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Beginner’s Guide to Organic Vegetable Gardening

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When I was 8 years old, a neighbor gave me a johnny-jump up flower to plant.  I dug a hole and planted it alongside our house, watered it, weeded it, and marveled at it. When it “died”, I pulled it out and was scolded by my neighbor/mentor. You see, if I had left it alone, it would have re-seeded and returned next year.

I thought I was taking care of things, but that was my first gardening mistake.  I’ve made many. I’ve put together some info here for beginning gardeners so that, perhaps, you’ll make a few less than I.

Garden Location

Vegetable gardens need full sun, so locate your garden where it will get at least 8 hours of sun.  Cooler weather crops such as lettuce and spinach don’t mind less sun and may not bolt (go to seed) as quickly when the weather warms.

A great way to learn the sunniest area on your property is to track shadows. It’s an easy way to determine how many hours of sun your yard really gets.

A spot close to your kitchen should be your next consideration. I frequently run out to the garden for herbs or another tomato for the salad, etc., when I am cooking.  Having it close by is a convenience.

Wondering where to plant, what to plant, and how to plant? Learn the ins and outs of organic vegetable gardening from an experienced gardener!

Garden Size

When beginning a new garden, I recommend that you start small and work your way up over the years.  Like a new exercise program, if you overdo it in the beginning you will likely become discouraged and quit.  A small weed-free garden will produce much more than a large, weedy mess.

Garden Style 

There are many ways to plant a garden.  Choose a style for your organic garden that suits your needs.

  • Traditional “dug” garden: Each year you turn over the soil in your garden plot, amend the soil as needed and plant. (I’ll talk more about amending in the section on soil). While hand digging is not terribly destructive, I do not ever suggest using a rototiller. Read why rototillers may be more harmful than helpful in an organic garden. My main recommendation if you choose this method is to incorporate paths into the garden and walk only on these paths.  Walking on soil where you have planted compresses the soil.  Roots thrive better with airy soil.
  • Raised bed garden:
    With a raised bed, the garden is built on top of the ground with sides to hold the soil in place. This is filled with soil, either purchased or “lasagna” style (see below). Soil amendments are often added as well.

    Raised beds warm up earlier in the season, extending your growing season, have good drainage, and prevent soil compaction because you never step into the bed. It is best to keep the width of each bed under 4 feet so that you can reach all areas from outside of the bed. In addition, yearly digging is not necessary.For more information, check out my guide to raised bed gardening.

  • Lasagna gardening: With this method, organic materials are layered on top of the ground.  No soil is added and no digging is involved. Lasagna gardens may be built in a raised bed. This method, also called sheet composting, is my preferred method of gardening. For more information on this method, see my previous post.

Healthy Garden Soil

When we think of starting a garden we usually think of the “fruit”. But I encourage you to think, instead, “soil”. Soil is the foundation of your garden; your vegetables and your garden will only be as healthy as your soil.

A soil test may be used to see if your soil has any deficiencies and to see if the ph needs to be adjusted. Soil test kits are available from your local extension service. Ph refers to the soil’s acidity or alkalinity. Most vegetables prefer a soil which is near neutral.  Nutrients in the soil become unavailable if the ph is not correct. 
 
Soil is composed of inorganic matter like sand or clay and contains minerals needed by plants. For a healthy garden, your soil should also be composed of at least 20% organic matter, which comes from decomposed soil organisms and plants.
 
Organic matter makes your soil porous so that air and water can easily penetrate it. Thankfully, soil can be improved by amending it with organic matter. Adding compost, well-rotted manure, or decayed leaves will go a long way in improving your soil. At least 2 – 3″ should be added the first year, and an additional 1″ each year thereafter. It will likely take several years to build your soil.
 
Learn more about how to amend your soil naturally after testing your soil. 
 
 

Composting

I can’t stress enough how important it is to build your soil and composting is a fantastic way to do that.  I’m fanatical about composting! Years ago, as a “poor” gardener, we never spent the money to test our soil.  That garden started out with soil that had lots of coal ash in it from the previous owner – not exactly conducive to gardening.
 
We amended with manure and over the years, lots of compost and mulch. The first time we had our soil tested, we were told that our soil was in great condition and that we did not have to add any fertilizer.  We had built up our soil primarily with scraps that otherwise would have gone into a landfill.  That’s a win-win!
 
Compost is a dark, crumbly, earthy-smelling form of decomposing organic matter which builds soil and promotes healthy plant growth. For more information on composting, see my previous post Compost is Black Gold.
 
 

What to Grow

Grow the veggies you enjoy eating. There is no sense growing a vegetable that your family won’t eat. 
 
Keep in mind that some vegetables, such as corn and potatoes, take a lot of room, so may not be appropriate for a small garden.
 
Squashes and pumpkins can take a lot of room, as well, but compact varieties are available.  These are often referred to as “bush” varieties.
 

Planting Your Organic Garden

 
Each variety has different requirements in terms of when to plant, how deep, how far apart, etc. Cornell University has Growing Guides available for just about any plant you wish to grow in your garden. All of the information they provide is research based.
 
For some vegetables, it is best to plant seeds directly into your garden. For others, it is best to transplant seedlings.  I’ve put together a Vegetable Seed Planting Guide for northern climates with common garden vegetables that indicates whether to direct sow, when to plant, and other information.  
 
If you choose to begin your own seedlings, the information may be found on my posts Starting Seeds for Your Garden and Seed Starting Pots From Newspaper. 
 
