To grow your organic vegetable garden is not a difficult thing and in fact many people who enjoy gardening are now turning to organic gardening methods. This doesn’t mean that you need to grow only organic herbs and vegetables in your garden. Organic gardening can encompass all aspects of gardening, including a flower garden or an ornamental garden as well.

Just because you want to have an organic vegetable garden that doesn’t mean that you only need to stick with the organic vegetable garden. You can expand to include such things as herbs as well if you like, not mention flowering plants and others.

The one thing that you do want to look out for when you’re growing your organic vegetable garden alongside your flower garden, is that your flower garden is also grown organically. After all, it kind of defeats the purpose of growing an organic vegetable garden if right next to it you use all sorts of chemical pesticides and fertilizers in your flower bed.

Other than that you should be fine when constructing and maintaining your own organic vegetable garden, but if you feel that you neighbor’s pesticide filled garden is too close to your own garden and that all your good efforts are going to waste you might want to look at either moving your own organic vegetable garden further away, or using pots, tubs and troughs to grow your vegetable garden.

The first thing that you need to decide when planting your organic vegetable garden is what types of vegetables you want to have. The next thing is to finding the right place to have your garden, along with how large you want, or can have, your garden. It is entirely possible to grown your organic vegetable garden in a small closed off patio on the 44th floor of your high rise apartment as long as you are willing to accept your limitations and work with them.

This means being aware that although you might want to plant an acre’s worth of organic vegetable crops, you will instead have to make do with a small 4×4 or even smaller sized enclosure in which to grow your organic vegetable garden.

Once all of these things have been factored in and you have a rough idea of what you want in your organic vegetable garden, and how big you want your garden to be, you can then move on to the serious subject of just where to get your organic vegetable seed or plant stock from.

Here, you might have to make a decision as to whether you want your organic vegetable garden to be planted from completely organic seed or plant stock, or whether, if you have difficulty in obtaining these, you want to resort to using plant stock from a nursery which is not organic, but which you will grow from scratch utilizing organic methods. Once all these are done, you can then get started on your organic vegetable garden.

With the growing prices of vegetables in the market, it is quite practical that you are able to cultivate your own so that you can economize your spending and eat much healthier food. However, several constraints can hinder you in gardening and one example is the limited space. Don’t be hindered by this. All you need to have are home vegetable gardening tips and if you are new in this area, you’ll need home gardening tips for beginners.

Home vegetable-gardening has no big difference to growing flowers or herbs. That is, if vegetable gardening is done properly,you will surely achieve what you desire and will surely give you a fresher vegetables compared to what is sold in the market.

First, as part of your vegetable-gardening tips, you need to think of the size of your garden that you desire to be planted with vegetables. It must be a place of proper drainage, good soil, and appropriate sunlight. And because home vegetable gardening offers tasty food, it is vulnerable to animals such as dogs, deer, rabbit, etc. To prevent that, you make it sure that you are able to put fence around your garden to make it protected.

Vegetable-gardening for beginners can be quite laborious, however can be rewarding too. Having fresh vegetable is one thing that almost all desire to have and you are lucky if you are able to cultivate your own despite, perhaps, with limited area. You just need to be creative in order to achieve your goal in gardening. And, as I have said, home vegetable gardening tips can help you to achieve that.

Another vital thing to consider in home vegetable gardening is the garden arrangement. One strategy to maximize the space is to plant vegetables that only need limited space- those vegetables that do not expand too much. Remember also to put your tall-growing plants at the back side of your garden so that they do not block the sunlight that the small ones need.

When you are already prepared for planting, be sure that the kind of vegetables you are to plant is suitable for the specific season. You can consult books of vegetable-gardening for beginners for this. You can make an improvised place for a certain plants and get it transferred to its location when the appropriate season comes.

Vegetable gardening for beginners also include doing weeding and maintaining your garden out of foreign grasses because these can take the soil nutrients away from the vegetables. Grasses are their prime competitors. You can also protect your vegetables from insects by putting some organic chemicals.

