Having your own backyard filled with organic produce seems like just the perfect idea. Considering the current economic crisis, your backyard proceeds will enable you to save much on the daily purchase of groceries. That tomato plant that cost you two dollars could provide you with almost twelve pounds of fruit in the course of a season. Sounds awesome, doesn’t it?
How to start an organic vegetable garden in your backyard is not really an uphill task. If you put much thought into its planning before starting, then the rest of the process is going to be hassle free.
Tips On How To Start An Organic Vegetable Garden In Your Backyard
When deciding what to include in your organic backyard vegetable garden, it is always wise to consider the number of dependents set to benefit from it.
In most cases of backyard gardens, dependents are family members who rarely exceed ten people. Therefore, it is always wise to start small.
Also, consider the types of vegetables you are planning to put up. Pepper, tomatoes, and squash keep producing in and out of season, so there will be little need for many plants of their kind. Radishes and carrots only produce once, hence you need to cultivate more of their kind.
On deciding on the amount of space needed, one thing to note is that vegetable gardens do not even consume a lot of backyard land. With many other options to be considered, including cultivating in containers, a balcony might even be more than enough.
Pick the ultimate spot for your garden
In your backyard, there is that perfect spot where all conditions seem to be optimum for plant growth. Look for that spot. It should be near to a water source, should be exposed to direct sun and should have good moist and well-drained soils.
Decide on the best method of farming.
Personally, I’d prefer intensive cropping to row planting, because it is economical on space. This means that you will have to work on your organic vegetable garden by hand. This makes the cultivation and weeding process very convenient.
Soil testing and fixing
It is very wise to conduct a soil test before embarking on the planning process. Check its drainage capacity by soaking it with a hose. Wait for a day then dig a handful and squeeze. You will need to add compost manure if water streams out of the soil of forms a ball. If the ball breaks, forming crumbs, then that’s a symbol of loam soil.
You should know how to dig your soil bed.
Use of hand or a tiller is up to you to decide. After tilling, spread compost manure in the soil. Smoothen the surface with a rake and water it very well. Do not step on tilled soil, lest you ruin the effort you put on tilling it.
Choose the best varieties to plant.
Ideas can be derived from seed catalogs. Narrow down to the promising varieties and plant them. With time, you will know which variety of seeds to plant in your vegetable garden.
Lastly, keep tending your vegetable garden as regularly as it needs to be. From a small start, aim at slowly expanding your backyard garden to produce even more vegetables to put for sale!