Organic Gardening: How to Start Your Organic Garden in 9 Easy Steps
A healthy body starts with healthy, nutrient-dense food. This means organic whole foods.
But where does organic food come from? A garden or a farm, of course. Buying organic produce at a local organic farmer’s market, organic farmer’s stand, or organic health food store is great and convenient. Growing your own organic food, however, can be incredibly satisfying. It’s good for your mental health and soul — and good for your body once you put the food on the table.
If you’ve never tried organic gardening before, you may feel hesitant. Don’t be. It’s not difficult, I promise. Being close to nature, digging in the soil, planting seeds, taking care of your plants, and harvesting the fruits of your hard work can do wonders to your spirit. It’s a fantastic way to get some exercise, sunshine, and nature time all at once. And all your hard work will put delicious organic food on the table to support your health and make your family smile.
Today, I want to offer 9 easy steps to help you get started with organic gardening. I will share two trusted brands where I personally get my organic seeds every gardening season. Let’s get into it.
What Is Organic Gardening
Knowing where your food comes from is very important in a day and age where most of our food from the supermarket is filled with chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, added hormones, and unnatural ingredients. These chemicals and unnatural ingredients in our food can seriously impact your health and increase the risk of chronic inflammation, chronic pain, autoimmunity, chronic health issues, and cancer (1, 2, 3, 4, 5).
Organic gardening is different from other non-organic forms of gardening by the absence of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Synthetic chemical pesticides and herbicides are made of petroleum and other chemical sources that can harm our soil, food, and our health. Organic pesticides and herbicides come from natural sources, such as plants, animals, microorganisms, and minerals. They are natural for our soil and plants and don’t harm your health (6).
9 Easy Steps to Start Your Organic Garden
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If you are ready to start your organic garden but don’t know where to start, I have a simple guide for you. Follow these 9 easy steps for organic gardening:
Soil Test
Before you start anything, you need to get a soil test, by clicking on the red link. A soil test will allow you to learn the basic texture and pH level (acidity) of your soil. You will learn what and how much nutrient is in your soil. You will also learn what nutrients it may be lacking. If you have poor soil with low nutrients, you will be dealing with more weeds, pests, and diseases.
Compost
It’s time to start composting! Designate an area in your yard for a compost pile. There isn’t better slow-release plant food and conditioner for your soil than good quality compost. Compost is rich in micronutrients. This means that it will support the growth of beneficial soil microorganisms. It will also improve the structure of your soil and soil fertility. This will lead to healthy, organic plant foods. The best part: compost is free to make.
Seeds and Plants
If you want quality, nutrient-dense organic food, you can’t just plant any seeds or plants. You need to look for resistant varieties. The best is to start with organic seeds. If you are using plants instead of seeds, choose organic varieties that haven’t been treated with any chemicals. The package should state whether it’s organic or not. Always shop from trusted organic brands and organic greenhouses.
Sanitation
Sanitation is key to an organic garden. You want to avoid the spreading of any disease. Remove any sick plants and identify the cause of the issue. Never use pesticides, herbicides, chemicals, or any unnatural products to treat plant issues. Clean up spent plants. Remove any debris at the end of the season as they can hide diseases over the wintertime. Clean up in the spring before you start planting to ensure healthy conditions.
Rotation
Unless it’s your first year of organic gardening, you want to consider rotation. Be careful where you plant your plants each season. Try not to grow the same plants in the same area of your garden each year. Rotating your plants each year prevents nutrient depletion and reduces the risk of insects and disease. I recommend a 4-year rotation by moving root crops, nightshades, cucurbits, and brassicas each year.
Imbibing Slug
Barriers and Traps
Row covers, cutworm collars, and other barriers can help to keep insects away. They are especially useful for smaller plants. You can use sticky traps to catch insects. A saucer of beer can attract and catch slugs. If you see any beetles or other crawler offending bugs, just pick them up and dispose of them. Try to remember, though, that not all bugs are bad. Some of them are healthy for your plants, eat pests, and keep bad insects away. Learn your bugs and keep your good ones around.