Vegetable-gardening is one of the favorite pastimes of people. It is because, aside from being able to acquire fresh vegetables, you can also make it as a medium of exercise that is really relaxing. However, before you get started with your own, consider acquiring some vegetable gardening tips so that you can achieve the vegetable garden that you desire.

Bercle George is an expert gardener and has published an excellent rose growing and gardening resource at

http://www.rosegrowingguide.com/

Growing vegetables from seed is not only rewarding, it’s also frugal.  Although starting your vegetable garden from seed may seem like a ton of work, once you learn the steps, the process can be fairly easy.
Unlike seedlings, not all seeds are going to give you a plant.  When you go to buy or order you seeds, be sure to get some extra.  You’re probably going to have seeds that don’t germinate, so it’s good to be prepared with more.  This ensures you’ll have all the plants you need.

When growing your vegetable garden from seed you have two options, plant seed directly into the garden or start your seeds indoors. Some plants don’t do well when moved, while others need to be planted separately to avoid the elements.  If your not sure what type of care your plants will need, most of the time instructions can be found on the back of the packet of seeds.

Special care should be used when planting seeds directly in the garden.  The seed should not be planted to deep into the soil, and no deeper than three times the length of the seed. It’s important to protect your plants from animals that may enter your yard.  If your unable to block off your garden, set out other sources of food for the birds and animals that are likely fed on your planted seeds.  Most importantly , be sure to properly prepare the soil before planting, and don’t plant too early when they soil is still cold.

There are several steps you can perform if you need to germinate your vegetable seeds indoors.  First, most plants should be planted in separate spaces in seedling trays.  This insures their roots don’t have to compete.  Some people prefer to plant two in each container and pull the one that isn’t growing as well.  You should also remember to provide adequate light; either through windows or a greenhouse lamp.  Once your vegetable seeds have started to grow, you can then transplant them to your garden.  By this time, your ground should be warmer and your plants should flourish.

Tip: Like other plants, a cucumber plant is sensitive to temperature. It is best to plant when the soil surrounding the plant can keep a temperature in the range of 70-degrees.

A cucumber plant itself does not demand a great deal of attention. In factor, growing cucumbers on a trellis will not demand much upkeep from you at all. Trellises keep the fruit clean. You can easily support 2 to 3 vines on a 12- to 18-inch diameter cage. Wire fencing or hog wire can be used to fashion trellises.

Fertilizing can be handled a few different ways depending on your preference. You can use liquid food approximately every 2 weeks, or a granular, slow-release fertilizer. If using a container and your potting soil has a time release fertilizer, no additional fertilizer will be needed.

A cucumber plant can be male or female. You can tell difference by their flowers. Female plants have a small flower that swells at the base. The swelled base indicates a female plant because the makings of the cucumber are inside. It is important to have both a male and female plant so that the fruit properly pollinates and produced.

Tip: The fruit enlarges quickly once it appears. Check your plant daily so you can harvest as soon as the fruit is ready for picking.

Growing cucumbers on a trellis can be a great project to involve the kids in! They are sure to enjoy helping the vines climb through the wire, and will love picking the fruit as well.

Before you start growing carrots, you should have a clean and fertile soil with plenty of compost or peat moss. Carrots grow sweet when the soil is often moist. The carrot seeds you have should be planted 12 inches deep in a light soil with a pH level of 5.8 to 6.8. Remove rocks, debris, twigs and stones as these may destroy the formation of the plant. These will stunt the root or make it fork. Do not put plenty amount of nitrogen fertilizer as this can cause hairy roots.

The seeds must be 2 feet apart so that they grow freely. Weed them thoroughly at an early stage because they have a tendency to overcrowd. They also need much water. You should also thin the seedlings before the tops become tangled together. Using a scissor, you can cut away the greens or you can take away the roots carefully from the soil with your own hands.  After two and a half months, they are ready to be harvested. Once you have harvested them, place them in the refrigerator. They can endure a cold and freezing temperature.

