A Beginner's Guide to Organic Kitchen Gardening
Keeping it green in the vegie patch is easier than you think, especially with this simple guide to help you grow as a gardener
Buying or growing organic food is fast becoming a mainstream interest, but understanding the many different aspects of organic gardening – permaculture, diversity, sustainability, companion planting, no-dig gardening, chemical free sprays, mulching, attracting pollinators and so forth – can be quite confusing for beginners. To make it a little easier, here are a few simple guidelines that will have you looking like an old hand in the garden in no time.
Pile on the compost
Composting your vegie garden is a must, and there are plenty of organic options available on the market that you can pick up at your local gardening store. However, if you’d like to try your hand at making your own, it’s an easy enough process even for beginners. Be warned though, this will take a bit of time.
Home-made compost is full of organisms that hugely benefit the soil. Rather than throwing your vegie and fruit scraps into the rubbish, turn them into fertile compost that’s good for the garden and much easier on your wallet than the bought stuff.
Whether you build your own compost bins (there are plenty of instructions online) or buy them ready-made, it’s important to get the right balance of brown (materials such as twigs, dead leaves, straw and shredded cardboard) and green (vegie waste, grass clippings, green leaves, weeds etc) in the bin. Keeping the compost moist but not soggy is also a must.
GARDENER’S TIP: Avoid throwing weeds with seeds into the compost or these can germinate and produce new weeds.
Become the reigning champ of compost
Composting your vegie garden is a must, and there are plenty of organic options available on the market that you can pick up at your local gardening store. However, if you’d like to try your hand at making your own, it’s an easy enough process even for beginners. Be warned though, this will take a bit of time.
Home-made compost is full of organisms that hugely benefit the soil. Rather than throwing your vegie and fruit scraps into the rubbish, turn them into fertile compost that’s good for the garden and much easier on your wallet than the bought stuff.
Whether you build your own compost bins (there are plenty of instructions online) or buy them ready-made, it’s important to get the right balance of brown (materials such as twigs, dead leaves, straw and shredded cardboard) and green (vegie waste, grass clippings, green leaves, weeds etc) in the bin. Keeping the compost moist but not soggy is also a must.
GARDENER’S TIP: Avoid throwing weeds with seeds into the compost or these can germinate and produce new weeds.
Become the reigning champ of compost
Practice companion planting
Companion plants are helpful to the organic gardener in many ways. Once you’ve decided on your main crops, do your research to find out what the best companion plants are for your edible assortment. Some plants, like this nasturtium, are so tasty to many pests they’ll devour these flowers and not your lettuces. Others are said to improve the flavour of certain vegetables when they are planted near each other.
Many herbs and flowers produce nectar that lures predatory insects such as ladybirds and lacewings into the garden and their offspring (larvae) then consume aphids, greenfly and other undesirable insects. Marigolds, garlic, chives and many other companion plants have a strong aroma that some pests hate. Plant these liberally around pest-prone herbs and vegies.
Companion plants are helpful to the organic gardener in many ways. Once you’ve decided on your main crops, do your research to find out what the best companion plants are for your edible assortment. Some plants, like this nasturtium, are so tasty to many pests they’ll devour these flowers and not your lettuces. Others are said to improve the flavour of certain vegetables when they are planted near each other.
Many herbs and flowers produce nectar that lures predatory insects such as ladybirds and lacewings into the garden and their offspring (larvae) then consume aphids, greenfly and other undesirable insects. Marigolds, garlic, chives and many other companion plants have a strong aroma that some pests hate. Plant these liberally around pest-prone herbs and vegies.
Plant ground cover
Lack of water and exposure to too much sun can have a serious effect on the fertility and health of your soil, depleting it of vital living organisms. Ground covers act as living mulches, preventing the sun’s rays from scorching all the hardworking soil inhabitants and also help it retain moisture, reducing your water bills. Many ground covers add foliage or flowers to the garden too, and will provide a healthy habitat for beneficial insects.
Lack of water and exposure to too much sun can have a serious effect on the fertility and health of your soil, depleting it of vital living organisms. Ground covers act as living mulches, preventing the sun’s rays from scorching all the hardworking soil inhabitants and also help it retain moisture, reducing your water bills. Many ground covers add foliage or flowers to the garden too, and will provide a healthy habitat for beneficial insects.
Keep up the weeding
It’s not everyone’s favourite task (though some gardeners find it relaxing) but weeds are much easier to remove if you grab them when they’re small. And letting weeds mature and produce seeds means they’ll take over the garden before you know it.
Instead of resorting to harmful herbicides, take a slow walk around your garden every couple of days with a trowel or hoe and flick out the small weed seedlings. After rain is an ideal time to do this.
Many gardeners use old-fashioned remedies to kill difficult, deep-rooted weeds such as dock and dandelions. These include pouring boiling water, salt or vinegar into the centre of the plant.
GARDENER’S TIP: Planting densely as shown here, also means there’ll be little exposed soil for weed seeds to germinate.
It’s not everyone’s favourite task (though some gardeners find it relaxing) but weeds are much easier to remove if you grab them when they’re small. And letting weeds mature and produce seeds means they’ll take over the garden before you know it.
Instead of resorting to harmful herbicides, take a slow walk around your garden every couple of days with a trowel or hoe and flick out the small weed seedlings. After rain is an ideal time to do this.
Many gardeners use old-fashioned remedies to kill difficult, deep-rooted weeds such as dock and dandelions. These include pouring boiling water, salt or vinegar into the centre of the plant.
