Home And Family

1. Start early – before the danger of the last frost. Prepare your garden beds even before you buy your first plant or seed.
2. Evaluate your area with care. Make sure you are choosing an area that has 6-8 hours of full sun. It is a good idea to take a visual survey of your yard. Don’t just choose a place because it is the most convenient.
3. Early morning is the best time to water. In the heat of the afternoon, the water will evaporate quickly, and if you wait until just before dark, you are asking for trouble, because in the evening, the roots absorb less actively and less evaporation occurs.
4. Don’t use fertilizer. Grow a cover crop instead-they prevent soil erosion, they encourage earthworms and other good guys, and they enrich your soil naturally.
5. Capture rainwater. This will save you money on water. It will also give you better quality water, because rainwater is clean and healthy.
6. Don’t start too big! Keep your first garden small, say about 5 feet square, so you don’t get overwhelmed and frustrated. You can grow a heap of veggies in a small area.
7. Find your local agriculture extension service and make friends there. This service can be extremely helpful (and free) when you need to know about gardening in your local area. They will also test your soil for you – it is very helpful to know the acidity of your soil.
8. Encourage helpful insect growth. Usually we try to kill every bug in the yard because we think they are harmful. Yes, there are insects that will cause you problems, but if you encourage (even buy) insects such as lady bugs, it will keep the harmful insects at bay.
9. Compost – create it, add to it, use it. It does take some time to develop good compost. In fact it takes over a year. However, once you taste your first organically, home-grown tomato, you will be hooked. Start composting now!
10. Read labels. Remember, organic means no chemicals. Reading labels is a good habit to get into, since not every product sold at your local nursery is organic. Check for those coatings and additives on seeds and in supposedly organic fertilizers.

Some of these tips seem obvious, but they are all important. If you are a newbie in organic gardening, I welcome you. You will not be disappointed with the quality or the taste of your organically grown vegetables.

I have been growing vegetables that are absolutely delicious! I have written more at http://www.squidoo.com/beginners-organic-gardening. I also have more information at my website:http://www.organicgardening.thewayeyeseeit.net. Have a great spring!