To have an extensive harvest, you can plant carrots after every two weeks under a temperature of 27 Celsius. Plant again when the temperature decreases so that by winter, you can have another harvest. Before you plant the seed, make sure your soil has plenty of potassium for proper carrot growing. Wood ashes provide these so place them over the plant site. Do not overexpose your plants to the sun as this will make them green and produce a bitter taste.

Watch out for insects that may harm your carrots such as the carrot fly. Make sure there are no rabbits around as they love munching on carrots. Mice also love to eat carrot tops just like moles. Placing straw mulch around the plant area helps keep animals away. The mulch will also rot and turn into plant food.

It is essential for you to provide tender extra loving care when growing carrots.

photo credit: feser

Before you can begin a garden it helps to know what growing zone you’re in. If you live in the United States, you can go to the National Gardening Association’s website (www.garden.org/zipzone/) to find the USDA Hardiness Zone Map. This map will help you find which zone you live in and give ideas on when it is safe to start planting.

You’ll also want to prepare the ground before you can begin planting. Do this by tilling the area you have planned for your garden. You’ll want to remove the clumps of grass as much as possible or till deeply to incorporate the organic matter into the soil. Test the soil to determine if it has the right mineral content. Tests can be obtained at County Extension Agencies and home and garden stores. Add any nutrients to the soil before you begin planting.

Growing your first garden is much easier if you start with seedlings rather than growing your own. If you do plan to grow your plants from seeds, you’ll want to start them indoors about eight weeks before they can be planted in the ground. Purchase the plants you want and keep them indoors until your area has reached the last average frost date.

When the ground is workable, the first vegetables you’ll want to add to your garden are spinach, peas and onions. Onions are sold in sets and you may be able to find seedling spinach. You can plant the pea seeds directly into the garden. You may be able to plant lettuce, beets, carrots, cilantro, dill, radishes, cabbage and broccoli about two weeks before the last frost. Celery, kale and potatoes can also be grown outdoors.

When you know there’s no chance of a late frost, you can plant melons, squash, cucumbers and beans. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, pumpkins and basil can also be planted at this time. When you plant corn, set out at least four short rows rather than one long row because they pollinate properly that way. You’ll also want to use poles or trellises for beans. Tomatoes, peppers and eggplant are best transplanted or purchased as plants prior to setting them in your garden.

If you follow these guidelines on starting a  spring vegetable garden, you may have produce in as little as four weeks. Take time to pull weeds and keep your garden watered but not muddy. As the produce is ready to harvest you’ll be enjoying the fruits of your labor on your kitchen table.

What is it?

Asparagus grows naturally as a perennial plant in Europe (mostly Spain, Ireland, and Germany) and the United States. The leaves are actually the spear shaped stalks that, in a traditional leaf, would be the stem running down the middle. Early in the growing season, the tender asparagus spike is small and slender without buds or berries. That’s when they are perfect for plucking. The asparagus plant usually produces yellowish or white bell-shaped flowers and small red berries once the plant has matured into a hard, woody plant, not suitable for eating. As a matter of fact, the berries are poisonous.

History

Asparagus had an early start in the medicinal field due to its diuretic properties. You can actually find a recipe for cooking asparagus in the oldest known cookbook, Apicius’ De re coquinaria, Volume III. Asparagus was originally cultivated by the Egyptians. Later the Greeks and Romans ate fresh asparagus during the warm spring and summer months and dried it to use in soups during the colder winter months. In the Middle Ages, asparagus lost its popularity, returned later in the seventeenth century and has become a popular vegetable in today’s culinary environment.

Health Benefits

If you are looking for a low calorie, nutrient rich vegetable, asparagus is the answer. Asparagus is  a great source of B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, and zinc. With high amounts of dietary fiber found in the outer stalk and elevated levels of folic acid, iron and vitamins E and K, asparagus is also a great food for pregnant women or nursing mothers as these are nutrients your baby needs to develop and stay healthy.

Fun Facts

Asparagus was once classified in the lily family like its cousins onion and garlic, but has since been moved into the flowering plant family, named Asparagaceae.

