10 Quick Tips for Quick Organic Gardening
Originally published by Whole Living
It’s time to start thinking about your outdoor space again. Whether you’re a home gardener or volunteer time in your school’s garden, organic gardening tips can really help boost your patch’s volume. Here are a few tips for maintaining organic beds.
1. Test your soil. Before planting anything, you’ll want to test your soil. Home testing kits are best for measuring of acidity or alkalinity (known as pH). For most vegetables, the magic number is 6.5. Too low or high on the scale and your plants won’t be able to access the soil’s nutrients. You can boost your pH with a line spread or lower it with a powdered sulfur.
2. Use containers. For small spaces, containers can be used for many vegetables with the exception of some root crops and asparagus.
3. Make a raised bed. Raised beds are great for areas where the soil isn’t ideal. Use materials such as brick, untreated wood, or stone to construct the boarders, and fill in the space with organic soil and compost.
4. Grow companion plants. Some plants help one another when planted in proximity by repelling pests, boosting flavor, and enriching the soil. For a list of companion plants click here.
5. Keep a journal. Keep a record of planting dates, pests you see, diseases, and which crops are doing well and those struggling. This will help you plan each year to get the most out of your space.
6. Use three-sided bins for compost. Three-sided bins are easier to manage than four-sided containers. You can construct your own with untreated wood planks.
7. Go for quality, not quantity. Although it’s wise to plant a little more than you’ll actually need in anticipation of disease and pests, planting too much can compromise your crops. You don’t want to overcrowd your space, so it's important to plan ahead and visualize what your space will look like mid-summer with mature plants.
8. Use a soaker hose. Eco-hoses have small pores that allow water to gently seep out. These also allow the water to go directly into the ground, not wetting leaves and thus discouraging funguses.
9. Reuse rainwater. Rain barrels help conserve water and are excellent for garden watering.
10. Weed the old-fashioned way. Yes, there are organic herbicides available, but the best strategy is to pull weeds up by the root by hand. Get them early before they establish themselves, and make sure you pull up all the roots.
