First, before you do anything else start composting, whether in a pile, or a homemade bin, or one of those overpriced ones that you can buy, just start. What I like to do when preparing a new bed is to put a layer of compost down and then a thick layer of newspaper and then another good layer of compost, it will kill off the weeds, grass, ect. Start small with things that you like to eat and add some new stuff every year so that you don’t get overwhelmed, there are alot of products that you can purchase but all in all, unless you have a specific problem you don’t usually need them. You can however talk to your local extension office and get your soil tested to see what (if anything) you might want to add to it. They are also a wonderful source of information on just about anything you might want to know or need help with.
organic gardening need not be too awefully pricey. it is simply put, a garden where no chemicals are used. be it pesticides, fertilizers or comercially produced growth enhancers, they are not used. it requires LOTS of time. you need to be careful and handle all pests naturally. lady bugs, earthworms, marigolds when planting tomatoes praying mantis all are natural pest controlers. read up on the subject and be willing to work a bit extra in your patch.
Read, read, read! It doesn’t have to be labor-intensive or expensive. I recommend “Lasanga Gardening” by Patricia Lanza, and any other Organic Growing books and mags you can find. Plant a manageable amount of plants, don’t overwhelm yourself the first year. And you can buy compost–we rent, so I can’t have my own heap, and my garden grows great with the store-bought organic stuff.
Just build a raised bed or find a planter in your yard you can convert. Amend the soil with organic compost and plant away. I would guess at most $100?
Composting is a lot of work, you have to be very dedicated. I’ve been an avid organic gardener for 12 years and have always been able to buy good stuff for cheap. Some places offer it free if you pick it up, but generally I buy a few yards every spring for under $100 delivered. That and Eleanor’s VF11 fertilizer is all you need. Best stuff in the world. Quite simple actually. Easy to use and makes plants strong so you don’t need as many sprays for disease and pests. Just keep it simple, there are so many organic gardening products now it should be easy for you.
Start small and grow only what you love to eat. A large garden is overwhelming in august when it is hot and the weeds and bugs have taken over your garden. Do not get any bigger than 10′x 10′
John Jeavons Square Foot Gardening is a great book to read to get you started. has a lot of organic gardening titles and the owners of the company speak organic as they have been small homesteaders for decades
Also check out this is a great forum for beginners and advanced gardeners alike. You can learn a lot there.
You will need some tools to start. A wheel barrow, a garden rake, a leaf rake, a stirrup hoe (it looks like a stirrup and wiggles back and forth. You can find these at any hardware store or garden center. Much easier to use than a conventional hoe which is really a concrete hoe), a trowel (get several as these things get misplaced), a spade, a shovel, a potato fork, garden gloves, kneepads.
buy seedlings as starting your own is a whole ‘nother ball of wax. I strongly suggest using a local nursery as they will give you good advice on gardening, though do not expect organic advice unless they are an organic nursery. The box stores rarely have anyone who you can talk to and the plants are not as high quality usually.
good for you. It is not difficult to do and I would start with easy things so as not to be discouraged.
google organic gardening and you will get lots of wonderful information.
Also try Garden Web forums and choose the topics you most want to find out about. People there are very helpful and knowledgeable.
It is not hard as I said and you could simply get a bag of good soil (triple mix ) , cut some holes in the bottom for drainage, cut some holes in the top to plant thru and water as needed.
welcome to the wonderful but addictive world of gardening.
And the produce does taste so good
The answer is to start small until you see how much time and money it is going to cost. Instead of buying compost, for example, just dig some grass clippings into your soil every chance you get. It will soon rot and improve the soil. Clippings and tree leaves can also be used as mulch.
Learn as much as you can from internet sites or garden books. Check the library.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
First, before you do anything else start composting, whether in a pile, or a homemade bin, or one of those overpriced ones that you can buy, just start. What I like to do when preparing a new bed is to put a layer of compost down and then a thick layer of newspaper and then another good layer of compost, it will kill off the weeds, grass, ect. Start small with things that you like to eat and add some new stuff every year so that you don’t get overwhelmed, there are alot of products that you can purchase but all in all, unless you have a specific problem you don’t usually need them. You can however talk to your local extension office and get your soil tested to see what (if anything) you might want to add to it. They are also a wonderful source of information on just about anything you might want to know or need help with.
organic gardening need not be too awefully pricey. it is simply put, a garden where no chemicals are used. be it pesticides, fertilizers or comercially produced growth enhancers, they are not used. it requires LOTS of time. you need to be careful and handle all pests naturally. lady bugs, earthworms, marigolds when planting tomatoes praying mantis all are natural pest controlers. read up on the subject and be willing to work a bit extra in your patch.
Read, read, read! It doesn’t have to be labor-intensive or expensive. I recommend “Lasanga Gardening” by Patricia Lanza, and any other Organic Growing books and mags you can find. Plant a manageable amount of plants, don’t overwhelm yourself the first year. And you can buy compost–we rent, so I can’t have my own heap, and my garden grows great with the store-bought organic stuff.
Just build a raised bed or find a planter in your yard you can convert. Amend the soil with organic compost and plant away. I would guess at most $100?
Composting is a lot of work, you have to be very dedicated. I’ve been an avid organic gardener for 12 years and have always been able to buy good stuff for cheap. Some places offer it free if you pick it up, but generally I buy a few yards every spring for under $100 delivered. That and Eleanor’s VF11 fertilizer is all you need. Best stuff in the world. Quite simple actually. Easy to use and makes plants strong so you don’t need as many sprays for disease and pests. Just keep it simple, there are so many organic gardening products now it should be easy for you.
Start small and grow only what you love to eat. A large garden is overwhelming in august when it is hot and the weeds and bugs have taken over your garden. Do not get any bigger than 10′x 10′
John Jeavons Square Foot Gardening is a great book to read to get you started. has a lot of organic gardening titles and the owners of the company speak organic as they have been small homesteaders for decades
Also check out this is a great forum for beginners and advanced gardeners alike. You can learn a lot there.
You will need some tools to start. A wheel barrow, a garden rake, a leaf rake, a stirrup hoe (it looks like a stirrup and wiggles back and forth. You can find these at any hardware store or garden center. Much easier to use than a conventional hoe which is really a concrete hoe), a trowel (get several as these things get misplaced), a spade, a shovel, a potato fork, garden gloves, kneepads.
buy seedlings as starting your own is a whole ‘nother ball of wax. I strongly suggest using a local nursery as they will give you good advice on gardening, though do not expect organic advice unless they are an organic nursery. The box stores rarely have anyone who you can talk to and the plants are not as high quality usually.
good for you. It is not difficult to do and I would start with easy things so as not to be discouraged.
google organic gardening and you will get lots of wonderful information.
Also try Garden Web forums and choose the topics you most want to find out about. People there are very helpful and knowledgeable.
It is not hard as I said and you could simply get a bag of good soil (triple mix ) , cut some holes in the bottom for drainage, cut some holes in the top to plant thru and water as needed.
welcome to the wonderful but addictive world of gardening.
And the produce does taste so good
The answer is to start small until you see how much time and money it is going to cost. Instead of buying compost, for example, just dig some grass clippings into your soil every chance you get. It will soon rot and improve the soil. Clippings and tree leaves can also be used as mulch.
Learn as much as you can from internet sites or garden books. Check the library.