The green variety of asparagus is eaten worldwide, though the availability of imports throughout the year has made it less of a delicacy than it once was. In the UK, due to the short growing season and demand for local produce, asparagus commands a premium and the summer season is looked forward to all year long.

In northern Europe, there is a strong following for white asparagus which is local to the region, nicknamed ‘white gold.’  Asparagus was so highly demanded in the Eastern world that France’s Louis XIV had special greenhouses built solely for growing it.

In the northern climates in the United States, spring is anxiously awaited for many reasons, including the asparagus that starts peeking through the ground as soon as the snow melts and the soil warms. Wild asparagus, or ‘roadside asparagus’ is a welcome sight, making many a motorist stop and pick fresh asparagus to their heart’s content.

The Asparagus Festival Cookbook
~ Jan Moore, Barbara Hafly, Glenda Hushaw ~
Asparagus is as healthful as it is flavorful. This Ardent asparagus afficionados share gourmet favorites featuring this delicious, bright green harbinger of Spring. Even people who don’t think they like asparagus will be won over.

How to eat

Asparagus spears are served in a number of ways. A typical preparation would be as an appetizer or side dish. In Asian cooking, asparagus is often added to stir-fry and served with chicken, shrimp, or beef. In the United States, asparagus is often eaten wrapped in bacon or quickly grilled over charcoal. Many cultures use asparagus to flavor soups or served steamed with a light hollandaise sauce. You’ll find asparagus, lightly cooked and bright green in color, diced and tossed in a variety of pasta dishes, hot or cold.

An easy way to cook asparagus without over cooking it, which would leave it bitter and limp, is to roast it on a baking sheet tossed with olive oil and salt. Quickly blanching the asparagus in a basket dropped into a deep pot of boiling water, then cooling in an ice bath, is another way to maintain the color, flavor, and crisp-tender texture perfect for asparagus. Asparagus is usually not eaten raw, but is often flash-cooked to maintain the crunch of raw with the flavor of cooked.

When choosing your asparagus bunch from the grocery store, look for firm, small, dark green shoots with tightly bunched heads. This will ensure you get the freshest batch. The bottom portion of the asparagus may be woody and covered in sand and dirt. Wash the asparagus thoroughly, then give the stem a quick snap; the stalk will bend and break where it is tender, so just throw out the bottoms that snap off.

Pick up any recipe book and chances are you will find at least a few amazing recipes with asparagus in the supporting, or starring, role. Give asparagus a try in a new recipe and see for yourself why people have been raving about asparagus for centuries.

Second, pick a good site to plant your garlic. Be sure to choose an area which gets ample sunlight. Then, dig a hole about 8 to 12 inches deep. The soil must have lots of compost to ensure great harvesting results. Remove any foreign objects away from the soil. Weeds must be completely removed as they resemble garlic leaves. You might pull out your growing garlic by mistake.

Third, separate the individual garlic cloves. Each clove will grow into a full garlic bulb. Individual cloves must then be planted separate from each other. The flat ends facing the bottom while the pointed ends facing the top. You can choose to plant the whole bulb. However, you will only be able to harvest tiny bulbs of garlic.

Lastly, mulch the surface of the soil. Mulching is needed in order to retain the moisture in the soil. Your garlic will soon grow. As soon as most of the leaves turn yellow, you can already harvest your garlic.

Planting vegetable gardens is a very rewarding hobby. Not only is it good for you, because of all the exercise needed to complete the task, but also because of all the vegetables that you’ll enjoy. In order for your vegetables to be pesticide free, it’s important that you plant them yourself. You can grow them anywhere, whether in the midst of a city, or in a more rural setting. But in order to be successful, you need to get the basics of planting correct, as listed in these vegetable gardens tips.

 Soil preparation

 Number one of our vegetable gardens tips, is that the new gardener needs to learn the importance of soil preparation. This step plays a vital role in whether your vegetable garden will be productive or not, regardless of if you plant in garden boxes or use a part of your backyard. You need to understand that there are three types of soil; sand, clay and silt. Sandy soil is very loose, allowing the plant roots to breathe, as it lets the air easily pass through. Clay soil soaks up water quicker and retains it longer. This makes it perfect for places that receive a lot of sunlight, and are generally hot areas, where the soil dries up quickly. The last type of soil is silt, which is a fine combination of clay and sand particles.

