How to Develop a Successful Organic Garden – The Complete Guide

How to Develop a Successful Organic Garden – The Complete Guide

Are you new to organic gardening? With a shift towards understanding how organically grown fruits and vegetable can benefit not just our bodies but our environment too, gardening organically has become a wonderful way to get the fresh produce that your body needs to thrive.

Few pursuits are as rewarding as growing your own organic garden. Not only do you get to enjoy the fruits of your own labor, but you have the satisfaction of knowing that the produce you are eating was grown without chemicals, pesticides, or herbicides. Supporters of organic gardening stress that it produces healthy, more diverse ecosystems, which are better able to resist significant pest damage through their own natural way and that every single individual should consider shifting to organic gardening. The reason they provide is simple; we need to take this big step so as to stop poisoning the food we eat and the earth we stand on.

Organic gardening is a form of gardening that uses substantial diversity in pest control so as to reduce the use of pesticides and to provide as much fertility as possible, based on local nutrients rather than purchased fertilizers.

Whether you are a seasoned gardener with years of dirt under your nails or you have yet to pick up a trowel, starting a new garden and new gardening method can be somewhat overwhelming for those new to organic gardening. Fear not, intrepid gardeners, organic gardening is not just easy but it can be incredibly fun too.

The Benefits of Organic Gardening:

There is simply no disputing the benefits of growing your own organic fruits and vegetables. Purchasing organic produce in the grocery store can often bend your pocketbook just a little bit more than your budget allows for.

By growing your own vegetables you will be certain that the foods you are putting onto your family's dinner table fit within your budget, were not treated with noxious chemicals, and are not genetically modified.

Another added bonus is that studies have demonstrated that organically grown vegetables contain higher concentrations of healthy vitamins and nutrients, which is what we're all looking for!

Learn everything about organic gardening and you can even make a huge sum of money from your backyard organic gardening – Go on to know how

Contents:

Understanding the Basics of Organic Gardening

What Does Organic Gardening Mean?

How to get Started with Organic Gardening

Organic Gardening - What Should You Grow

A Landscaper's Guide to Organic Gardening

How to Create a Rain Organic Garden as a Part of Your Landscape

Organic Gardening - Getting Creative with Limited Space

Organic Gardening - Simple Yet Important Steps

How to Develop a Successful Organic Garden

Organic Gardening Methods: No-Till Gardening Benefits

Indoor Organic Gardening Made Easy

How to Start Your Own Organic Vegetable Garden

Organic Gardening: Important Principles of Sustainable Agriculture

Preparing Yourself as an Organic Gardener

How to Start Plants from Organic Gardening Seeds

How to Start Your Own Seed Bank for Organic Gardening

Organic Garden Design - Little Known Secrets

How Big do You Want Your Organic Garden to Be?

How to Maintain a Chemical-Free Organic Garden

How to Control Garden Pests from Your Kitchen

Should You Use an Organic Garden Spray?

Organic Gardening Supplies Needed for Newbies

Green Gardening - A Modern Approach to Organic Gardening

Seven Beneficial Insects for Your Organic Garden

Crop Rotation in Your Organic Garden for Healthy Plants & Higher Yields

Organic Cabbages - How to Grow them without Using Seeds

Planting Organic Cabbage Seeds for Spring and Fall Harvest

How to Clone a Cabbage in Your Organic Vegetable Garden

How to get Rid of Cabbage Worms

How to Grow Garlic with Container Organic Gardening

The Unusual Asian Vegetables You can Grow in Your Organic Garden

Aquaponics: Organic Gardening for All People Who Love to Eat Fresh

How to Control Plant Pests Organically

The Best Organic Gardening Practices

The Key Components of Organic Gardening

The Best Way to Grow Your Vegetable Garden from Organic Garden Seeds

How to Start an Organic Herb Garden

How to Grow Vegetables in Your Organic Garden

Organic Gardening Fruit Growing Tricks

The Secrets to Starting a Hydroponics Organic Garden

Limited Space? Organic Gardening with Raised Beds

Does an Organic Garden Need a Soil Test?

Organic Garden Equipment - How to Select Your Tools Like the Professionals

Organic Gardening - Preparing Your Garden Soil for Planting

Foolproof Techniques to Control Weeds in an Organic Garden

Organic Gardening Compost - How to Make it Like the Experts Do

Organic Gardening Pesticides - The Natural Way to Avoid the Need for Them

Organic Gardening - How to Make Your Own Compost

How to Naturally Enrich Your Soil by Using Organic Garden Fertilizer

Home Remedies to Beat Common Plant Diseases

Compost Tea - A Free Plant Food for Your Organic Garden

What does Your Soil Require in Organic Gardening?

The Right Way of Watering Your Organic Garden

The Biggest Mistakes People Make when Starting an Organic Garden

How to Keep Cats out of Your Organic Garden

Why Mulching Needs to be Part of Your Organic Gardening System

Using Organic Gardening to Raise Beautiful Roses

Organic Gardening - Growing Your Own Backyard Orchard

Why Tomatoes are the Pride of Most Organic Gardeners

How to Grow Flowers from Organic Garden Seeds

Organic Gardening - Peppers Grown Fresh in Your Home Garden

Organic Gardening - Growing Potatoes in a Bag

How to Make Steady Money at Home with Your Organic Garden

Seven Things You can Recycle to Use in Your Organic Garden

Organic Gardening - The Pros and Cons

How can You Progress with Organic Gardening?

