An age-old and sustainable technique of gardening, Organic Gardening has recently been seen making a comeback to the Gardening realm. This comes in the wake of developing and fostering a healthier lifestyle. Both, in terms of the quality of food we consume and the environment we surround ourselves with. Contrary to popular belief, organic gardening is one of the simpler and more doable ways to grow crops that are free of chemically induced ills.

Before we learn how to start one's organic garden, lets first get to a little about Organic Gardening:

Organic Gardening could be looked upon as a form of a gardening system that endeavors for sustainability, biological diversity, and fertile, nutrient-rich soil. It aims at achieving all that without the usage of synthetic pesticides, antibiotics, synthetic fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, and growth hormones. 

Here is a list of super easy steps that you can follow to get going with your organic gardening:

1. Planting Bed

Keep the following in mind when choosing a space to plant your garden:

• Your desired gardening area should also be exposed to a minimum of 7 hours of sunlight every day. Your terrace could be the best place for this. Read our tips for terrace gardening in India.
• If available, always plant in the natural ground as it is rich in nutrients required for a good yield.
• However, if you live in an area where the availability of natural soil patches is scarce, you may try a raised bed or a container garden.  

2. Gardening Tools

When it comes to building your garden, having the gardening tools readily available will not only come to your advantage but will also help you keep your garden in a great share. A few tools you could get started with could be a shovel, a fork, a rake, and a watering pipe.

3. Preparing Your Raised Bed

As mentioned above, if you want to grow plants or crops in areas with scarce natural soil patches the raised beds can be your best bet. It is a great option for novice gardeners and also offers a bit of creativity. To get started, you can create a border using natural woods, bricks, or even stones to separate your garden patch from potential contaminants. The border you prepare should be at least 16 inches high to ensure that your garden has protected roots. 

Once you create a border, you can fill it with the potting mixture to start preparing the area for gardening.

4. What-To-Sow (Seeds Selection)

After selecting and preparing viable conditions for growing (choosing a perfect tract of soil, bed, or container) one essential element still remains - choosing plants and crops that grow best in your region and climatic conditions. Find out which crops grow best in your region to experience a high yield.

Also, consider companion plants to grow alongside your primary plants/crops. These can act beneficial for your crop in two ways -

1. They can provide essential nutrients to promote better growth or,
2. may specialize in repelling pests that would otherwise be attracted to your crops.

5. Care and Maintenance

If you choose to water your garden manually instead of using a soaker hose or drip system, then you should water your garden early in the morning. As a result, the amount of water your plants or crops retain will increase and will also reduce the chances of detrimental mildew forming on your crops. 

Maintain the PH level of your plants in the range of 6.5-7.0 and keep a constant check to maintain high and healthy yield. (this may differ slightly depending upon the climatic conditions in your region)

Observe and detect pest populations. If companion planting does not help with repelling all of the pests, consider deterrents like Neem Oil. Generally, you should check for pests in your garden at least twice a week. Add compost and Manure to your garden. 

If you notice weeds growing, address them as soon as they appear. While a hoe and/or other tools can be used to pluck them from your garden, hand-picking can be the less invasive and a more natural way to preserve your garden of weeds. (Taking the time to manually pull them out also protects the viability of your garden, as the potential damage to surrounding plants/crops decreases.)

Keep a constant check on your garden for weed sprouts. Consider mulching your garden with organic material such as grass from your backyard or leaves from your trees to prevent the growth of weeds. Here are some gardening tips to help you get growing. 

By following these simple steps you will be all ready to grow your organic garden and a healthy yield. Head on to AllThatGrows today and experience the joy of organic gardening with our non-hybrid and GMO-free seeds.