How to Start an Organic Garden

Organic gardening is a type of ecologically-minded gardening that avoids the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Organic gardeners focus on maintaining soil health and protecting their plants through strategies such as composting, crop rotation, cover crops, companion planting, and integrated pest management (IPM).

Humans have gardened organically for thousands of years, but the concept of organic gardening was developed as a response to what is now known as conventional gardening, a modern system that relies heavily on chemical fertilizers and insecticides. In the early 1900s, English botanist Sir Albert Howard became one of the first Westerners to suggest that farmers and gardeners return to the use of natural fertilizers such as animal manure and compost, after witnessing the success of these traditional farming methods in India. Interest in more natural gardening methods continued to grow along with rising concerns about pesticides and the environment.

Whether you have a large backyard or a few balcony planters, you can use organic gardening practices at home.

1. 1. Determine your climate zone. Organic gardening is all about working with—not against—the natural environment. That starts with an understanding of the crops suited to your climatic region and the season in which to plant them. The USDA maintains a plant hardiness zone map searchable by ZIP code, which divides the country into thirteen zones based on average annual minimum temperature. Find your zone and familiarize yourself with the fruits, vegetables, flowers, and herbs that thrive in it (if you’re outside of the United States, consult international hardiness zone maps). Once you know your climate zone, look up the estimated first and last frost dates so you know the duration of your growing season. Now, when you go to your local garden center, you can look for plants labeled with the number corresponding to your hardiness zone. If you're buying seeds, compare the number of “days to maturity” listed on the seed packet to the length of your growing season.
2. 2. Test your soil. Before starting a garden, get a soil test, which can be obtained for a small fee through your local USDA cooperative extension service office. In addition to identifying the proportions of clay, sand, silt and organic matter in your garden soil, you’ll learn if your pH level is off and whether you have any nutrient deficiencies. You’ll also receive instructions to correct any imbalances. Ask for a test that covers toxic substances that are occasionally found in the soil, such as lead and arsenic. If toxins are found above safe thresholds, do not plant edibles in the soil. Instead, grow food in wooden raised beds with a barrier on the bottom that prevents the roots from getting into the ground below.
3. 3. Choose the ideal garden location. Most flowers and vegetables require several hours of direct sunlight a day, so look for an area that receives enough full sun for what you're growing. Growing plants will also be easier on a flat piece of land that's near a structure that provides some wind cover.
4. 4. Decide what to grow. Use the constraints of your climate zone and your personal preferences to determine what plants you'd like to grow. Do you want a flower garden, vegetable garden, herb garden, container garden, or a combination of several options? Organic gardeners often plant flowers and herbs near their vegetables, to attract pollinators and other beneficial insects. Ask yourself what kind of fruits and vegetables you like to eat⁠⁠, and plant those. Also, take into consideration your available home gardening space. If you only have room for a small garden, it's wise to avoid large plants.
5. 5. Make your garden bed. The first step to creating a garden bed is clearing away the existing vegetation. Weeds may be pulled by hand. Just make sure you get the roots so they don’t resprout. If you’re starting with a lawn, you may want to rent a gas-powered sod cutter to remove the grass. Then you need to prepare your plating space. To maintain soil health, most organic gardeners prefer not to till unless it’s absolutely necessary—digging can disrupt life beneath the topsoil (from worms to beetles to bacteria), which isn’t ideal. Instead try no-till gardening: Once you’ve removed the debris and grass away, spread a thick layer of compost on the growing area (at least four inches thick). If your weeds are particularly stubborn, you can also try sheet mulching, or the process of using cardboard to compost weeds while preserving soil structure. It’s best if the beds you create are no more than 4 feet wide so you can reach into the center without stepping onto the soft soil and compacting it, undoing all your hard work.
6. 6. Direct-seed or transplant. Now that you have a beautiful garden bed or container, it’s time to start planting. There are two main methods for getting plants into the soil: planting seeds directly in the ground (known as direct-seeding or direct-sowing) or transplanting baby plants. Growing plants from seed is generally cheaper, but requires more patience, while transplanting provides instant gratification. Many home gardeners opt for a mix, planting some crops from seed and purchasing some transplants at a trusted organic garden center.
7. 7. Add mulch. By covering the soil with rocks (which can keep the soil moist and warm) and organic matter, weeds have a hard time germinating and the earth is kept cool and moist. Worms and other beneficial soil creatures love mulch; as it decays, it becomes fuel for the soil food web, just like compost. It’s important to match the right type of mulch with each crop. Wood chips are ideal for fruit trees, shrubs, perennial flowers, and other large, long-lived plants. Dainty vegetables prefer less weighty mulch such as straw or leaves.
8. 8. Start a compost pile. Composting is an organic way to add nutrients and beneficial microorganisms to your garden soil, while recycling garden and food waste. You can purchase compost from your local garden center, or you can start your own compost pile by collecting organic materials like leaves, food scraps, and grass clippings in a pile or bin. Turning the compost regularly will keep the microbes happy, and in a few months, you’ll have a nutrient-rich substance that you can apply to your garden beds or containers to maintain healthy soil.
9. 9. Water sufficiently. Typically during the growing season, plants require about an inch of water per week. If there hasn't been rainfall, make sure you're providing a sufficient amount of water. To eliminate guesswork, an easy way to check if plants are thirsty is to simply stick your finger two inches deep into the soil. If it feels dry, then it's most likely time to water. And remember, most plants are better off slightly dry than sopping wet. Too much water can cause harmful root rot. When watering, your goal is to make the soil moist but not soggy. It’s generally recommended to water plants in the morning, when the sun is less strong, to prevent the water from immediately evaporating.
10. 10. Plant cover crops. As the weather cools down, it’s time to plant cover crops. Cover crops are fast-growing, cold-hardy plants used to maintain soil health during the off winter. Their roots keep soil in the ground, preventing soil erosion and locking in moisture. Some of the most popular cover crops are legumes, which have the added benefit of increasing the availability of nitrogen in the soil. In the spring, mow down your cover crop to reveal healthy, weed-free soil ready for the new season’s plantings.

