Growing and Protecting Healthy Organic Vegetables

A Gardener's Guide to Organic Vegetable Gardening

We have ideal vegetable growing conditions in our front yard since it faces south and receives many hours of summertime sun. In order to have a finished look to our entryway and have growing space, we separated the gardens into several areas and installed raised beds. Despite this, we face difficulties with a number of pests that afflict vegetables we grow. Since the major reason for growing vegetables at home is to control the growing conditions as well as having the freshest vegetables possible, we grow ours organically. The factors that control how well an organic vegetable grows include the location, the soil, the fertilizer, the way pests are handled, timing and water. These tips apply to our favorite crops--cucumbers, peas, tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, and herbs.

Soil and Fertilizer

One key to growing vegetables organically is a good, rich soil. Before planting our garden in the spring, we weed and turn the soil. Once it is light and airy, we dig in our favorite fertilizer-chicken manure. Chicken manure is less likely than steer manure to have contaminating seeds and is richer in nitrogen. We also add a small amount of peat moss. Sometimes we cover the planting area with a layer of mulch. By adding chicken manure, peat moss and mulch to our gardens, each year the soil gets richer, lighter, and easier to work. Don't use mulch cover until seeds have germinated. We found that many root vegetables like carrots don't like additional fertilizer after the initial chicken manure.

Location