organic gardening

what is it?
It’s getting down and dirty to produce your own fruit and veg (organic of course, which means no chemical fertilizers or pesticides – you don’t want to poison your garden, wildlife or your family).
What you get is fruit & veg in season all year round (more in the summer of course), fresh, organic, and straight from the garden – once you’ve done it you’ll realise the difference in taste. Food grown using chemical fertilizers really doesn’t taste the same, because chemical fertilizers are water soluble, and so are taken up by the plants as they drink, whether they need them or not; they grow faster than they would naturally, and become large and watery. Finished compost, or well-rotted manure (well-rotted is a phrase you hear a lot, but it’s important) is not water soluble, and plants can take as much of it as they need.
As for pesticides, let’s take slugs as an example: slug pellets or other pesticides will certainly kill them, but not all of them, as there are so many. The poison will become concentrated in the birds that eat slugs, however, and could seriously reduce their population, resulting in an epidemic of slugs, with nothing to eat them. You’d then need more pesticides, and you’d end up in a toxic downward spiral, which probably isn’t a good idea in your back garden.
You can try to produce all your food from a half-acre plot, or grow a few herbs in a window box. If you live in a tower block, with not even a window box, you could rent an allotment (contact your local authority). It’s a fantastic hobby that will keep you fit, provide you with fabulous food, and enhance the environment.

what are the benefits?
No pesticides, which harm soil micro-organisms, wildlife, and of course, humans.
No chemical fertilizers either, whose water solubility means that when it rains, they are leached from the soil, into ground water or water courses, and cause problems due to excess algal growth starving other organisms of oxygen. The production and distribution of pesticides and chemical fertilizers requires energy, emissions, factories and trucks; who needs them?
Organic gardening uses compost, which builds soil structure, and stops leaching of nutrients and soil erosion; the compost heap takes your kitchen and garden waste, instead of it having to be transported to landfill.
It also encourages earthworms, which aerate the soil, and break down organic matter to produce rich humus – chemical fertilizers and pesticides kill worms.
Food that you grow yourself has no packaging and doesn't have to be transported on trucks to supermarkets.
what can I do?
Don’t read too much before you give it a go, as there is so much information out there (some of it conflicting) that it can be a bit bewildering. Start with something easy – onions, potatoes, or beans, and just do it, while gradually reading more to increase your knowledge, and then grow more new things each year. Ask other gardeners – they’ll probably be only too happy to share their experience. Decide what you want to grow – what you like to eat, in other words; start a compost heap (from kitchen and garden waste); and get some garden tools (car boot sales are an excellent source). If you don’t have a plot that’s been cultivated already, there will be some initial hard work as you dig out all the weed roots – but it will be easier from then on, especially if you mulch (cover the plot in something to hold moisture and suppress weeds – straw is probably the cheapest and easiest mulch material). You can get a pH testing kit from a garden centre to test your soil. Most plants like a neutral to slightly acidic soil, but a well-composted, poison-free soil will balance its own pH, so don’t worry too much.
Plan your garden. Grow four beds – of potatoes, root crops, greens, and beans / peas, and rotate each year. This is an important principle of organic growing; different crops take different nutrients from the soil, and are attacked by different pests, so a new crop each year means that nutrients aren’t exhausted and pests can’t become established. Some plants stay in the same place for a few seasons (strawberries), or for good (rhubarb, fruit trees and bushes).
Buy organic seeds and do what it says on the packet. Sow brassicas (cabbages, Brussels sprouts and other greens), beans and lettuce in seed trays (around March, indoors or in the greenhouse), in compost from the garden centre (as it won’t contain weed seeds) – make sure it’s peat-free; later, prick out into individual pots (now you can use your own compost); then plant out in May. Other crops can be planted straight outside.
There are lots of different jobs to do at different times of the year, and for different plants – books will give more details, as well as exactly how to grow different fruit & veg - when to sow, plant out, harvest etc, and what protection they need. Beans need poles to climb, young brassicas need fleeces to protect them from birds and cabbage white butterflies, and so on.
You can control pests in various ways: rotation; companion planting (onions with carrots, and flowers between the veg – examples of good insect repellents are marigolds and nasturtiums); spray soapy water to repel aphids, and salty water for cabbage white caterpillars. An organic garden will have healthy soil and disease-resistant plants, with predators to eat pests - ladybirds, hoverflies, centipedes, and of course birds (cats are bad news); you could install a pond for frogs.
Watering is best done in the evening, so the sun doesn’t dry it out; it’s a good idea to install a rainwater butt. You can grow tomatoes, basil, cucumbers, aubergines and peppers in a greenhouse.

containers

You'll be amazed how much you can grow in some containers on a patio. From strawberries in barrels to potatoes and salad crops, they can all be grown well in containers and are attractive as well to be a decorative feature

Get gardening

Get gardening,
The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for

No space to grow vegetables?
Don't worry, you can try a square foot garden, a method of growing vegetables in a very small space.
How do we start our square foot garden? Measure out an area 122cm x 122cm and mark the corners with pegs. Use untreated timber 3cm wide and 10cm deep. Cut 2 planks of wood 122cm long and 2 planks that are 116cm long. Take one of the 116cm lengths. To each end of the plank screw one of the 122cm lengths. When you have attached both, attach the final 116cm length to make a square. Place your square on the area that you have marked out, and fill with soil. Divide the square into sixteen x 15cm squares.
Nail long (at least 125cm) shoelaces or cord across the box to mark these squares clearly.
An established square foot garden Now you will need to decide which plants you are going to grow. You will need to research (find out about) this carefully as some types of vegetables and plants will do better than others in this small space. Each square will be planted with a different crop (type of plant). Work out the compass directions. The side of the square foot that faces south is the front. Tall plants should not shade smaller ones. The tallest plants should be at the back of the bed.

