Organic Vegetable Gardening

     With the exception of an occasional perennial flowerbed, container type houseplants, and potted herbs, gardening is a whole new world to me. I have always been interested in gardening, but like a lot of people, time was a scarce commodity and the space for a real garden was not always available. Now that I am an empty nester, and I have plenty of space just waiting for a purpose, I have committed myself to what I anticipate being a challenging and rewarding endeavor - an organic vegetable garden. A little scary and a bit overwhelming to a novice like me, but those who know me well, know that there is no other choice for me except to garden organically.

     As described in the book, Your Organic Garden, by Jeff Cox, “Organic gardening is a method that uses our understanding of nature as a guide for gardening, and caring for the plants in our gardens without using synthetic chemical pesticides of fertilizers.” Cox goes on to explain, “many gardeners choose the organic method because they want to be good stewards of the environment. They are concerned about pollution of air, water, and soil and about protecting the health of their families and communities. They know that using synthetic pesticides can destroy wildlife, bees, and other beneficial insects and may have an effect on food quality and safety.” This feels right to me and after years of buying retail organic vegetables, the thought of growing my own and connecting with nature in this way is very exciting.

     I have done some research on organic gardening to prepare myself for what may lie ahead, but I am sure as I continue my organic gardening journey, I will come to some of my own conclusions regarding what works best as far as garden plan and design, composting, pest control, and disease prevention.

     I started my gardening project by drawing a sketch of my garden area. This includes what vegetables I want to grow and what should go where, as well as a location for a screened gazebo and a future flower-cutting garden. I plan to have raised beds, as I believe this method will give me more control over the quality of the soil. I have already changed this plan several times and will probably change it again as I continue, but for now I have a plan that includes my short-term goals and my long-term goals.

     I started my compost pile several months ago so that I will have some organic matter when I am ready to plant. This has already gone through several changes from concrete block bins to a barrel shaped wire bin and back again to the concrete bins. I have a two bin system at present, but I am in the process of changing to a three bin system - one bin for active compost, one bin for finished compost, and one bin for dry browns (grass clippings, leaves, straw, etc.)

     I am doing soil testing from various spots in my garden area and will make the necessary soil improvements by adding organic matter and other soil amendments as needed. A water spigot has been installed on a fence post in my garden area to provide a convenient water source and as soon as we have completed the fencing around the garden I will be ready to plot the raised beds and make soil improvements.

     All of this is pretty standard for any garden. The organic part of gardening will be more of an issue when the insects and other garden pests begin to show up, and the weeds start to pop up. From my research I have learned some effective ways to control pests and disease.

These include the following:

-plant resistant varieties
-plant seeds from disease free plants
-use cardboard or tinfoil collars around plant stems at ground level for cutworms
-spade garden early so vegetation has time to rot before planting
-use mulch to help prevent vegetables touching soil from rotting
-keep garden clean by disposing of crop waste immediately and pruning diseased branches from trees and shrubs
-hand pick insects
-water in the morning so plants are not wet all night
-dispose of diseased plants
-spraying with a natural preparation such as bacillus thurinsiensis can kill some insects
-rotate crops
-use insect and animal traps
-planting marigolds can reduce some types of nematodes
-planting certain plant combinations can reduce certain insects
-use of tobacco, garlic spray and red pepper spray can reduce certain insects and pests
-don’t handle plants when wet and be gentle when you pick and cultivate so you don’t create wounds where disease organisms can gain entry
-hand-pulling and hoeing weeds

     This is really just a sample of the many ways to control pests without pesticides or insecticides. As I get farther into the organic gardening process and learn more about which pests are a problem in our area, as well as what works and what doesn’t work, I will be able to report more useful information on organic gardening.

     For now I am content knowing that learning about organic gardening is an ongoing process and I am happy to indulge.