A forum designed to help beginning organic gardeners find easy information and access to products and methods of producing the most toxin free vegetables for their family.
Beginning to build an organic or natural garden can be as simple or as involved as you decide. True Organic gardening involves using only products produced and labeled as "Organic", which carries a certification applied by the USDA, or "natural" substances, either raw (manure, etc.) or processed (compost, etc.) without aid of non chemical nutrients, including chemical fertilizers or pesticides. This should be the goal of Organic gardeners, however any move toward a more natural method of producing food is to be applauded. A natural garden can be as simple as a large pot filled with bag compost from the local big box garden shop, planted with lettuce, a tomato plant or pepper, sitting on the patio or deck. If you are a bit more ambitious and have the room, you can amend your present soil with compost, Organic fertilizer, Peat moss, coconut coir, peanut shells, rotted hay or straw, grass clippings, or a host of other nutrient bearing substances available for free or at minimal cost. RAISED BEDS If this is your first attempt at gardening and you're starting from a typical lawn, you have several ways to go, but the raised bed is probably the most bullet proof way to begin. I would suggest a raised bed at least 4' X 4', and at least 6 to 8 inches deep as a minimum. Regular framing lumber, tree trunks, concrete blocks, bricks, slab rocks, or straw bales (or anything else to form a barrier to contain the soil) is acceptable, except for pressure treated lumber. Pressure treatment no longer contains arsenic, however one of the aims of a natural method of gardening is to decrease the harmful elements, so better safe than sorry. The raised beds CAN be simply a "hump" without barriers, but it's easier to keep things straight and organized with some kind of barrier to show you where things are planted and to give you a way to keep off the planting area. A 4' wide bed can be worked from both sides without compacting the planting area and this is one of the benefits of a raised bed--plant roots tend to grow quicker and provide more nutrients and water in a non compacted soil. There are some that advise to simply line the bottom of the enclosure with several layers of newspaper and put your amended soil atop that, but if your soil is clay, as mine is, when the water hits the clay you may have a significant run off, so I recommend that you till (if you have a tiller) or use a digging fork or mattock to loosen the soil, then lay the newspaper over the cultivated enclosure and add a mix of compost, peat moss and vermiculite if available. If you have access to a truck or trailer, you can probably find bulk materiel nearby, sometimes free or for a loading charge through your city or county government, or at a charge much less than bagged soil, through a local nursery supply, landscaping supply, or perhaps even a local stable or farm. "Barn sweepings" makes a wonderful basic compost in a short time, but should be used sparingly in a non composted state. (More about composting later). Many "authorities" recommend compost, peat moss (or coconut coir) and vermiculite in equal parts for raised beds (ideal) but if you're working on a short budget the vermiculite can be replaced by almost anything that allows good drainage, the peat moss can be replaced by shredded leaves, and the compost can be bought in bags where you buy your plants in the spring (look for torn bags or damaged packaging and you can usually get a discount). Most bagged goods have about 2 cubic ft. per bag, and a 4X4, 6 inch high bed would use about 4 to 5 bags of materiel. If you can find a full bale of peat at a good price, it's a good investment and will provide materiel for several beds this size since it's compacted in the bale.
To sustain your garden and work toward the goal of Organics, you should begin to make compost. A compost pile should be near the garden, and can be simply a "heap" without boundaries if you plan to only use garden waste, leaves, grass clippings etc., but is more efficient if it's enclosed by a circle or square of yard fencing, a "cube" built from shipping pallets or wooden slats, or there are many commercial compost enclosures, tumblers and barrels, along with several vermicomposting (worm composting) styles. My first composter was a plastic garbage can with the bottom drug out of it. This worked fairly well for kitchen compost, but is easier to manage if it is turned upside down, since a "cone" shape is easier to empty and restart, avoiding the need to turn the container upside down and dig the compacted compost out of the smaller end. This also doesn't compact the compost as much, making it easier to apply without sifting it. A kitchen composter should have a lid, or if you bury the kitchen waste in a bin composter, make sure you cover it with leaves, straw or other organic matter.
