Deciding On Your Organic Site
So how do you decide on the best site for your organic garden? Very often the climate or region in which you live as well as the soil will determine where best to have your organic garden and the size of your garden.
Site, when deciding the best site for your organic garden it should have good sunlight and a good supply of water especially in hot weather. A good supply of water near to your plot will make it more convenient and manageable for you to maintain your organic garden. Ideally your site should have soil that is well drained, moist and have plenty of organic matter including compost and peat moss making this soil very fertile. Where possible you should also look for a site that is near bushes, shrubs and pre-existing wild trees because the soil in this area then to be more fertile.
Climate, the area in which you live will have a great deal of impact on your chosen site the for your organic garden, which in turn will determine what you can or cannot grow. For instance, if you live in a very cold region your plant will need less water because plants absorb less water in cold climate. Over watering will cause your plant to become disease prone. You will also need to find sheltered places for your plants as the cold dry winds will damage to your plants. On the other hand if you live in a very hot climate you will need to ensure your plants are watered regularly to prevent them drying out or dying. If however the climate in your region is very dry, then you would need to plant the crops in a wind-protected area so that your young seedlings are not dried up due to the hot dry winds.
The altitude in which you reside also determines the amount of sunshine your garden will receive, because the sun shines at different times of the year in different climatic conditions. For instance, if you are in the southern region your garden will receive the strongest sunlight. Organic vegetables such as spinach and lettuce do not need a lot of sunlight so can be planted in areas where there is adequate amount of sunlight for them to grow. On the other hand, if you live in an area where the climate is extremely hot with too much sunlight you would not grow cold season vegetables such as peas, you would need to find a shady spot for this.
The size of your organic garden will of course depend on the space you have and what size garden you want or whether you are using a community allotment. You will also need to be realistic about what you can grow, the time you have to spend in your garden and the climate in which you live . Overall, your organic garden need good fertile soil in order for your plants to flourish. But before you contemplate what you intend to grow in your garden there is one other important thing you need to consider and this is mapping out the size of your garden.
Size Of Your Garden
How do you decide the size of your garden?
Before you start your organic garden it a good idea to map out the area in your garden you intend to use and visualise how your garden will look. You will need a measuring tape, a pencil and paper, and somebody to assist you with the calculations. You will need to sketch the main features of your property by drawing the outlines of the property lines and any other buildings on your property.
If the distances are longer then measure the distance between each stride and multiply it by the number of strides it takes to cover the longer distance. Also, make a rough sketch of all the windows and rooms in the exterior of the house and make a note of your water availability and electricity supply on your property.
You should then note where most of the sunlight falls and which areas are permanently shaded and when rain falls where the water drains towards. Also note where the land around your garden has a slope and where it is flat.
Record where most of the sunlight falls during the day and which areas gets most it. You can also water the soil and make a note of where the water stays for longer and where it drains quickly. Also, look to see where any natural vegetation is already present in the garden and where it is not. All these factors will assist you in deciding what to plant and where when the time eventually comes for planting.
If after you have assess the size of your garden and you do not have enough space, there are other methods you can use for growing your organic vegetables. You could consider using raised bed, using crates which will accommodate more plants or using flower pots, tubs and a variety of other containers. My suggestion however is to start on a smaller scale for your organic garden until you become more confident then expand as you go along. For instance, my first attempts at starting my organic garden I began with strawberries, tomatoes, cucumber and carrots until I became more confident.
OK, now that you have mapped out the size of your garden the next thing you will need to do decide is what to grow.
What To Grow
The choice of what to grow will of course depends on the time of the year. For example, if you are planning the garden in spring or late winter then you have the option of growing a number of plants such as Winter Cabbage, Kale, Brussels Sprouts, Onions, Shallots and others but during the summer and autumn, you need to be careful about the onset of winter during which plants find it hard to survive. Therefore, you should only plant vegetables that are either cold resistant or those which would be harvested before the onset of winter.
Likewise, your geographical location will also determine the choice of what to grow. If you live in places with low sunlight, you will have to plant vegetables that do well in low sunlight and vice versa. The space that you have available for gardening also plays a role. Having a small garden means that you cannot grow many of the popular vegetables such as potatoes, squash and lemon since they take up a lot of space and over time these plants grow extremely large and therefore need to be planted with greater distances, which would take up your space.
So after deciding what you would like to grow in your organic garden the next thing you will need to consider is crop rotation.
Rotating Your Crop
In order to get the best out of your organic garden from the site you have chosen and you have now started planting and yielding a crop, the next thing you will need to consider is Crop Rotation. This is essential for ensuring the health of the soil and reduce the chances of the plant contracting a disease. With Crop rotation after a set number of years you change the types of plants that you plant in your garden. This rotation can be seasonal or yearly depending on the area you live and soil conditions.
Crop rotation also ensure that the soil in your organic garden is not the only source of nutrition for your plants. As you rotate crops with different nutrition requirements, some of the soil's nutrients would be used up while others would be conserves. Then by adding organic materials as fertilisers and plant waste will keep making the soil richer in nutrition.
As you rotate the crops some nutrients would be preserved, and others used up. When the next rotation cycle arrives, the soil will have fresh nutrients available for the new crop you will be growing. Rotation also prevents soil erosion and prevents the need of replacing soiling every season.
I do hope this has given you a better understanding of how to choose the site for your organic garden.