Easy Organic Home Gardening Tips

Plus they're a whole lot healthier for you and the environment!

Growing your own organic vegetable garden means you'll be buying less and that means more money in your pocket. Plus you'll also reduce the amount of packaging you throw away; another plus for the environment.

You don't even have to have a large area for growing organic vegetables and herbs. In fact a couple of good sized planter boxes are all you need to grow a few of your favourites.

And there are a whole range of organic garden products on the market today.

Tips For Growing Organic Vegetables Productively

• Choose an area that gets at least 4 to 5 hours of sun each day for your organic vegetable garden.
• Forget the chemical fertilisers. Instead dig organic compost or mulch into the soil to reduce the amount of water needed and to provide vital nutrients.
• Synthetic chemicals and pesticides don't go in an organic vegetable garden. Pesticides are designed to kill and are toxic to humans, so don't spray them on the food you will eat.
• Set up a compost bin or worm farm. Worm farms are great if you have limited space. They will eat all your fruit and vegetable scraps and provide you with nutrient-rich worm castings and liquid fertiliser - the absolute best for all organic home gardening.
• Use a slow fine spray on your organic vegetable garden and don’t water too frequently or too quickly.
• Take advantage of companion planting vegetables.
• When growing organic vegetables it is important to rotate your crops each season so you don’t deplete the soil as quickly.

Organic Home Gardening And Companion Planting

Companion planting vegetables helps to bring balance to your garden, so nature does the work for you.

Many plants have natural substances in their roots, flowers and leaves that can either repel or attract insects, depending on your needs, and in some cases they can also enhance the flavour and growth of nearby plants.

Here are just a few tips for companion planting when growing organic vegetables and herbs at home.

Tomatoes contain high amounts of vitamin C and lycopene, one of the most powerful natural antioxidants that have been shown to improve the skin's ability to protect against harmful UV rays.

Planting basil and/or chives with your tomatoes will improve growth and flavour.

Cabbage is an excellent source of Vitamin C which also contains significant amounts of glutamine, an amino acid which has anti-inflammatory properties.

Planting German Chamomile with cabbage will improve its flavour and planting rosemary will deter cabbage moth.

Companion planting carrots with chives will help to improve the growth and flavour of carrots and planting rosemary will help with carrot flies.

Lettuce is easy to grow and should be included in any well balanced diet. It is a valuable source of vitamin A and folic acid with the more bitter lettuces and the ones with pigmented leaves containing antioxidants.

Planting chervil with your lettuce will help keep aphids at bay.

Coriander or cilantro has a very distinctive aroma and flavour and is great in Thai dishes and curries as well as in salads.

You can use the entire plant from the leaves which are milder, to the roots which have a deeper, more intense flavour.

Coriander is great to repel aphids, potato beetle and spider mites.

Mint has been used medicinally to treat stomach ache and chest pain and to aid digestion and break down fats. The leaves have a fresh, sweet flavour with a cool aftertaste and are used in teas, beverages, jellies, syrups, candies and ice creams.

Mint deters white cabbage moths, ants, rodents, flea beetles, fleas and aphids.

Sage is a herb with a slight peppery flavour from the mint family that is great in marinades, cheeses and even as a tea.

It is a great companion plant with broccoli, cauliflower, rosemary, cabbage and carrots.

Want to Know More About Organic Home Gardening?

If you’re just starting to learn about growing organic vegetables at home you may find this vegetable and herb companion chart helpful.

Sustainable Gardening Australia provides an interesting website with useful fact sheets and monthly newsletters on sustainable or organic home gardening.

The Living Smart Program is an innovative approach to sustainable living that combines environment, lifestyle and community over a 7-week course. Organic home gardening is a part of this course.

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