Check for bugs
Visit Your Garden Daily
Visit your garden at least once a day. Check for any problems, including insects, disease, or damage from the weather. Noticing issues early on allows you to take care of them before it’s too late. Don’t forget to check under your leaves for any eggs from bad bugs. Look for any white patches, yellowing, brown edges, or curling on your plants. Address any issues as soon as you see them in an organic, natural, sustainable, and safe fashion.
Say No to Chemicals
Say no to chemicals. If you’ve done gardening before without taking the organic route, take all your leftover garden chemicals to your local transfer station for safe disposal on hazardous waste collection days. If you don’t have any pesticides, herbicides, or other garden chemicals at home, you will be less likely to reach for them at the first sign of a small issue. Use organic pesticides and herbicides as needed. Boiling water, vinegar, salt, borax, and fire are simple natural herbicides. Oil spray, hot pepper repellent spray, garlic repellent spray, and organic dish soap spray may serve as simple organic, homemade, natural pesticides.
Water with Filtered Water
Of course, your plants will get rainwater from the sky. Chances are, it won’t be enough, and you will have to water your plants regularly. You can use water collecting buckets to collect rainwater and use that for your next watering session. When you run out of collected rainwater, instead of using regular tap water for your garden, use filtered water. City tap water is filled with fluoride, chlorine, and other chemicals. It is not ideal for your health. Thus, it is not ideal for the food you are growing either. Try filtered water instead. You can use a garden hose filter or fill jugs with Invigorated water. Learn more about the hidden toxins in your water by reading this article.
Where to Get Seeds for Organic Gardening
The most important part of organic gardening is, of course, getting high-quality organic seeds to grow organic plant food. Searching for the right organic seed company can be a hassle. I want to recommend my two favorite trusted brands that take care of all my organic gardening needs.
True Leaf
I recommend getting your seeds and growing kits from True Leaf. I highly trust and personally use this company and its organic gardening products. They have everything you may need for the season, including microgreen seeds, sprouting seeds, kale seeds, arugula seeds, tomato seeds, pepper seeds, broccoli seeds, eggplant seeds, zucchini seeds, beet seeds, carrot seeds, cilantro seeds, thyme seeds, and more. All organic, of course. In the growing kits section, you will find anything else you may need.
High Mowing Organic Seeds
I also love getting non-GMO, organic seeds from High Mowing Organic Seeds. You can get just about any vegetable seeds you want in your garden, including carrots, beets, celery, artichokes, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, bok choy, beans, cucumber, eggplant, peppers, tomato, potato, squash, garlic, onions, spinach, radishes, kale, and many leafy greens. They also have a long list of herbs, including basil, and dill, In addition, they carry microgreen seeds. I also recommend getting your flower seeds here to attract bees and butterflies and beautify your garden. They also have a nice selection of compost and gardening supplies. And there are so many fruits and vegetable choices for your gardening needs here.
Hamama
I highly recommend the growing kits from Hamama. They offer easy-to-use microgreens and other gardening kits that you can even try in a small space. Yes, with the help of Hamama, you can start organic gardening even in your apartment or in your kitchen over the wintertime. Try their Microgreen Kit, Garlic Green Kit, Culinary Cilantro Kit, and Green Onion Kit.
Final Recommendations
Organic gardening is a great way to get some exercise, improve your mood, get close to nature, and grow organic food that’s super tasty and healthy for your body. Get your organic seeds from True Leaf, High Mowing Organic Seeds, and Hamama, and follow my 9 tips to get started with organic gardening.
Disclaimer: The contents of this website are based on personal experiences, opinions, and my own research. Information on this website is for educational purposes and is not meant to diagnose, replace, treat or cure any medical or mental health condition. Please see your doctor with any health-related questions. Statements on this website have not been approved or evaluated by the FDA. While perusing this site, please use your best judgment in conjunction with your Naturopath or other health care provider.