The preparation of soil for your garden is the most important of vegetable garden tips, because it is the foundation of good gardening. The first step is to break up the clumps as you dig up the soil. Be sure and remove any weeds, roots, and rocks you find in this part of the process. Handle the soil to see if you have a good mixture of clay, sand, and silt, before you begin placing vegetable plants in your garden. An even mixture of sand and silt should make up 80% of the soil, while the remaining 20% should be clay. This mixture is to make certain that the roots will not choke or rot, because too much water is being trapped for too long inside the soil. The best way to test whether you have the right composition of soil is to scoop up a handful and form it into a ball. If the soil is able to hold its shape, then you have the right combination. However, if the soil cannot hold its shape, then you probably have too much sand or silt in the mixture. On the other hand, if the soil holds its shape so well that it doesn’t want to crumble when probed, then you need to balance out the clay with sand and silt.

 Choose Your Vegetables

 While it s OK to choose what kind of vegetables you want to plant ahead of time, plants shouldn’t be purchased until soil preparation is finished. This keeps them from drying out, or becoming root-bound in their small nursery containers, while they wait to be planted. Once soil cultivation is finished, however, its time to choose, purchase, and plant your new vegetables.  Another of our vegetable gardens tips is that its important to know that some vegetables don’t grow well, when you place them too close to certain types of other vegetables. For instance, tomatoes and/or squash tend to inhibit the growth of potatoes, if they are planted too close to one another. Be sure and ask your local garden nursery which vegetable plants do well together, and which ones should be kept separate.

 Proper Watering Is Crucial

 Once you have chosen your vegetables and have planted them in your cultivated soil, proper watering is the next of our vegetable gardens tips. Consistent watering is the name of the game when it comes to vegetables. Soaker hoses are an excellent choice when watering vegetables in a medium to large space. An automatic watering timer is another wise investment if your schedule tends to keep you from watering consistently.

 A little patience goes a long way when planting vegetable gardens. Research, experimentation, and experience will help you find the right type of soil for the right type of vegetables, that work best for you. Planting your own garden, watching it grow, and harvesting the produce is very fulfilling. And enjoying fresh vegetables with friends and family, that you grew in your own garden, is a joy. All the hard work will be worth it if you follow these vegetable gardens tips.

If you haven’t already done so, now is the perfect time to till your garden spot. Determine how large you want the garden to be and mark it off. Run the tiller in the garden to incorporate plant matter from the last year.

You may also want to test your soil to see if it has the proper nutrients needed for a vegetable garden. Soil tests can be purchased from most plant nurseries or other stores which sell gardening supplies. Local colleges may provide testing free of charge if they have degrees related to farming.

Plan what you’ll plant. You may already know what vegetables you want to grow but chances are you’ll change your mind at least once before the plants are in the ground. Think about the vegetables your family loves the most. Corn, tomatoes, green beans, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower are common plants in a family vegetable garden.

Consider whether you’ll start seeds or purchase the plants partially grown. Of course, there’s nothing quite like watching seedlings as they sprout and grow, but buying pre-grown seedlings makes getting the plants in the garden much quicker. Which plants can you start from seed and which ones will you purchase?

Once you know what you’ll plant, think about where you’ll place each one. Some plants are best planted close to others. These are called companion plants. They may either provide natural pest resistance or nutrients the other plant needs. Take time to research which plants can benefit the others in your garden.

Determine how you’re going to deal with weeds in your garden. Will you rely solely upon chemicals to avoid having to weed, or is there another method you can use? Consider using newspaper covered by black landscaping fabric or black plastic sheeting between rows. This will greatly reduce the amount of weeding you’ll have to do. You can also use the black landscaping fabric in the rows themselves by cutting an ‘x’ where the plants will go. This fabric allows the rain to get through and yet blocks much of the sunlight so the weeds can’t grow.

