Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Herbal And Organic Gardening: How To Start Growing

By Susan Honeywell

It can seem daunting to begin with an organic vegetable or herbal garden for the first time, but there are few better ways to be good to the planet while also being good to yourself and enjoying yourself.

If you already eat some organic herbs and vegetables, you will surely appreciate the better taste, the health benefits and also the lack of harmful residual substances. Imagine how great it would be if you had an organic garden that would furnish you wit a plentiful supply!

Te first thing that you should do, as it will take a little while for this to be ready, is to separate your kitchen waste from the rest and build a compost heap. This can also be done indoors. Compost will prove a great boon as it is the best natural fertilizer for an organic garden and its vegetables and herbs.

Your home-made compost will also fulfill a secondary purpose: it will help your organic garden to retain moisture, and as a result you will need to water your edible plants less often. Put all your kitchen waste and also any garden cuttings you may have onto the compost heap, but avoid great quantity of fish and meat remains.

You'll also need to source organic seeds or sprouts for your organic vegetable and herbal gardening project. In most cases, commercial seeds are not organic so you will have to make doubly sure to get the right starters.

Try purchasing your organic garden seeds online. There are plenty of retailers, you will have a bigger choice, the purchase will be delivered to your home and you will be protected by a postal return guarantee.

To begin seeding, don't start your organic garden outdoors right away! Use a glasshouse or put your seeds inside the house, where it's warm. Let them sprout on a piece of damp cotton or paper and then transfer them to small pots and let them grow a bit.

Once your little plants have grown two leaves, you should repot them into biodegradable pots and later bury these in your garden. You can of course also go for an indoor window garden for your herbs. These make additions to windowsills and beautify the house.

Vigorous, organic soil is fundamental for organic vegetable and herbal gardening. Like compost, good organic soil will not only grow healthier plants that taste better, but will also act as a natural pest controller. If you've had a non-organic garden before, it may take some time to clean the chemical laden soil, or you can dig it all out and start anew with organic soil.

Fill your windowsill pots with organic soil, or put a layer of at least six centimeters in your outdoors organic garden as topsoil. Ass compost and you will be on the right track to grow delicious and healthy organic herbs and vegetables.

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