Understanding the Basics of Organic Gardening

By having a good grasp on the basics of gardening organically, you will soon be ready to get stuck in. No matter how new to organic gardening you happen to be, the following basics can help to set your mind at ease and help to reassure you that there is nothing mystical about growing your own organic fruits and veggies.

Organic gardeners do not use chemicals to eradicate insects but that does not mean that your garden needs to be overrun by the creepy crawlies. There are several organic methods that can safely minimize the damage that insects can do to your burgeoning garden.

If you are new to organic gardening you may not yet have a large and dedicated space for your garden. However, it is important for gardeners of all skill levels to remember that you do not need acreage to grow healthy fruit and vegetables. From a few containers on your patio to a raised plot, growing organic is not at all limited to your available space.

Making your own compost doesn't just cut down on the amount of household waste that you send into landfills. It also helps to provide you with a wholesome, nutritious, and completely free of charge organic fertilizing mixture.

Many of the bedding plants available in garden centers are not certified organic. In order to ensure that you are only growing organic vegetables you should either purchase your plants directly from an organic grower or use only certified organic seeds to start your garden.

Ensuring Success when You're New to Organic Gardening:

Imagine harvesting enough food from your organic garden to feed your family and even some of your neighbors. Your harvesting success is based upon several determining factors, including the preparation of your soil and the careful planning of the plants that you will be growing.

    Just like no project can be successful without a plan and a project manager, your garden isn't likely to be very successful without someone taking the reins and being the organic gardening project manager.

    This means that you will need to put into action a detailed project plan. From the types of organic soils you will use, to the types of vegetables you will grow, it is important to have a thorough plan in place.

    If you are limited in the amount of space that you can dedicate to your organic garden, consider growing vegetables vertically. Many crops, both vegetable and fruit, can benefit from growing up a trellis or other supporting fence.

    Knowing your zone and your seasons is one of the best ways to ensure success when you are new to organic gardening. Some types of vegetables, like lettuces, spinach, and broccoli should be planted early on in your season. If they are planted too early then you run the risk of a heavy freeze destroying them. On the flip side of that, if they are planted too late then you have the potential for a failed crop that simply cannot thrive in the summer heat. Do thorough research in order to ensure the success of every plant that you grow. When you are new to organic gardening sometimes the best course of action is to avoid getting lost in all of the fine details of gardening. Instead, just get stuck in with your gardening gloves and a package of seeds. You'll never know unless you grow.

What Does Organic Gardening Mean?

Indeed, what is organic gardening? Chemically, organic matter is matter with carbon atoms in it-naturally occurring materials. The term synthetic refers to any material that is produced in a laboratory, rather than in a living thing. Organic Gardening literally means not using synthetically produced items in the garden. The USDA has specific definitions for organic products, commercially grown, but there is no definition of organic for home gardeners. The entire issue is fairly murky-with many people saying that industrially produced organic food items are no more healthy for the environment than other commercially produced items.

At the heart of the organic gardening movement, and the philosophy behind organic gardens is seeing the garden as more than just an isolated plot of land, but rather a piece of a larger ecosystem. A garden is part of a larger ecosystem, whether the gardener views it that way, or not. You could say that a garden that is cared for organically is more in harmony with the rest of its surroundings. Inputs are carefully considered, not just for their effects on the target plant or pest, but on the surrounding environment as a whole.

Gardening Naturally:

As author and professor Jeff Gillman writes in his well-received new book "The Truth about Organic Gardening, the term gardening naturally is more descriptive than the term organic gardening." Gardening naturally describes actions taken to help a garden exist in balance with the ecosystem surrounding the garden. Organic gardening and gardening naturally starts with the soil. The soil is the most important part of successful gardening. Organic gardeners spend much time adding organic matter-compost, grass clippings, shredded leaves, and mulches-to the soil, which improves soil structure, soil fertility and adds beneficial microorganisms to the soil. Many of the synthetic inputs that conventional gardeners use are necessary because the soil has not been replenished and is devoid of nutrients.

It's the Soil and So Much More:

The soil is the beginning of a great garden. Soil is a combination of organic matter, minerals, air spaces, moisture, microorganisms (fungi and bacteria), and macro organisms (worms, insects). Many types of organisms have one or more portions of their life cycle in the soil. Using natural gardening methods will encourage your soil life to stay healthy. Remember-there are beneficial insects and detrimental insects.

Applying a blanket treatment for insect control or bacteria control, not only controls detrimental insects-it also controls beneficial insects. Left alone, many insect and bacterial populations will stabilize themselves. Again, the idea of balance comes into play. If the soil is in good condition, with a proper pH, balance of nutrients, and a healthy population of beneficial microorganisms and macro organisms, plants aboveground will be healthy, as well. It is worth noting that if you are beginning to garden organically and your soil is very depleted, you may need to inoculate with humic acid or beneficial bacteria to restore the balance.

Plants get stressed, too:

Plants experience stress, just as animals experience stress. The point of organic gardening is to reduce plant stress naturally, without needing synthetic inputs. Plants that are not getting enough water, nutrients, or are not planted in the right place will