What will you do about pests? Some gardeners are content to use chemical pesticides. If you’re considering a ‘greener’ approach, you may want to add beneficial insects to your garden. These would include ladybugs, praying mantis and earthworms.

Don’t forget to check your garden tools. Give your tiller and other mechanical equipment a spring-time tune-up. Ensure your rakes, hoes and other hand tools don’t have loose handles. You’ll also want to ensure they aren’t rusty.

Think about other items you may need for your vegetable garden this year. Do you have a large-brimmed hat to keep the sun off your face and neck? What about something to sit or kneel on while you’re planting? Do you have a place to sit back and enjoy your garden after the work is done?

There’s so much involved in planting a summer garden you’ll want to get started as soon as you can. You can check your tools to ensure they’re in good working order, plan your garden and start your seeds. Before you know it, the time will be here to begin your garden in earnest and you can look forward to summer with home-grown vegetables.

More and more people are taking up vegetable gardening as it is gaining popularity. Vegetable gardening will provide you with cheaper vegetables compared with those from the stores. Moreover, your home vegetable garden will produce far better tasting vegetables. Vegetable gardening is very similar to growing herbs or flowers in your garden and if the proper procedures are taken and proper care has been given to the plants, they will flourish and provide you with great tasting vegetables.

When you want to start vegetable gardening, the first thing to do is to decide on the size of the garden you want to have and choose a suitable place for it. The place you want to plant your vegetables should have good drainage, good and deep soil, and good air flow. It also needs to have as much sunlight as possible. Because vegetable are so tasty, many animals, such as rabbits, deer, dogs, and others will try to get to your veggies. A good way to prevent this from happening is to build a fence around your garden. You may also want to put out some traps to catch moles, mice, and other small animals.

Before planting your vegetable garden, you need to prepare the soil properly. You achieve good soil for vegetable gardening by cultivation and the addition of organic materials. In order to control weeds, you need to till or plow the soil while mixing mulch into it. For those with a small garden, instead of plowing you’ll be better of with spading.

A vital part of soil preparation is mulching. Minerals, nitrogen, and other nutrients that plants will need to thrive are released when organic matter is added to the soil. Compost is the most popular and ideal type of mulch you can use. Usually, the soil and the types of plants will determine the type and amount of fertilizer to be used. Some plants have specific needs. For example, leafy plants, like lettuce, spinach, and cabbage usually need more nitrogen to grow better, while root crops like carrots, turnips, potatoes, and beets require more potash. Less fertilizer is needed by tomatoes and beans, while plants like potatoes, celery, and onions need a larger amount.

The garden arrangement is a factor that is very important in vegetable gardening. Due to varying conditions, there is no one plan of garden arrangement that will work for each and every garden. One popular way is to group vegetables together according to the amount of space they require. Plant vegetables needing only limited space together, such as spinach, beets, radishes, and lettuce and plant together those that require more room, such as potatoes, corn, and pumpkins. You should also consider planting tall growing plants towards the back of the garden while planting shorter ones towards the front. This will prevent sunlight from getting blocked and ensure that every plant will have sufficient sunlight.

You should begin planting your vegetable garden at the right time of the year. However, if you really want to get started early even when it is not the right time, you may want to start your vegetable gardening in a hotbed indoor and then transplant them later when weather permits. After completing your planting, make sure that your vegetables get the right amount of water. How much to water depends on the type of plant. Usually, most plants will require about an inch of water per week.

Weeds take up nutrients, light, and water that are meant for your vegetables. Hence, they must be controlled in vegetable gardening because they often bring insects and disease into your garden. Cultivation or mulching can get rid of weeds. You may also want to consider using controlled chemicals or buying seeds that are disease resistant in order to protect against disease and insects.

Because you get to eat the vegetables at the end, many people have made vegetable gardening their favorite form of gardening. Home grown vegetables taste much better than those from the supermarket and it is rather inexpensive to start vegetable gardening. If you provide proper care and maintenance to your garden and put in the effort, your vegetable gardening will be fruitful and you’ll be rewarded.