What can we find out?
While you are creating and maintaining a square foot garden there are many investigations that you can try.

• Building your own square foot garden.
• Research the plants that will grow best in such a small space.
• Sow and raise your own plants from seed.
• Work out how much it cost you to grow the plants. Then find out how much it would cost to buy the same amount of vegetables from a shop.
• Use plants to attract predators that will eat pests.
• Work out a crop rotation plan.

If maximizing garden space is anywhere near the top of your priority list, then any of the root crops will be an ideal choice for the square foot garden.

Root crops are frost tolerant and, though the greens are commonly eaten in salads, the primary edible portion of the plant is underground, protected by soil and mulch. Roots are edible at practically any stage of maturity, so season length is less important than with other vegetables

Carrots one of the most popular and easiest vegetables to grow in a backyard garden, they are an ideal choice for a Square Foot Garden

Beets are another ideal choice for the small garden. They prefer cooler climates and can sometimes survive a frost. Despite their proclivity to cold weather most beet varieties can withstand all but the hottest locations. They like full sun, but if necessary will grow in partial shade

Radishes may be the easiest and fastest vegetable you will ever grow. Little planning and space is required. A square foot will contain 16 plants.

Sweet Potatoes in a square foot garden. The “bush” varieties, such as the "Porto Rico Sweet Potato,"can be grown within limited spaces. One or two to the square foot planted at the garden’s perimeter should work. The sweet potato is a warm weather vegetable that requires a lengthy frost free season—100 to 125 days.

Horseraish seeds are difficult to find, but the better nurseries will oftencarry young plants or "sets." Horseradish is a perrenial root crop that will take over your garden if you let it. Therefore, it is not a natural candidate for square foot gardens, but it is possible to sufficiently limit their growth within the confines of a raised garden bed. Plant in the early spring in order to harvest the same year. Otherwise plant in the autumn.

Leafy and Miscellaneous Salad Vegetables...
The various types of "leaf" or "loose-leaf" lettuce, such as Black-seeded Simpson and Oak Leaf are the most commonly planted by backyard gardeners. Just behind them in popularity would be Butterhead or Romaine. Butterhead produces tender leaves with a distinctive flavor in a small loose head. Romaine has an upright elongated head. Crisp head varieties, such as the "Iceburg" types seen in supermarkets are more difficult to grow and are suited for colder climates and won't normally do well elsewhere.
Spinach is another vegetable that can be planted successively, beginning in the early spring, for a continuously harvested crop. Spinach does a little better in cool weather and in warm climates partial shade will probably benefit the plants. It is an ideal candidate for the square foot gardening method.

Green Onions/Scallions - Why the slash? Well, the definitions, I suppose, would depend upon who is doing the defining. Many people say that a green onion is simply how we, in this country, refer to a scallion. Others will tell you that a scallion is a slightly less mature version of the green onion, and that a green onion will have developed a barely perceptible bulb. At any rate, neither is a distinct plant. If left alone, both

will eventually become full blown onions. "Green" onions are among my favorite plants to grow. During certain months nurseries will stock onion "sets." Seare simply small bulbs, usually less than an inch in diameter.

There is an abundance of Tomato growing information on the internet, so I'll just point out that Tomatoes, the bush type, do well in a raised square foot garden. Among the most popular of cultivated plants, tomatoes are technically a fruit that is usually prepared as a vegetable. There are roughly 7500 types of cultivated tomato, ranging in color from yellow to red, purple and black.

**Cucumbers probably originated in India roughly 3000 years ago, making their way to Europe in the 6th or 7th centuries A.D. Despite the asteriks, some of the bush varieties of cucumber can be grown in square foot gardens, either at the perimeter or in containers.

Cucumbers thrive in full sun and nutrient rich soil. Mulch frequently. Pick cucumbers at leasgt every other day to promote continual production.

As with all peppers, Bell Peppers are a warm weather plant. In August and September, Bells thrive and even seem to do best in those hottest months. In cooler climates you may want to start the plantrs indoors in the spring, moving them to the garden once it gets warm.
Squash may be the most popular garden vegetable. Maybe the best known of the summer squashes, Zucchini is an extremely prolific producer. One zucchini plant and one summer squash should feed a family of four throughout the summer.

They don't do well in acidic soil. An optimum pH range would be 6 to 6.5. Carrots don't require a lot of space, so you can plant at intervals of 3 inches. In other words, each 1-foot square should contain 16 plants. Germination occurs at 6 to 18 days.

Pumpkins are a fun crop that, believe it or not, can be grown in a square foot garden, as long as you use a vertical frame of the sort used for tomatoes and melons. Pumpkins are a warm season vegetable easily damaged by frost. To harvest in time for Haloween, plant between late May and early July. They like at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. Pumpkins are heavy feeders and

Potatoes will do well in a square foot garden, and digging them up is always like a treasure hunt, since you never know what will turn up. For large potatoes grow only one plant per square. For "new" or young, tender potatoes, you can try as many as four plants per square.

Plant in the spring in ground that is moist, but not overly so. Prior to planting, it might be a good idea to expose your seed potatoes to warmth for a couple of weeks to speed up the sprouting process. It is a good idea to add mulch or other organic material to the soil below