Organic Vegetable Gardening

Guidelines for Building Healthy Soil:

• Establish permanent walkways and don't walk on planting areas.
• Test and adjust the soil's pH.
• Add abundant quantities of organic matter.
• Add specific nutrients if soil test indicates.
• Till only when needed.
• Don't use synthetic fertilizers or herbicides.

Adjusting Soil pH-
The correct soil pH-or acidity-helps plants absorb the food they need to grow and yield well. Test your soil pH or have it tested by your State Cooperative Extension Service in early spring every year (be sure to ask for organic recommendations).

A pH of more than 7.0 means your soil is alkaline. Spread sulfur on the surface of your soil and work it into the top few inches to acidify it.

A pH less than 6.5 means your soil is quite acid. Spread ground limestone or oystershell lime on your soil and work it into the top few inches to sweeten it.

Adding Organic Matter-
Organic matter is anything that was once alive. In nature, plant and animal waste (organic matter) falls to the ground and breaks down slowly, providing nutrients for new plants and animals. Organic gardeners manage their gardens to mimic this natural nutrient recycling.

Spreading straw or shredded leaf mulch around your plants is a good way to add some organic matter and slowly release nutrients to the soil.

Growing a "green manure" or "cover crop" in the off-season also adds organic matter and protects soil from erosion. Winter cereal rye and buckwheat are two common choices.

But most gardeners count on compost and/or blended organic fertilizer for most of their organic matter. Compost is crumbly, sweet-smellng, partially broken down organic matter. It makes a perfect pre-planting fertilizer for vegetables.

To add organic matter and nutrients, spread one of the following each spring before planting:

• 100 to 200 pounds of compost per 100 square feet
• 50 pounds of alfalfa, soybean, or fish meal plus 4 pounds of rock phosphate; plus 1 pound of kelp meal per 100 square feet.
• Pre-blended organic fertilizer as indicated on the label.

Adding Specific Nutrients-
If your soil test indicates your soil is low in one particular nutrient, sprinkle a few handfuls of one of the organic sources below over each 100 square feet of soil.

• Phosphorous: Granite meal (4% phosphorous) or rock phosphate (30% phosphorous)
• Potassium: Greensand (7% potassium) or Sul-Po-Mag (22% potassium)
• Magnesium: Epsom salts (10% magnesium), limestone (3-40% magnesium-check bag analy sis), or Sul-Po-Mag (10% magnesium)
• Calcium: Bonemeal (24% calcium), Gypsum (22% calcium), limestone (50-80% calcium-check bag analysis), oystershell lime (96% calcium), or wood ashes (35% calcium)

Working The Soil-
Soil should have a sponge-like texture, with plenty of small air spaces. Frequent tilling, or tilling when the soil is very wet or very dry, will harm the sponge. Squeeze a handful of soil in your hand before you start-if you can squeeze water out of it, the soil is too wet to till. Wait a few days and feel again. If you can't feel any moisture, don't till. Give the area a good soaking, and feel it again the next day.

A spading fork is good for small gardens and permanent garden beds. Turn over the top 4 to 6 inches, break up the clods into 12-inch pieces, and remove any large rocks. Loosen the lower soil by inserting the fork as deeply as you can and rocking it back and forth every few inches. A power tiller is easier for large areas, at least for the first season.

SELECTING SUITABLE PLANT VARIETIES-
Read seed packets and choose disease- and pest resistant varieties whenever you have the choice. And don't try to grow plants that don't grow well in your region or in a particular season of year unless you want to spend time fighting problems.

GOOD PLANT CARE-
Give every plant exactly what it needs. Thirsty, hungry, overwatered, or overfed plants are stressed plants. Stressed plants are prime candidates for problems.

Planting:
The time you choose to plant is crucial to your success. Cool-season crops, such as lettuce, peas, and cabbage, won't thrive in heat. Warm-season crops, such as tomatoes, corn, and melons, will refuse to come up or be stunted in cool weather. Check with your local weather service to find the average date of your last spring frost and first fall frost (if you have frost) and follow the recommendations on the seed packets. Check with your local garden club or Extension Service for their recommendations for dates to plant cool-season seeds, cool-season transplants, warm-season seeds, and warm-season transplants.

Spacing:
Follow the recommendations on your seed packet for spacing and thinning your plants. Crowded plants are less productive and more prone to pest and disease problems.

Supporting:
Stake tomatoes to keep them off the ground. Use a sturdy wooden stake or a heavy-duty cage. Pole beans grow well on pole teepees or mesh trellises. Read your seed packets for recommendations.

Watering:
In most areas of the country, your plants will need more water than Mother Nature delivers. Vegetables need 2 to 3 inches of water each week to thrive. You can water with a hose, but water the soil and keep it off the plants as much as possible. The best watering method for the plants, the least work for you, and the most water-thrifty way of watering is drip irrigation.

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