Expand the description and view the text of the steps for this how-to video. Check out Howcast for other do-it-yourself videos from TreehouseFlicks and more videos in the Vegetable Gardening category. You can contribute too! Create your own DIY guide at www.howcast.com or produce your own Howcast spots with the Howcast Filmmakers Program at www.howcast.com Grow some of your own food by starting a vegetable garden. You’ll eat better and save money. To complete this How-To you will need: A sunny garden spot A wire mesh fence Seeds or seedlings Flowers A soil test A sunny garden spot A wire mesh fence Seeds or seedlings Flowers A soil test Step 1: Decide on a garden type Decide between a raised-bed garden or an in-ground one. Raised beds, which consist of purchased topsoil that sits within a wooden frame, are ideal if your soil is stony or sandy. The main advantage of an in-ground garden is that it needs less watering. Tip: For an in-ground garden, test your soil to find out what nutrients it needs. Garden centers sell do-it-yourself kits, or you can arrange a test through the Cooperative Extension System, a national agricultural network. Find a nearby office on the USDA web site. Step 2: Pick a good spot Pick a spot that gets a lot of sun and isn’t obscured by tree or hedge shade. Step 3: Prep the land Prepare the land by building your raised bed or clearing and tilling a patch of land to a depth of about one foot. A 10 foot by 10 foot parcel is a good size for a beginner …

Permaculture involves looking at the whole system and how each part interrelates to the other parts.  It’s about finding and fixing the weak links or problems in a sustainable way without using fossil fuels.  Diversity and low input are important in permaculture gardening.

Permanent agriculture, or permaculture, uses a zone concept.  The more activity that an area requires, the closer to the house that zone should be.  For instance, Zone 1 is closest to the house and should be herbs or vegetables that are often picked.  The farthest zone, depending on the size of the land you are working, can be trees or even a forest. 

If you look at a forest, you will note the “stacking” done by nature.  This can be consciously repeated by humans.  The stacking starts with tall fruit trees which is the canopy, to dwarf trees, to shrubs, to herbs, then root vegetables, and lastly down to ground cover such as strawberries.  From observing nature, you can create guilds, which are combinations of the stacking that work well together.  For example, Native Americans planted a guild of corn, squash, and beans.

Permaculture also asks plants and trees to provide more than one function.  For instance, an apple tree provides:

shade for smaller, shade-loving plants,
shade for its roots, which means less water will be required,
a resting or nesting spot for birds, who in turn fertilize the earth,
apples for humans and wildlife to eat,
dead leaves that fall to the ground and compose, helping to replenish the soil,
twigs for fire

Give thought to tearing up your water consuming lawn to grow food for human and/or wildlife consumption. Traditional ways of growing can be pretty labor-intensive and may need chemicals to sustain them.  When a permaculture landscape gets going and starts to mature it becomes a much less time consuming way to garden.  Plus it sets the plants up with a much more natural way of fertilizing.  Following permaculture practices is also a way to close the ecosystem loop and become more sustainable.

Next, you need to decide which vegetables you wish to grow.  Make a list of everything you’d like to grow, and then narrow the list down to those that you can easily get locally.  For example, exotic lettuces may be expensive and hard to find, and tomatoes from grocery stores usually taste terrible

Once you have your garden prepared and you know what you want to grow, plan the actual layout of your garden.  The best way to do this is to get out a sheet of paper and draw your vegetable garden. You should study your plants carefully.  Some vegetables will need a lot of sun, and some will require more shade.  It’s very important to be sure you’re planting all of your vegetables in areas where they’ll grow well.

Now that you have your spot picked out and you know exactly what to get, it’s time to go to the store and buy your plants or seeds.  Just remember if you’re buying seeds that some will not germinate so you’ll want to buy extra. 

