aquaponic organic

Having your own organic garden in your own backyard brings you a great many benefits. When you can grow and harvest your very own fresh and organic vegetables, you will reap tremendous reward in terms of nutrition and a sense of genuine accomplishment. The foods to gather from your own vegetable garden are far superior to anything you can buy in the store in terms of both flavor and nutrition. The faster you can eat vegetables after they are harvested, the more nourishment they will deliver. This article provides five organic best practices for beginners. Read on to learn how to plant your very own organic vegetable garden and reap tremendous rewards.

#1. When you are first beginning, it's best to start with a small garden. You'll be amazed at how much you can grow in a very small amount of space. You don't want to become discouraged by having a huge garden that takes a lot of handling when you aren't really expert yet. Be sure to place your garden in an area where you can expand when you're ready to take on a larger project. Choose an area of your yard that has good soil, good sunlight and good drainage.

#2. You can set up your garden in one of two ways. You can either scalp the soil by taking away all existing grass and other ground cover and then break up the dirt, or you can smother the existing grass and ground cover with a thick layer of newspaper an/or cardboard covered by good planting soil. If you choose the latter, you will need to use landscape timbers, bricks or rocks to build walls around your raised bed garden.

#3. Be sure not to plant your garden willy-nilly. Before you begin planting, make a plan. Keep this handy so that you will remember what you have planted where. You can create straight rows in your garden by setting out stakes and running string from one to another. At the end of each row, add a label for the type of vegetable you are planting in that row. This is a good quick reference, but be sure to keep your garden plan safely filed away in case your labels blow away or degrade beyond recognition.

#4. Be sure to choose vegetables that are easy to grow in your area. This will make your first garden much more satisfying. You can ask at your local garden center to help you choose types of plants that will do well in the area where you live. You may choose to plant seeds or seedlings. Of course the latter will be easier to deal with since they will already have a good start. Some very easy choices in first time gardening plants are radishes, zucchini, tomatoes and crookneck squash. If you have particularly deep and soft soil, you can also try deep root crops such as potatoes and carrots.

#5. If your soil is good, you get plenty of sun and water regularly, you should begin seeing some very impressive growth from your little seedlings once they're planted. Be sure to keep your seedlings well watered. Mulching around the seedlings and between the rows will help hold moisture into the soil. Keep pests off with a natural spray consisting of water and a small amount of dish-washing liquid. You'll be surprised at how well this simple concoction protects your delicate plants.

Good gardening is not rocket science. With this simple start, you should become a energized and enthused to learn more and try more. As the seasons pass, you should feel confident to expand your garden and grow an even wider variety of fresh fruits and vegetables to feed your family.