- 1). Look for a sunny garden space with good soil drainage. According to the National Gardening Association, both herbs and vegetables grow best with at least six hours of sunlight per day.
- 2). Weed the garden space, rather than spraying it with synthetic pesticides.
- 3). Apply organic compost to the garden space. According to the National Gardening Association, organic fertilizers, like compost, release nutrients to plants as the plants need them rather than releasing excess nutrients all at once. Organic material also helps improve the drainage and aeration in clay soils and helps overly sandy soils retain more moisture.
- 4). Mix the compost into the garden area to help distribute nutrients throughout the soil and provide aeration for plant roots. Use a garden fork or tiller to mix it in.
- 5). Plant the vegetables and herbs according to the directions on their seed packets or at the same depths as they came in their starter pots.
- 6). Water the newly planted vegetables and herbs to help the soil settle around their roots and to provide moisture to help them grow.
- 7). Continue watering the vegetables and herbs regularly, providing at least an inch of water during hot and dry weeks.
- 8). Add a layer of organic mulch around the base of the plants once seeds grow up out of the ground. Organic mulch breaks down slowly over time, adding even more nutrients to the soil. It also prevents weeds organically by smothering them and helps the soil hold in more moisture during hot summer days.
- 9). Remove weeds by hand, although the mulch should help keep weeds to a minimum.
- 10
Remove pests organically. Pick off large pests, like caterpillars, by hand. Gardeners with slug problems can place dishes of beer around the garden, and slugs will crawl in and drown. Introduce a natural predator of pests. For example, buy ladybugs from a gardening store and introduce them to aphid-infested areas. The EPA suggests biopesticides, which are natural and often organic pest removal methods. For example, baking soda can kill plant mildew and vegetable oils can often smother mites on plant leaves.
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