Organic Vegetable Gardening

Many people may think that you need loads of space in a huge garden in order to grow organic vegetables but this is just not true. In fact as long as you have enough room to place a few containers (which everybody does!) then you can easily grow your very own organic vegetables. Many vegetables have ‘mini varieties’ which are absolutely ideal for container gardening, some of the more popular vegetables are cherry tomatoes, asparagus and spinach.

Growing vegetables in containers has some very good benefits over standard growing as well because you are able to provide ideal growing conditions for your veg making sure the soil is just right for them, plus it can be easier to win the war over the pests as well.

You can use a wide variety of different containers to plant in, ranging from terracotta pots, wooden pots, clay, plastic or my favourite things to use are old containers that you may find around the house like paint tins, jars, cake tins, kitchen colander’s, the list is endless! But be sure to make some drainage holes in the bottom of whatever you decide to use so that the excess water is able to drain out.

If you put a layer of broken terracotta pot or chunks of polystyrene at the bottom of your pots this will prevent drainage holes from becoming clogged up with compost and soil from falling out. Also if you stand your pots up on something like bricks then that will help it to drain more effectively.

So you have no excuse for not giving it a go now! You can start off with one or two containers at first but I’m sure once you get the hang of it you will end up with a lot more than that.

Companion planting is where you have two or more plants very close to each other which can have a couple of benefits, firstly it can be used in order to keep the nasty bugs at bay (which is a great thing for us organic gardeners). Another benefit of companion planting is that it has been known to improve the growth and/or flavour of the crops. This coupled with the fact that it can make your garden look very beautiful with all the different colours and smells going on it is a great way to grow your vegetables.

Here are a list of just a few companion plants:

• Basil > Tomatoes and Asparagus

• Chervil > Radish, Lettuce and Broccoli

• Dill > Cabbage

• Horseradish > Potatoes

• Eggplant > Peppers

• Mustard > Cabbage, Cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts

• Caraway > Strawberries

• Oregano > Tomatoes and Peppers

• Beets > Lettuce and Onions

• Leek > Celery

So give some of them a try and see what you think. If you are starting a new garden then it is a good idea to think about certain companion plants while you are deciding on the layout of your garden , this way you will be able to use companion planting to get the most out of your garden.

Growing your own fruit and vegetables is a fantastic thing to do for a variety of different reasons, saving money on grocery bills, the satisfaction of picking your very own vegetables, the health benefits etc. but for me something that is right up there at the top of the list has to be getting children involved in organic gardening.

There are several beneficial factors to getting your children involved in the growing of fruit and vegetables, firstly if you give them their very own little piece of the garden were they can grow a couple of their own plants it gives them a great sense of achievement when they are able to grow their very own food. Also it gives them some sort of responsibility of making sure the plants have enough water and are healthy so it will make them feel all grown up too.

But one of the best reasons to get your children involved in the planting and growing process of fruit and vegetables is the fact that they will be much more willing to eat their vegetables if they have had a part in the whole process. Even if you start on a small scale by just growing a few plants in containers you will be amazed at the results. So if you are having trouble getting your children to be able to eat their vegetables then just by getting them involved in the whole growing process will have amazing results so is definitely worth a go.

I feel that it is important for children to know where their food actually comes from and by having them help you out in your garden they will pick up a lot of great tips and learn so much about fruit and vegetables which will in turn set them up to be able to live a healthy lifestyle which is very important these days when there is so much fast food everywhere you look.

So if you’ve not started organic gardening yet then now is the time time to start! Your entire family will benefit from this healthy lifestyle and I’m sure you will agree, that is a fantastic reason for you to start organic gardening.

By Jonathan White, environmental scientist.

We all know how much hard work there is in growing vegetables – digging, weeding, crop rotation, watering, fertilizing, planting winter crops, resting beds, spraying pests and weeds – the list goes on and on.  So imagine a vegetable garden that didn’t need any of these things.  Imagine a garden that never had pests, never needed digging, didn’t need to be rested in winter, had no need for crop rotation, had virtually no weeds, needed very little water and virtually looked after itself.  But to top all that off, this garden produces many times more than a traditional vegetable garden and regenerates itself year after year, all by itself.

