Thinking about starting to grow your own garden to stay healthy with organic veggies? The global shift towards a healthier and more eco-friendly lifestyle has been enormous in recent years. Environmental concerns and fears about the chemical pesticides that go into our food have seen an increasing number of people starting to look for alternative, self-sustaining ways to grow their own food. The great news is, it’s a lot easier than most people realize! Whether indoors or outdoors, growing your own produce.
This article is a guide to how you can grow your own organic garden.
Begin Modestly with the Foods You Like to Eat
Becoming an accomplished gardener takes time and experience, so don’t be too ambitious about a big garden with rare plants when you first out. When kickstarting your new organic garden, estimate the realistic amount of time you will spend on it as some plants need more attention than others. If you are a weekend gardener, a small-scale garden is better because you will be able to keep it under control.
Here are some of the easiest veggies to start out with:
In Cold Weather Climates:
- Spinach
- Lettuce
- Carrot
- Peas, etc.
In Warm Weather Climates:
- Tomatoes
- Sweet potatoes
- Basil
- Zucchini Squash
- Okra
- Green beans, etc.
Install Effective Grow Lights
Grow lights are an excellent way to provide your plants with extra light, especially for indoor gardens. A well-designed grow light system can provide a perfect balance of cool and warm lights, which replicates natural sunlight for outdoor plants that you are growing inside. There are many different types of grow lights, but you can find useful guides online to explain the different options and help you decide which ones are best for you. With a set of full-spectrum bulbs replicating the real solar spectrum, indoor herbs, seedlings and plants can be grown even more effectively inside than outside under natural conditions. You can increase the rate of growth by intensifying your grow light emissions so that the plants get far more light than they would normally.
Get to Know Your Soil
People need to eat to survive, and so do plants. Make sure your plants are getting all the food they need to grow strong and healthy by planting them in nutrient-rich soil. If you are concerned about the quality of the chemical balance of your garden’s soil, you can send a soil sample to a cooperative office nearby. They will be able to professionally instruct you on how to read the results and make recommended amendments based on a detailed breakdown of the pH level of your soil, existing nutrients, and various other factors. Remember to tell the cooperative that you are growing an organic so that they can give some practical advice to handle the soil in an organic way because otherwise, they may recommend chemical-based solutions.
Prepare a Good Compost
As you want to grow an organic garden, stay away from chemical or artificial substances at all times. The easiest way to ensure that your compost is totally organic is to create your own. The good news is, it costs you nothing! Make the most of any kitchen waste that is high in nitrogen, is perishable but not greasy, and can be effectively composted, such as eggshells, vegetable peelings, and fruit cores. Add manure, grass clippings, leaves, twigs, and straw to provide the right amount of carbon for a perfect compost mixture. Another key element of good compost is water, so make sure to keep the mixture moist, but not be too wet.
Prevent Pests
Pests can be an enormous nuisance to any garden, particularly to organic gardens, where chemical pesticides are not possible. However, some pests come as the result of some deficiency in the conditions of your garden. It may be that your soil is not nutritious or moist enough, or that your garden isn’t getting enough sunlight. Carry out a thorough assessment of what type of pest has invaded and taken the correct steps to eradicate them organically. There are various organic weapons you can use, such as Bacillus thuringiensis, a naturally occurring bacteria that prevent caterpillars and other leaf-eaters from munching your plants.
Garlic and hot pepper spray can also be used to keep certain pests away from your plants. Be careful not to chase away beneficial insects like ladybugs or natural predators like frogs, lizards, and birds away. They will help protect your garden by feeding on all the pests that are trying to eat your beloved plants.
So, if you are planning your own organic garden, then what are you waiting for? It’s time to roll up your sleeves and follow these simple hacks! In no time at all, you’ll have the greenest fingers in town!