If you choose to purchase seedlings, be sure to choose healthy plants. The leaves should be uniformly green.  Yellowed leaves indicate stress of some sort. Silvery leaves mean the plant has not been properly hardened off (moved from a sheltered indoor environment to the outside).
 
 
Wondering where to plant, what to plant, and how to plant? Learn the ins and outs of organic vegetable gardening from an experienced gardener!
 
Look for plants that are stocky, not spindly.  Taller does not mean better. Be sure there is only one plant per pot.  Trying to separate plants will damage the root system. It would be better to pinch off one of the plants at the soil, than try to separate them.
 
Do not buy vegetable plants that are already in bloom or already have fruit (ie. a small tomato).  It would seem that this plant would produce sooner, but transplanting is a stress on a plant and it will likely drop the blossom or fruit and may even kill the plant.
 
Another consideration when purchasing plants is to buy from a local nursery which is starting their own seeds.  This, of course, supports your local economy, but also helps to prevent the spread of disease.  Large chain stores generally purchase from the same source, mostly in NC. If that one source sends out diseased plants, that disease is spread over a very large geographic area.  We had just this situation several years ago when late tomato blight was a huge problem all over the northeastern U.S. 

Watering Your Garden

It is better to give one deep watering a week as opposed to several light waterings. Deep watering encourages your plant to grow deep, healthy roots.  Water until the top 5 – 6″ of soil is wet.
 
To conserve water, be sure to water the soil, not the leaves. It is best to water early in the day. This prevents evaporation and allows any leaves that do get wet to dry. Wet leaves at night may cause fungal disease.
 
 

Mulching Your Garden

Mulching prevents soil from drying out and conserves water. It helps to prevent weeds from sprouting and reduces the need to spend time weeding. Just be sure to weed the area before laying down the mulch.
 
Mulch encourages earth worms and feeds the soil as it decomposes. Some good mulching materials include straw, leaves, grass clippings or even newspaper.
 
Do not use any grass clippings on which herbicides have been used. Mulch keeps soil cool, so mulch plants like broccoli and brussels sprouts, which prefer cool conditions, early.  Wait until the soil has warmed to mulch plants like tomatoes and eggplant which love heat. Mulch should be 2 – 4″ deep.
 
A few great posts on mulch in your organic garden:
 

Staking and Trellising

Many plants, as they mature, need support to help them grow. This would include tomatoes, peas, cucumbers, squash, and pole beans. Staking them saves space, provides better air circulation and disease prevention. Put in the stakes while the plants are still young to prevent root damage. Place tall and trellised plants on the north side of your garden so that they do not shade the shorter plants.
 
Be sure to see my post, Building a Trellis for Tomato Plants
 

Dealing with Disease and Pests in the Organic Garden

The best way to keep disease and pests from destroying your garden is prevention.  Having healthy soil will provide healthy plants and healthy plants are less prone to attack.
 
The Growing Guides mentioned above contain information on dealing with problems specific to each variety. 
 
A few recommended resources:
 
 
 
 
Hopefully, you will find the information I’ve provided helpful as you garden. Let me know if you have any questions, and I’ll do my best to help. Happy Gardening!!
 
300 x 250

 

To learn how to build a garden that builds healthy soil, be sure to check out my eBook The Art of Gardening: Building Your Soil. You really can become a better gardener, and you really can grow healthy, nourishing produce. It’s all about the soil! Click here to buy now.

Recommended Reading:

Born-Again Dirt by Noah Sanders – I think the subtitle says it all: Farming to the Glory of God. Read my review here.

Lasagna Gardening by Patricia Lanza

Healthy Soils for Sustainable Gardens edited by Niall Dunne

Identifying Diseases of Vegetables by MacNab, Sherf & Springer

Postage Stamp Garden Book, The by Duane Newcomb – This is the book I read when I was 16 and dug my family’s entire small backyard for a garden. I’m thankful for parents who didn’t blink an eye!

Practical Entomologist, The by Rick Imes – good introduction to the world of insects.

Back to Eden – I loved this gardening DVD so much, it has its own post.

Organic Gardening 101

 


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Comments

  6. Lori @ Our Heritage of Health says

    Great overview of gardening tips! I wish I had known all of this when I first started planting a veggie garden a few years ago. I just got my heirloom seeds in the mail from the Baker Creek company, and I can’t wait to plant them now!

    Thanks for sharing with Old-Fashioned Friday! 🙂

    Reply

  7. Donna Vinskofski says

    Susan, you are just amazing. I love your writing, it is so professional and so informative.This MIL is so very proud of you. This year I will follow your advice and properly harden off my tomato plants before planting them!! Love you..

    Reply

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  12. Danielle says

    We have a “dug” garden, but also make raised beds . Every year the rows are set differently to make sure we are rotating plantings and utilizing the entire garden! We also add yard and “good” kitchen debris to the soil..we have the most beautiful-healthy dirt..haven’t had an issue growing anything! Can’t wait for spring, we are enlarging the garden this year to incorporate a “chicken-garden”. We are very excited to be able to give the chooks “goodness” from the garden too! Happy chickens lay healthy eggs..haha! We are also starting seeds indoors this year, then out to a “hot-box” to continue grow-out. I will be definitely following your blog, it is so awesome to have a PA neighbor!! Thank you for all your knowledgeable information!-Danielle

    Reply

    • Susan says

      What area of PA? I think the chicken garden is a fantastic idea; we aren’t able to have chickens where we are, but we feel good about supporting a local farm where they do a great job raising them.

      Reply

  13. Marla says

    Thanks for sharing all your great information about gardening. Very informative. I like the idea of the lasagna gardening. I have never tried it but might after reading this. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Friday Blog Hop.

    Reply

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