Going Organic? How To Plant Your Own Vegetable Garden

There has been a lot of talk in the past few years about going organic. It has become increasingly clear that pesticides and some chemical fertilizers are really not good for us or the environment! When you visit your grocery store, you are likely to find an entire section dedicated to organic foods. There are even grocery stores that only sell organic foods and fresh produce. You will also discover the prices tend to be much higher for organic items than the standard fare. You don’t have to pay high prices to enjoy organic vegetables. You can grow your own in your backyard garden. You will find everything you need to get your organic garden started at Greenwood Hardware.

What You Will Need

Organic gardening is not much different than traditional gardening. The main difference is the lack of chemicals. You still want your garden to grow, and you still want to eliminate as many pests and weeds as possible. The following list includes everything you need to get started with organic gardening.

• Organic compost—this will act as a natural fertilizer for your plants and soil
• Organic pest control options—there are many!
• Organic seeds—you want to give your organic garden the proper start
• Organic plant starts—if you don’t want to wait for seeds, go for plant starts
• Mulch
• Ingredients for natural weed killer (vinegar, soap)

Getting Started

Use a hoe, rake or tiller to work the compost into the ground. You want to give the compost some time to work its magic in your soil. After you have worked the compost in, thoroughly water the area for a few days. It is helpful to use an organic pest control method at this point. You want to make sure your soil is pest-free before you start planting.

Plant your seeds or plant starts in the garden. It is a good idea to add mulch around starts to help the roots maintain the moisture and reduce the amount of watering you need. Mulch can also cut down on the weed population. With an organic garden, you don’t want to use any chemical weed killer.

Growing and Harvesting

Once your plants are in, you will want to visit your garden daily. Physically remove any pests you see on your plants and pull weeds before they have a chance to really take off. Organic gardening does require a little more hands-on labor, but it is well worth it. Organic produce tends to taste much better than the stuff that has been sprayed with various chemicals.

You will find everything you need to get your organic garden off to a good start at Greenwood Hardware. Once you have tried organic gardening, you will never want to go back to spraying your soil with chemicals. Do something good for yourself and the environment—go organic! Come on in, or contact us today.