Because organic gardening is done without chemical fertilizers or synthetic pesticides or herbicides, organic gardeners have developed other ways to manage the disease and pest problems that plague all growers.

1. 1. Rotate your crops. Crop rotation is the practice of moving your crops to new locations each year. It’s one of the easiest ways to maintain soil health and avoid pest and disease issues. Planting the same crop in the same location year after year will not only deplete the soil of nutrients but can also encourage pests and diseases to proliferate. Organic gardeners look to the edible part of plants (fruit, root, stem, or leaf) to identify their main nutrient needs (nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium) and to the plant’s family to avoid spreading disease. For example, an organic gardener might plant tomatoes (fruiting plants in the nightshade family that require lots of nitrogen) one year followed by carrots (root vegetables in the celery family that do not require much nitrogen) the next. Because they are in different plant families, any diseases or pests that may have affected the tomatoes likely won’t be passed onto the carrots.
2. 2. Practice integrated pest management. Integrated pest management (IPM) is a holistic system used by organic gardeners that recognizes that pests are a natural part of a garden, while still keeping them in check. This process involves identifying the pests, assessing the damage, and then choosing the appropriate cultural, biological, mechanical, or chemical solution. Cultural IPM strategies include choosing plant varieties that are disease- or pest-resistant and timing plantings to avoid pests (many insects have a “season,” just like plants). Biological solutions include introducing predators that will eliminate the problem insect, for example, introducing ladybugs to a plant covered in aphids. Mechanical pest management strategies, such as plucking slugs off your plants or installing a deer fence, can be very effective but are often time-consuming. Using chemicals is the last resort, but there are some effective organic insecticides, such as neem oil.
3. 3. Attract beneficial insects. Flowers like alyssum and cosmos aren’t just pretty to look at: They can attract beneficial insects to your garden. Plants need pollinators to thrive, and some predatory insects can become powerful partners in pest management. For a quick fix, you can buy beneficial insects such as ladybugs and praying mantises from a garden center or online, but keep in mind that if conditions aren’t ideal, the bugs will leave.
4. 4. Keep your garden tidy. Prune your plants regularly to remove dead or decaying stems and leaves, and to maintain airflow between plants. If plants become overgrown, they can attract fungal spores and spread diseases to each other. Quickly removing diseased leaves (and disposing of them in the trash, not the compost) can help prevent the spread of disease in the garden.
5. 5. Try companion planting. Companion planting is a broad term for planting different crops next to each other for mutual benefit. Companion plants can provide many useful functions including attracting pollinators, repelling pests, providing shade, adding nutrients to the soil, and suppressing weeds.

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