How to Design an Organic Garden, Grow Awesome Flowers and Vegetables, Even if You’re a Beginner

People are always debating the merits of organic food , but there is one thing I know for sure. Organic gardening will work for you because your garden is your home





and you and your family are the ones exposed to the chemical toxins used in the standard approach to gardening. You can grow healthier vegetables and flowers following organic methods because once you have adjusted your home’s ecosystem, nature works with you to produce crops easier.

Under old methods, every year you tilled the soil spreading all the weed seeds so you spent the summer on your knees. Organic gardens follow no dig garden techniques where new manure or compost and mulch are added each year without disturbing the soil. We used to spray to get rid of garden pests, and this would chase away all the birds and beneficial insects because, even if they survived the spray, there was no food left. The Organic Garden encourages a diversity of wildlife and plants which allows the food chain to work to your advantage. I could rant on, but hopefully you get the idea.

Creative Garden Design

The best way to approach the task about landscape designs and beautiful gardens ideas is to look at your entire yard and create a plan for the entire yard, even if you may not implement the full plan for several years. Your objective should be to create and interconnected eco system that will meet your needs for both flowers and vegetables. Step one before you start organic gardening is to study your yard to determine areas of shade and sun, temperatures, microclimates, soil, winds, structures, existing plants, birds and animals, and all other issues that may impact your design. All these items will impact what plants you can grow and where. For example, if you want to plant a vegetable garden, you will have to pick an area that gets at least 6 hours of sun, it should not be exposed to harsh winds, and of course, you need to know when the last frost will be.

You should make a map of your property with notes on all these conditions. It doesn’t have to be pretty, but it should show structures, roads and paths, trees and shrubs, creeks and swales, slopes, and any other permanent features. This will force you to think through a number considerations you that will be important as you design your sustainable organic garden.

What do you want to grow in your organic garden?

How much maintenance do you want? Do you have eyesores you want to hide? Are you counting on your vegetables to provide a lot of food? What feeling do you want when you are in your yard? Do you want a formal design, or do you prefer a natural look with native plants? These are just a few of the questions you must answer to design the organic garden of your dreams. Another big consideration is what should be close to the house. You may want herbs for your dinner, but if they are located on the back 40, you may not bother. How about putting your herbs right out the back door and maybe the tomatoes should also be close by. Maybe the back 40 should be turned into a forest with a couple of benches where you can escape everyday pressures with peace and quiet. You need to brainstorm your plans with your family to get a clear vision of what everyone wants to accomplish.

Organic Garden for Vegetables ” width=”300″ height=”169″ />If you want vegetables and want to keep maintenance to a minimum you definitely should be considering a raised bed garden in your planning. You can grow 5 times more produce in a raised bed as you would in the same space planted as a conventional garden with 3 foot wide rows. The other big advantage is they can be placed close to your house so you can keep an eye of things. It only takes a few minutes to pull some weeds or stake up a tomato if they are handy.

Draw up the Final Garden Design.

Now you have a good idea of your objectives, it is time to start drawing up your plan. Make a copy of the map you made earlier and start to draw your planting beds in the area you want them. Make notes on the type of plants you want and any structures required. This is the time to consider things like the colors you want in flowers and foliage, timing of blooms, height and size of plants, and other aesthetic issues