Surely, that would be magic!

How could a vegetable garden like this exist?  Easily!  The answer is in nature.  Natural ecosystems are very healthy and diverse and don’t require any human interference.  If we are able to take the same natural laws that are found in nature and apply them to our garden, we are able to reproduce the same results.  And that’s exactly what the Food4Wealth method has done.

The Food4Wealth method is based on science.  It follows very sound ecological principles.  It’s a way of setting up a natural ecosystem using edible plants, and it uses the types of plants we all like to eat.  The special planting arrangement mimics nature so the same interdependent relationships between the living components exist.  These relationships are mutually beneficial for the various components, so the vegetable garden actually runs all by itself.

The people in the family who own the Food4Wealth plot are actually one of the important living components.  They perform a similar task to a grazing animal in a natural ecosystem.  The Food4Wealth plot actually benefits from regular harvesting, just as a natural ecosystem benefits from regular grazing.  These plots are so prolific, that they need almost daily harvesting.  Regular harvesting maintains the ideal vegetation balance required to run the garden like a natural ecosystem.  It’s the ultimate win win situation.  Harvesting is good for the people, but it’s also good for the garden.

The biggest challenge that faces modern agricultural practices is to incorporate pest ecology, plant ecology, soil ecology and crop management into a method that is reliable and efficient.  And until now, that has never been achieved.  The Food4Wealth method naturally combines all of these factors without any effort.  You see, nature has had these things under control for millions of years.  It’s only humans who have made things more complicated.

But the path is now clear, because Food4Wealth has laid the foundations for a healthier, more efficient and reliable way to grow food.  It’s a simple method that sets things up as nature intended, so that problems simply don’t exist.

So, to answer the question – is it magic?

No, it isn’t magic, but it sure feels like it.

Jonathan White is an Environmental Scientist and the founder of the Food4Wealth Method.  For more information see www.Food4Wealth.com

Whatever your growing, vegetables, fruits or herbs having some good compost is going to massively improve the quality and health of your soil and therefore produce wonderful results when it comes to your vegetables, plants etc. Plus making your own compost will save you money and help you to recycle your rubbish, which can’t be a bad thing.

Having a good quality compost enables your soil to retain nutrients, air and water as well as protecting your valuable plants from certain diseases. Not only will it help your plants to grow bigger and stronger but it will give the worms and other such animals in your garden lots to munch on and keep them happy.

So I guess you are now wondering what goes into making a good compost exactly…. Well here are some of the things that I use when making my compost:

• Kitchen left overs like old fruit and vegetables, vegetable peelings, fruit peelings/cores, ground coffee, tea bags.
• Manure is a great thing to add if you are able to get hold of any from a local farm.
• Garden waste like leaves, dead plants, wood chippings or bark, straw and hay, soft hedge clippings.
• Waste from around the house like newspaper (shredded) but not magazines with the shiny paper.
• Pet droppings from animals such as guinea pigs, rabbits and budgies. But NOT from dogs and cats.

Some of the things that you should keep off your compost heap are:

• Meat or fish
• Dairy products
• Cooked food
• Disposable nappies

In order to make the most of your compost it is important to use a mixture of different ‘greens’ and ‘browns’ the greens being things like vegetable peelings etc. and the browns being all of your newspapers, pet droppings etc.

It is important not to have your compost too wet or too dry so if yours is looking a little on the wet side then you should think about adding more ‘browns’ or vice versa.

If you seem to be having trouble with too many flies buzzing around your compost heap then you may have it a little too wet, in which case if you add some more of your ‘brown’ ingredients like the shredded newspaper then that should sort out the problem.

Once your compost has turned into a dark brown crumbly type consistency with an earthy smell then it should be ready for you to begin using on your plants.