Beginning to build an organic or natural garden can be as simple or as involved as you decide. True Organic gardening involves using only products produced and labeled as "Organic", which carries a certification applied by the USDA, or "natural" substances, either raw (manure, etc.) or processed (compost, etc.) without aid of non chemical nutrients, including chemical fertilizers or pesticides. This should be the goal of Organic gardeners, however any move toward a more natural method of producing food is to be applauded.
ReplyDeleteA natural garden can be as simple as a large pot filled with bag compost from the local big box garden shop, planted with lettuce, a tomato plant or pepper, sitting on the patio or deck. If you are a bit more ambitious and have the room, you can amend your present soil with compost, Organic fertilizer, Peat moss, coconut coir, peanut shells, rotted hay or straw, grass clippings, or a host of other nutrient bearing substances available for free or at minimal cost.
RAISED BEDS
If this is your first attempt at gardening and you're starting from a typical lawn, you have several ways to go, but the raised bed is probably the most bullet proof way to begin. I would suggest a raised bed at least 4' X 4', and at least 6 to 8 inches deep as a minimum. Regular framing lumber, tree trunks, concrete blocks, bricks, slab rocks, or straw bales (or anything else to form a barrier to contain the soil) is acceptable, except for pressure treated lumber. Pressure treatment no longer contains arsenic, however one of the aims of a natural method of gardening is to decrease the harmful elements, so better safe than sorry. The raised beds CAN be simply a "hump" without barriers, but it's easier to keep things straight and organized with some kind of barrier to show you where things are planted and to give you a way to keep off the planting area. A 4' wide bed can be worked from both sides without compacting the planting area and this is one of the benefits of a raised bed--plant roots tend to grow quicker and provide more nutrients and water in a non compacted soil. There are some that advise to simply line the bottom of the enclosure with several layers of newspaper and put your amended soil atop that, but if your soil is clay, as mine is, when the water hits the clay you may have a significant run off, so I recommend that you till (if you have a tiller) or use a digging fork or mattock to loosen the soil, then lay the newspaper over the cultivated enclosure and add a mix of compost, peat moss and vermiculite if available. If you have access to a truck or trailer, you can probably find bulk materiel nearby, sometimes free or for a loading charge through your city or county government, or at a charge much less than bagged soil, through a local nursery supply, landscaping supply, or perhaps even a local stable or farm. "Barn sweepings" makes a wonderful basic compost in a short time, but should be used sparingly in a non composted state. (More about composting later).
Many "authorities" recommend compost, peat moss (or coconut coir) and vermiculite in equal parts for raised beds (ideal) but if you're working on a short budget the vermiculite can be replaced by almost anything that allows good drainage, the peat moss can be replaced by shredded leaves, and the compost can be bought in bags where you buy your plants in the spring (look for torn bags or damaged packaging and you can usually get a discount). Most bagged goods have about 2 cubic ft. per bag, and a 4X4, 6 inch high bed would use about 4 to 5 bags of materiel. If you can find a full bale of peat at a good price, it's a good investment and will provide materiel for several beds this size since it's compacted in the bale.
To sustain your garden and work toward the goal of Organics, you should begin to make compost. A compost pile should be near the garden, and can be simply a "heap" without boundaries if you plan to only use garden waste, leaves, grass clippings etc., but is more efficient if it's enclosed by a circle or square of yard fencing, a "cube" built from shipping pallets or wooden slats, or there are many commercial compost enclosures, tumblers and barrels, along with several vermicomposting (worm composting) styles. My first composter was a plastic garbage can with the bottom drug out of it. This worked fairly well for kitchen compost, but is easier to manage if it is turned upside down, since a "cone" shape is easier to empty and restart, avoiding the need to turn the container upside down and dig the compacted compost out of the smaller end. This also doesn't compact the compost as much, making it easier to apply without sifting it. A kitchen composter should have a lid, or if you bury the kitchen waste in a bin composter, make sure you cover it with leaves, straw or other organic matter.
ReplyDelete