Techniques in Planting – It would be most excellent to follow the instruction that the packaging has. The reason behind this is because some seeds need special care. You can also start planting the seeds in pots & transfer them later on to the soil, but of course, you can still plant them directly in the ground.

Irrigation or Watering of Organic Vegetable Gardening:

Depending on the vegetable that you are planting, the techniques of watering capacity change. Several vegetables need to be moist, while there are some that only needs enough water. When watering your vegetables, make sure to water the roots & not the leaves as wet leaves can attract pests.

The too much water or too little water will both damage your plants. Reliable watering is the key. Soaker hoses & drip irrigation systems make it easier to water large areas and to water consistently without losing a lot of that precious liquid to evaporate.

Water provides additional than just liquid to a plant; it’s also the medium that enables nutrients and the minerals to enter the roots. (Roots don’t digest dirt they’re not “woody earthworms” but instead obtain their nutrients just in solution.) What’s more, through the process of photosynthesis, some of water’s hydrogen is split off to turn into a constituent of the carbohydrate compounds that make up most of the body tissue of growing plants.

Overwatering symptoms include:

• The soaked soil around plant stems
• Mold, or moss growing on the soil
• Wilting
• Yellowing of leaves
• Dead leaf margins

Under-watering looks like:

• Wilting
• Brown leaves
• Dead leaves, stunted growth

Tips for Organic Vegetable Gardening:

Plant your Organic vegetable garden using companion planting. Marigolds & hot pepper plants go a long way to deterring bugs from entering your garden. For leafy vegetables and tomatoes, surround the roots with cardboard or plastic tubes, as this will keep the dreaded slug from eating of young vegetables.

Netting can go a long way to keep flying insects from eating the leaves of young plants & will also discourage moths that lay larvae in your garden. Remove all cutworms or other caterpillars by hand immediately, as these can decimate a whole plant overnight.

Harvest the vegetables when they have reached the peak of ripeness. Pull plants that are no longer bearing fruit & dispose of them in your compost heap (unless diseased). Also, be sure and pull any plant that appears to be weak or diseased to help support the healthy growth of the remaining plants in your garden. Growing an Organic vegetable garden is no harder than a traditional garden; it just takes more planning. Use the winter months looking at seed catalogs. If you choose to go with heirloom seeds, be sure to order them early, as oftentimes companies run out by month February. If you choose hybrid seeds, choose those that are known to be resistant to bugs & disease.

Read: Application, Uses, Benefits Of Epsom Salt On Plants.

Controlling pests and diseases in Organic Vegetable Gardening:

Organic methods of pest and disease control mean a healthier garden for you, plants and the insects, birds, and animals around you. Organic vegetable pest controls do not try to eradicate all insects. In fact, the vast majority that is 95 percent of insects are benign or beneficial.

Care of Your Plants:

Insects and diseases are attracted to stressed, damaged or otherwise unhealthy plants, so the key to preventive manage is taking good care of your plants. That means paying close attention to them & providing the conditions they need for healthy, vigorous growth.

Make annual garden cleanup part of your routine: Leaving old squash vines, tomato plants, and similar debris in the garden after the harvest ends is like putting out a welcome mat for pests and pathogens. Several insects overwinter in such debris, and they will get an early start nibbling on plants the following spring. Many plant pathogens live in the soil year-round.

Remove and dispose of any diseased or infested plants:  Turn other debris into the soil and put it in your compost pile. Loosen the soil with a fork or spade so that every remaining egg, larvae, or pupae will be exposed to birds and cold temperatures. Remove the weeds around your garden, since they can harbor insect pests.

Rotate your crops:  Many insects & disease-causing organisms overwinter in the soil near their host plants. If you grow the same plant or a related one in the same place the next year, give those pests a big head start. Crop rotation can reduce insect damage & minimize exposure to soil-borne disease organisms. Wait at least 2 years before planting the same or related crops, such as broccoli and cauliflower, in the same spot. Brassicas, potatoes, tomatoes, and onions are mainly vulnerable to disease problems when planted in the same place year after year.

Crop rotation also helps keep soil nutrients in balance: The first-year planting of heavy feeders, such as tomatoes & lettuce, can be followed by legumes, such as peas and beans, which actually return some nitrogen to the soil. The third year, you could let the soil “rest” by planting light feeders, such as carrots and beets.

Encourage diversity: If you place smaller groups of plants throughout the garden, rather than planting all of the potatoes, say, in one place, it will be harder for pests to converge on the whole lot. Interplanting herbs and flowers are another effective way to protect your garden. Some plants, such as marigolds & nasturtiums, seem to repel insect pests. Others, such as dill, mint & fennel, attract beneficial insects that prey on garden pests. Mixing some of these plants into the vegetable garden will foster a more diverse and naturally healthy ecosystem.

Prevention:

Choose disease-resistant vegetable varieties: Many ornamental plants & vegetables have proven resistant to diseases such as cancer, mildew, and rust.

Don’t overcrowd your plants: Good air circulation prevents the damp conditions that promote the growth of fungi & other disease organisms.

Watch moisture levels: Notice if the soil is too wet or too dry & correct these conditions. Try to maintain foliage dry.

Practice crop rotation: Insects and disease pathogens can persist in the soil from only one season to the next. Moving susceptible crops from year to year is superb preventive medicine.

Inspect your plants: Address problems previous to them get out of hand. Remove and destroy any fruit or foliage that suspect may be diseased.

Be sanitary: Humans are effective if innocent, spreaders of vegetable plant disease. Pathogens can be spread by your footwear, hands & clothes. Wash your hands before & after working with your plants, and clean your clothes if you think you have come in contact with sick plants.

Clean your tools: Soil clinging to tools might harbor disease organisms. Similarly, clean out pots & flats before reusing them. A ten percent bleach solution (one part bleach to nine parts water) makes a very good disinfectant.

Read: Raspberry Farming.