There’s nothing better than the taste of your own home-grown vegetables, and using organic growing methods means they’re extra good for you, too. Despite the common perception that organic gardening is hard work, here are some organic alternatives to the standard vegetable garden-growing methods that can reduce your workload, and boost your yields:
Growing in a raised bed has two distinct advantages: First, it’s one of the best ways to ensure the soil your vegetables are planted in is truly organic and, second, it enables no-till, weed-free growing.
Using no-till methods are labour saving, ensure the soil structure remains intact, and ensure fewer weeds as dormant seeds are not disturbed by digging. There’s less preparation, and you can choose the soil yourself from a trusted source. The only maintenance needed is to gently mix an organic fertiliser with the top layer of soil at the start of the growing season, and to mulch with a layer of compost once a year. There is no need to mix it in – let resident earthworms do the work for you!
Placing plants closer together then becomes possible due to the fertility of the soil, so yields can be doubled without any impact on the quality of the vegetables produced.
Companion planting is another beneficial trick. For example, members of the onion family have a chemical make-up that deters certain insects to keep them away from other vegetables they normally attack. In other cases, some attract useful insects or provide shade to less hardy ones at the height of summer.
Succession planting means it’s often possible to have different types of vegetables growing all year round. Planting different crops, one after the other, is good for the soil. It’s not constantly drained of the same valuable nutrients by the same crop, and it’s less vulnerable to weed growth occurring from airborne seeds, which tend to find bare patches of soil quickly.
Growing your own organic vegetables is environmentally friendly and means healthy time spent outdoors. It’s suitable for everyone whether they are trying to achieve self-sufficiency or just like the idea of having the tastiest, healthiest vegetables on their plates.