10 Steps to Grow Organic Vegetables at Home

When you and your family enjoy tasty, organic vegetables from your backyard, all your effort pays off.

Below is a beginner’s guide on how to grow organic vegetables at home.

1. Select Your Crops

Decide what types of vegetables you want to grow.

Plant vegetables that you know your family will enjoy. Consider planting some that are difficult to find in the supermarket or are expensive.

Also, choose vegetables that will grow well in the climate in which you live.

Some of the best and easiest vegetables to grow as a beginner gardener are listed below:

• Kale
• Swiss chard
• Peas and beans
• Radishes
• Lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Hot and sweet peppers
• Arugula
• Bok choy
• Cabbage
• Beets
• Cucumbers
• Zucchini

The next step is to buy your organic seeds. But read the packets carefully to know when and how to plant.

2. Choose a Spot and Prepare the Soil

Choose a spot in your yard large enough to accommodate the crop you want to grow.

You should also take a soil sample and use a home testing kit to test its pH level. Some plants prefer acidic soil, while others grow better in alkaline soil.

Additionally, tilling will help the roots of your plants penetrate deeper into the soil [1].

The next step is to add nutrients to improve and maintain the quality of the soil.

3. Fertilize the Soil

Add compost or buy organic fertilizers at your nearest garden store.

Figure out how much fertilizer you will need to add to the soil. There are many different types of natural and homemade fertilizers. These include fish bone meal, crushed eggshells, worm castings, and compost.

You can also use organic mulch that will decompose and improve the soil.

4. Water Your Plants

Maintain your garden by giving your plants the water they need. It is best to hand-water some crops.

If it’s not necessary, putting in a sprinkler can waste water and support weed growth.

Also, watch the weather. This way, you won’t overwater your plants before it rains or underwater them during a drought.

5. Watch Out for Pests and Plant Diseases

No matter where you live or what you grow, your garden is susceptible to pests that can harm or destroy your crops. Therefore, it is essential to inspect your garden for bugs and other pests.

Identifying the pest is also important. Many friendly creatures, including earthworms, ladybugs, lacewings, and more, can help your garden.

Therefore, you must properly identify the insects that are lurking around. They might not be pests after all.

There are many organic solutions to eliminate destructive insects and related pests.

Plant diseases are also issues to watch out for. It’s vital that you correctly identify and treat plant diseases organically.

6. Attract Beneficial Insects

Some insects are good for your garden. Bees and wasps are pollinators that move pollen from one plant to another.

Moreover, other insects, like ladybugs, hunt down many destructive insects.

Planting certain flowering plants can help attract beneficial insects to your garden.

7. Control Weeds

There are different ways to control weeds organically. However, the best method for controlling weeds in a small garden is to hand-pull them.

If you visit your garden daily, weeding will not be overwhelming. You can also use mulch to help keep weeds down.

8. Harvest When Ready

After you have worked hard to start your garden, it’s time to harvest.

Do your research and determine the best time to harvest each crop. You can follow harvesting guidelines for many crops so that the plants continue to produce throughout the rest of the season.

Harvesting at the right time will also help to ensure your vegetables are at their peak tastiness.

9. Enjoy Your Fresh Produce

You can do much with fresh vegetables, herbs, and fruit.

You will appreciate their fresh taste more than what you get from the grocery store as you eat them. After cultivating your produce single-handedly, you deserve to enjoy every single bite.

If you have a surplus of vegetables, try pickling or freezing them. That way, you can enjoy the fresh taste throughout the year until it’s time to grow again or until another crop is ready.

10. Save Your Seeds

It can be costly to buy organic seeds each year. But saving seeds to replant year after year can cut your seed bill down tremendously.

Crops like corn, tomatoes, sweet peppers, peas, pak choy, pumpkin, and beans are great to add to your seed-saving collection.

Dry and store them properly. Once appropriately preserved, you can have a variety of seeds to replant in the following season.

Remember to label your seed containers. Include all the necessary details, such as the crop type and date.

Takeaway

Setting up and working in your garden is a lot of work, but it can also be rewarding. You can’t find vegetables fresher than those you can pick in your backyard.

Gardening is rewarding because you can grow delicious food, and as a relaxing hobby, you can enjoy it season after season. These gardening tips will help you set up your small garden at home so you can reap the benefits it brings.