Growing tasty, chemical-free vegetables
isn't hard. New vegetable gardeners-and veteran gardeners who want
to reduce their use of toxic synthetic chemicals-will be delighted
with their success if they follow these 6 steps to successful organic
vegetable gardening:
- Choose a good garden site.
- Feed and prepare your soil.
- Select regionally adapted and problem-resistant
plant varieties.
- Plant, space, support, and water
correctly.
- Control weeds.
- Control other pests.
SELECTING A SITE-
If you already have a garden, take advantage of it. If not, look
around for a good place to start a garden. A poor site will reduce
your yields and cause you headaches no matter how well you choose
and care for your plants. Good soil is nice, but almost all soils
can be made into productive gardens by adding lots of organic matter,
as described under "Good Soil Care". Location is more important.
Don't hide your garden away-a garden you wall-, by every day will
be better cared for, more attractive, and more productive than one
at the far end of the yard where no one ever goes.
Choose a location with:
- Full or nearly full sun.
- Access to water.
Avoid:
- Low areas where water puddles after
a rain.
- Steep slopes.
- Shaded areas or areas where tree
roots will compete with your vegetables.
- The center of established footpaths.
- Very windy sites.
- Sites next to streets where fumes
and runoff can cause problems.
If you don't have an ideal site, there
are ways to deal with most problems. Remove or prune trees to increase
sun. Use raised beds to improve poor drainage or fill them with
purchased topsoil if your soil is contaminated. Build terraces to
make steep slopes usable. Strong fences can deter corner-cutting
kids, and hedges or vine-covered fences block strong winds and road
pollution. You can even plant vegetables in planters on decks or
paved areas if they are your only sunny space.
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