TheHeartofOrganicGardening

September2007

TheHeartofOrganicGardening:Conclusion
Gardeningisaskillthatcanonlybedevelopedwithpractice,curiosity,andaccumulatedinsightborneof experience.However,itispossibleforabeginner,especiallyonewhohaschosentobecomeinformed,toenjoy tremendoussuccess.

TheStarterSet:EasyPlantsforBeginnerstoGrow
Thefollowingcropspeciesaregoodchoicesforbeginners.WesuggestchoosingplantsfromtheYear1listif youarejustgettingstartedorinitiatinganewgardenplot.The Year2listexpandsonthefirstyearsselections, thoughplantsonthislisthavesomespecificgrowingrequirements. Year1 CoolSeason Romainheads Saladmix,mesclunmix, arugula, Chinesegreensmix Carrots Beets Radishes WarmSeason Tomatoes,Fennel,&Basil Bush GreenBeans SummerSquash Year2 CoolSeasonAdditions Peas Rutabagas Broccoli (Indeterminate) Parsley Radiccio,Endive,&Frisee Potatoes, WarmSeasonAdditions HeirloomTomatoes Bell&HotPeppers ThaiOrJapaneseEggplant Onions,Garlic,Shallots LemonCucumbers Watermelon Corn SpecialtyBasil Strawberries Chard Collard Leeks Cantaloupe Dill Cilantro Scallions, SnapPeas, Cabbage, Turnips, Chard Kale Spinach Violas

RobertHartmanandShirleyWard
Copyright 2007,2008,RobertHartmanandShirleyWard.Youmaycopy,modify,anddistributethistextunderthetermsofthe mostcurrentversionoftheGNUGeneralPublicLicense(see http://www.gnu.org/licenses).

TheHeartofOrganicGardening

September2007

SolvingProblems
Thefirstindicationthataproblemisdevelopingisoftenachangeinleafcolor.Yellows,reds,browns,andblacks allindicatethattheplantcouldbeindistress.Ofcourse,ifitisneartheplantslifecycle,itcouldjustbe senescence.However,aquickresponsetoachangeincolorcanmeanthedifferencebetweenacropbeing savedorlost. Problemsolvingcanbesimplifiedbyfollowingachecklistthatensurestheplantsaregettingwhattheyneed, suchasthis: 1.Air:Iftherootsaren'tbreathingwell,itdoesn'tmatterwhat elseyoudo.Theplantswillstillstruggle. Evenif theproblemisntair,increasedoxygentotherootswillgenerallyhelptheplant. Toaerate,just pokesome holeswithadiggingforkandthrowinsomepottingsoilorothercomposttokeepthem open. 2.Water: The irrigationsystemcouldeitherbemissingthatarea,oroversaturatingit.Overwateringismore likely whenleavesturnyellow.Brownleavesindicate underwateringthegrasswouldturnbrown. Overwatering referstotoofrequentapplications thatpreventthesoilfromdryingdownsorootscanbreathe. 3.Food:Ifthereissomesortofnutrientdeficiencyorexcessinthesoil,itneedstobecorrectedbyaddingan amendment(fordeficiencies),orhalted(forexcesses). Abalancedblendofcompost,greenandbrownorganic matter,kelpmeal(orfishemulsion),andwormcastingscanhelpcorrectthebalance. Having asoilsample analyzedbyalabonceeveryfewyearsisagoodgardeningpractice. 4.Light:Ifthereisn'tenoughlightreaching leavesorplants,thoseplantsmightneedtobetransplantedina sunnierlocation.Iftheleavesareconstantlywilted,evensoonafterwatering,theplantsmightneedashadier location. 5.Diseases:Ifcorrectingtheconditionsdoesn'tchangeanything, thendiseasecouldbeaculprit.Somewhere nearyouthereisaplantpathologistorAgExtensionpersonwhocantellwhat'sgoingon. 6.Pests: Theseusuallyleavesignsofdamageratherthandiscolorationalone.

InitialReferenceBooks
Perhapsthebestsingleresourceforinformationaboutorganicfarmingis TeachingOrganicFarmingand Gardening,publishedbytheCenterforAgroecologyandSustainableFoodSystemsatUCSantaCruz.This teachersguidehasawealthofinformation.Eachsectioncontainsan extensivebibliographyandnumerouson linereferences. The EncyclopediaofOrganicGardening,fromRodalePress isanothertremendousresource. Althoughtheyarenotorientedtowardorganicmethods,the CaliforniaMasterGardenerHandbook,published by theUCDavisdepartmentofAgricultureandNaturalResources,andthe WesternGardenBook publishedby SunsetMagazinearealsousefulreferences. CatalogsfromJohnysSpecialtySeedsandPeacefulValleyFarmandGardenSupplyprovidedetailedinformation aboutspecificplants,tools,andequipment. PleaserefertotheResourceshandoutforacomprehensivelistofadditionalbooksandresources.Asyour interestandskilllevelgrows,youwillfindtheinformationinthoseresourcestobefascinatingand helpful. Happyorganicgardeningfromourheartstoyours!

RobertHartmanandShirleyWard