GARDENER’S TIP: Planting densely as shown here, also means there’ll be little exposed soil for weed seeds to germinate.
Lay on the mulch
Weeds will germinate wherever there is bare soil, competing with your flowers and vegies for essential moisture and nutrients. They also make great hiding places for pests. To cover bare spots, think about using an organic mulch such as shredded bark, pea straw, dried grass clippings or fallen leaves.
Mulching also keeps moisture in the ground, which is vital for gardeners in the hotter parts of Australia and New Zealand. The mulch layer needs to be at least 10 centimetres deep to reduce weeds and retain moisture. Weed the soil properly before applying mulch and give it a good watering too.
GARDENER’S TIP: A layer of thick newspaper or cardboard underneath the mulch will add to its effectiveness.
Weeds will germinate wherever there is bare soil, competing with your flowers and vegies for essential moisture and nutrients. They also make great hiding places for pests. To cover bare spots, think about using an organic mulch such as shredded bark, pea straw, dried grass clippings or fallen leaves.
Mulching also keeps moisture in the ground, which is vital for gardeners in the hotter parts of Australia and New Zealand. The mulch layer needs to be at least 10 centimetres deep to reduce weeds and retain moisture. Weed the soil properly before applying mulch and give it a good watering too.
GARDENER’S TIP: A layer of thick newspaper or cardboard underneath the mulch will add to its effectiveness.
Plant a variety of flowers
Having a diverse range of flower shapes in the garden (ideally blooming at different times of the year) means you’ll have a bigger variety of pollinators visiting. Bees can land on most flowers but butterflies prefer flowers that are flat, open or have rounded heads or flowers clustered on a stem.
Having a diverse range of flower shapes in the garden (ideally blooming at different times of the year) means you’ll have a bigger variety of pollinators visiting. Bees can land on most flowers but butterflies prefer flowers that are flat, open or have rounded heads or flowers clustered on a stem.
Avoid spraying with pesticides
Butterflies, moths, bees and many other insects are pollinators that we need for fruit and vegetable production. Some beneficial insects such as ladybirds and praying mantis actually help reduce bad pests like aphids and white fly. These good guys can be wiped out with pesticide spraying, not to mention what it does to the soil and to the plants themselves.
There are organic alternatives to pesticides available, some of which were mentioned earlier including garlic, chilli and marigold mixtures, though you will still need to be careful with their use as they can also affect the helpful insects you want to keep on side in your garden.
Butterflies, moths, bees and many other insects are pollinators that we need for fruit and vegetable production. Some beneficial insects such as ladybirds and praying mantis actually help reduce bad pests like aphids and white fly. These good guys can be wiped out with pesticide spraying, not to mention what it does to the soil and to the plants themselves.
There are organic alternatives to pesticides available, some of which were mentioned earlier including garlic, chilli and marigold mixtures, though you will still need to be careful with their use as they can also affect the helpful insects you want to keep on side in your garden.
Encourage birds
Birds love slugs, snails and caterpillars. Rather than destroy these pests with chemicals consider a bird bath and bird feeder to tempt feathered pest exterminators into the garden. Position bird baths and feeders carefully, ideally beneath or within the tree canopy to ensure birds are safe from resident moggies.
Birds love slugs, snails and caterpillars. Rather than destroy these pests with chemicals consider a bird bath and bird feeder to tempt feathered pest exterminators into the garden. Position bird baths and feeders carefully, ideally beneath or within the tree canopy to ensure birds are safe from resident moggies.
Pay extra attention
There are pests everywhere in nature and one of the best ways to ensure they don’t devastate your garden is to pay close attention to your garden and your crops, and give your plants the energy to resist a major attack.
For this, they need to be healthy, that is well fed and properly watered. Plants also become stressed and vulnerable to pests if they are not suited to the conditions of your garden, so pay attention to early warning signs that your plants may not be performing too well, including stunted growth and discolouration.
If the site you have chosen for your vegetable garden is too windy, hot, cold or the soil too boggy, these conditions will adversely affect your crops. Do your research and choose plants to suit the environment they are to grow in.
TELL US
Have you had problems or great success with your attempts at gardening organically? Let us know all about them in the Comments section?
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There are pests everywhere in nature and one of the best ways to ensure they don’t devastate your garden is to pay close attention to your garden and your crops, and give your plants the energy to resist a major attack.
For this, they need to be healthy, that is well fed and properly watered. Plants also become stressed and vulnerable to pests if they are not suited to the conditions of your garden, so pay attention to early warning signs that your plants may not be performing too well, including stunted growth and discolouration.
If the site you have chosen for your vegetable garden is too windy, hot, cold or the soil too boggy, these conditions will adversely affect your crops. Do your research and choose plants to suit the environment they are to grow in.
TELL US
Have you had problems or great success with your attempts at gardening organically? Let us know all about them in the Comments section?
MORE
12 Superstars of the Subtropical Garden
Plant Profile: Bountiful Passionfruit Ripe for the Picking
10 Home Gardeners Show Us Their Bountiful Harvests
Getting the soil right is the key to growing healthy plants, and healthy plants mean less pests. Soil needs plenty of organic matter in it to improve fertility and encourage the worms and other organisms that keep it healthy. Think sheep pellets, stable and poultry manure, seaweed, decaying leaves and compost. These need to be added regularly, particularly for kitchen gardens.