Growing Organic Vegetables

Visualize yourself picking fresh green peas, juicy cherry tomatoes and using them to make a creamy pea and tomato risotto. Think how much better the risotto will taste, when you have handpicked the choicest vegetables from your garden that are organically grown. There is something so divine in being able to grow your own vegetables that is free of harmful chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Store brought vegetables are never fresh and they do not taste as good as the one's that you can grow at home. You must have often envied your green thumbed friend, who always has parsnips and lettuces growing in her backyard and who generously gives you some when you visit her home. You too can grow organic vegetables at home, with just a bit of patience and time.

Before we discuss organic vegetable growing, we will need to know the meaning of the word organic. Organic food is any such food that is allowed to grow naturally without adding chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Is organic food better for you and more healthy? It most definitely is. All store brought vegetables and fruits that are not labeled as "organic" have loads of synthetic chemicals and fertilizers used for their growth and to keep off pests. These vegetables are therefore greatly altered in taste and do not have any of the natural flavors that they are supposed to have. So the decision of organic gardening for your home is a very wise one.

How to Grow Organic Vegetables at Home

Even if you have a small patch of land in your backyard, you can try organic vegetable growing. Those of you who stay in apartments, need not fret, I have given details about growing organic vegetables in pots. Here we will discuss how to grow organic vegetables in a garden.

The first step is to purchase organic seeds. If you are unable to find any organic vegetable seeds in your local nursery or greenhouse, then you can order them online. Now choose the kind of vegetables that you want to grow. Some good vegetables for first time gardeners are beans, squash, potatoes, lettuces, peas and tomatoes. These vegetables are quite low maintenance and you will not have much problem in growing them.

The next step in growing an organic vegetable garden is to find the right soil. Not any kind of soil is right for planting vegetables. You need a good soil that is mixed with organic compost. An organic compost will provide your plants with all necessary nutrients needed for is proper growth. A good organic garden tip is to make your own organic compost. Just save up all the vegetable and fruit peels that your family consumes and mix it with the soil. Within a week or two, the peels will get decomposed with the soil and your organic compost is ready. Level the soil of your garden and divide the garden into four or five sections for growing different vegetables.

Now that you have prepared the soil for growing organic vegetables, it is time to plant the seeds. Prepare the soil by digging with a spade. This will aerate the soil and also provide proper drainage. Choose easy to grow vegetables for organic vegetable garden. Some vegetable seeds like potatoes, onions, parsnips and tomatoes can be planted directly on the ground. Other plants like snap peas, beans and cherry tomatoes first need to be planted indoors in small pots and kept in the windowsill to allow the seeds to germinate. When the seedlings are developed, carefully take the seedling out of the pot and replant in your garden. Once the replanting is done, water the plants regularly. Some plants that are climbers will require a support to grow. So stick in some tall wooden poles for them to climb up in.

How to Grow Organic Vegetables in Pots

For those of us who do not have the luxury of living in a sprawling house that comes with a garden, growing organic vegetables in pots and containers is the next best option. For this you need medium to large sized pots, (terracotta pots work well) and then you need to make sure that there are holes at the bottom for drainage. You can also use discarded cans, wooden crates and containers instead of pots for planting your vegetables. Container gardening for vegetables is very popular and small pots and containers can be used for growing cherry tomatoes, spring onions, organic herbs, spinach and bell peppers. Larger containers can be used for growing vegetables like cabbages, squash, pumpkins and cucumbers. Use potting soil mixed with organic compost and make sure that the seeds or plants get adequate sunlight by placing them in the balcony or terrace.

Growing vegetables is a lot of fun and there is no joy greater than seeing something grow that you have lovingly cared for. There are many benefits of organic farming and the most important one is that you are eating fruits and vegetables that are completely free of harmful chemicals and pesticides. Try organic vegetable growing and enjoy a delicious salad or a tasty vegetable stew by using your very own home grown organic vegetables.