How to grow an organic veggie garden
Over60 community member, Norah Martin, who is currently obsessed with working on her new garden, shares her top tips for growing organic.
Even though I usually do not travel during the summer, I visited Rome three years ago and the things that swept me off my feet were not the tourist attractions and medieval monuments, but the food. I stayed at a nice family-owned hostel that had its own little garden on the rooftop and they grew their own vegetables, completely organic and completely natural. After only a few meals, I knew this is something I simply had to try on my own!
For me, the biggest benefit I have from my organic garden is knowing that what you eat is healthy and completely chemical-free, which you cannot count on with vegetables you buy in a supermarket. Moreover, I spend less on groceries and have a bigger choice of herbs. But the thing I love the most about this hobby is that I have a chance to spend time outside and literally taste the fruits of my labour – there is no bigger satisfaction for a nature lover than that.
For those who want to know how to grow organic food, here are a few useful tips that I’ve learnt beginning my own garden:
Location and size
Among several things a beginner gardener should pay attention to is the location of your garden. If you have a backyard – or a rooftop, like my Italian hosts – your choice of a garden location will be easy, but if you do not, be ready to sacrifice a part of your lawn in favour of some vegetables. Make sure that it has a lot of sun and is close to a water source or at least accessible by a hose.
Regarding size, less is more – going into this adventure with a half an acre makes no sense, especially if you are a beginner like I was. Instead, go with a couple of square metres and see how things are developing. Your garden with easily expand once you acquire some basic skills and knowledge.
The choice of vegetables
Finding seeds turned out to be rather easy – I simply asked around my neighbourhood and got more than enough I needed for starters. Additionally, I brought back some cherry tomato seeds with me from Rome. Once your garden starts blooming, you should collect seeds from it and ensure the continual development of your vegetables without having to use store-bought seeds.
A very important thing to learn is when to plant certain vegetables. I usually plant things like broccoli, cabbage, kale and spinach in the spring and leave carrot, lettuce and radicchio for autumn. Since summers tend to be quite hot, I stick to only a handful of vegetables such as cucumber, peppers and tomatoes I use in refreshing summer salads.
How much water and when
Very few things can help vegetables grow as much as water and adding no fertiliser is more beneficial. That is why your organic garden needs a good watering system if you want it to grow.
What I opted for was a drop-by-drop system which gives my plants a sufficient amount of water without overwatering. Moreover, I like using sprinkler systemsfor a more thorough watering. You can leave these on all day long, especially in the summer. However, you should look into collecting and reusing rainwater – it is not only healthier because it does not include chemicals, but also helps you with your water bills. I know mine is about 20 per cent lower since I started using it.
Protection
When it comes to protecting your crops against threats, you have to be extra resourceful to come up with an ecologically-friendly solution for your organic garden. Since you choose not to use store-bought substances, two natural ways to fight off pests are watering the soil instead of the leaves of the plants themselves (this helps reduce fungi) and planting complementary vegetables next to each other – I heard that some sorts help others with parasites, so this is what I will be looking into in the future. Finally, you should install plastic covers over your garden and a fence around it to prevent insects and other pests from entering.
Related links:
A guide to choosing the best potting mix
How to set up a raised veggie garden
Foods you can (and should) grow from kitchen scraps