Growing Seed Potatoes

The seeds used for growing potatoes are called seed potatoes. These are the parts or whole pieces of potato that have already developed the “eye”. From the eye, sprouts grow and then develop into actual potato plants. You may notice this from potatoes you have at home. When purchasing potatoes from stores, many of these have been sprayed with different chemicals that does not allow for them to sprout (yet they may be able to produce a crop). The best results with growing these vegetables would be to purchase them from a seed catalog, nursery or garden store.

You can actually grow potatoes in many spaces, such as, tires, garbage cans, in straw, mulch, fields, containers hills, and many more places. Below you will find a couple popular ways for growing potatoes.

Growing in a Field or Garden

Take your seed potatoes and place them eight inches deep in a trench or furrow that has already been pre-dug in a garden. Fill each furrow with a mixture of mulch, straw, compost and garden soil about a half the depth of the furrow.

Growing in hills

Loosen up the soil and place about two or three seeded potatoes on the ground. Hill (which means cover) these seed potatoes with about three to four inches of the loose soil. Space these hills about one foot apart. Continuing mounding the soil around the growing potatoes, as they get taller.

Harvesting

In about eight weeks from when you first planted your potatoes, you can begin to harvest them. These potatoes are perfectly equipped to use in soups and many other dishes. You will start to notice these potatoes as soon as the plant has bloomed and the vine begins to die.
 
Look over your potatoes for any cuts, bruises, or damage. Ideal conditions for storing would be in a dry, dark and cool area. Best storing temperatures are between 45 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit. This will ensure your potatoes do not rot, turn green or spoil too soon, which all make potatoes inedible.

To avoid things like potato bugs, try either picking them off your plant if you have a small potato patch. Other suggestions are to not plant in the same area each year, cleanup your garden debris and introducing their enemies such as the ladybug or potato beetle.

Learn how to prepare potatoes for planting in this free video on home gardening, Expert: Doug Smiddy Bio: Doug Smiddy has had an active interest in gardening as long has he can remember. Filmmaker: Dale Fitzgerald

A Few Necessary Items

Fertilizer
Mulch
Shovels
Seeds
Plants
Garden Trowels
Garden Spades
Compost Maker
Floating Row Cover

You can start your seeds indoors for approximately eight to ten weeks before you expect the last frost or just consider buying your starter plant from a nursery.

Choose a place to grow your onions so that they will receive full sunlight for about six hours and the pH balance is between 6.0 and 7.5. Onions will need soil that is able to retain much moisture and is moderately fertile. Make sure to mix in much compost before you start to plant.

Till the soil 8 inches deep so that the onion bulb can develop and grow properly. Remove all weeds especially while the onions are in the younger stages of growth.

To deter and prevent maggots and cutworms, add some parasitic nematodes to the garden area.

Whether you have a homegrown or store bought transplant, harden them off and transfer them to the garden area 2 to 3 weeks before you expect the last frost.

Move plants slightly deeper than when they were in the pots and space them apart between 2 and 6 inches away, depending on how big the bulbs will get.

Try not to disturb the fragile young onion roots when weeding (weeding should be done frequently). Cover up the seedlings with row covers to keep out all flies in order to prevent them from laying eggs.

You can feed your growing onions with compost tea about three weeks after you have planted them, and then again when they are about six inches tall, and then finally after the bulbs start to swell. Try avoiding using any fertilizers that have high nitrogen content as they make for very tiny bulbs and lush tops.

Lightly cover your bulbs with an organic mulch or compost if you see them starting to push up out the ground. The sun can scald the exposed surfaces.

When growing onions and the bulb reaches maturity, you can stop watering. Before then, you can provide them no more than one inch of water per week until they tops turn yellow or they fall over in the soil.

When the tops are about six inches tall, you can harvest the green onions or scallions. As soon as they are large enough for you to use, you can start pulling the bulbs.

Different types of onions will need varying amounts of lighting from dark to light. Depending on your area, the local nursery will support what will thrive in your environment.

Even though onions like cool weather, do not rush to get them out in the cold, such as with temps in the 30s or 40s because they have slower development in colder weather.

The veggie garden is going in and it is time to eliminate the confusion about planting onions. Here are a few tips for growing your own crop, without shedding a tear!
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