Organic horticulture is gaining popularity and more people are learning that produce treated with chemicals and pesticides are damaging to the environment and a person’s health. Those who have started their own organic gardens have come to learn that organic gardening is also cheap and requires very little equipment. If you’re looking for similar benefits in your life, you’ll want to follow this basic guide to get you started on your own organic garden!

What Kind of Garden Do You Want? 

The first thing to consider when starting your organic garden is exactly what type of garden to have. This varies depending on the size of the plot you have to work with, as well as the purpose you have in mind for your garden (i.e. flower garden for flower cutting or for throwing outdoor events, vegetable gardens for homegrown, organic food). These are just some basic types of gardens to consider. 

–Vegetable Garden

Vegetables require a spot where they can get about six hours of sun every day. Although there are ways of vegetable gardening that will allow you to grow lots in small spaces (hydroponics, container, using climbing vegetables, etc.) you’ll usually want ample space so your plants have space to grow. 

–Container Garden 

This is a great option if you don’t have a lot of space for your garden, or if you’d like a lot of variety in your garden. It’s easy to play around with different positioning and colors when all you have to do is move your containers around! You also lessen your risk of soil-borne disease and make weed control tons easier. Not only that, if your winters are harsh, containers make it easy to bring plants inside to keep them alive. 

–Herb Garden 

These do great both indoors and outdoors. Just be sure to consider how much space certain herbs will need. If you’re considering planting mint, for instance, it’d be a good idea to keep it in a container (they’ll grow like crazy!). Also, consider how much sunlight herbs need if you choose to grow them indoors (they need six hours just like vegetables). 

–English Garden

English gardens work best with a variety of plant types and lengths in the same flower bed. If you use plants of similar heights, you’ll end up with a pretty boring and flat-looking bed, so just be prepared for a variety of flowers to research and plan for. 

–Flower Garden

You’ll want a variety of flowers to keep your flower garden colorful and interesting too. Annuals and biennials can add excitement and interest to your flower garden every season. Biennials and annuals are fast-growing, and they allow you to brighten up your flower bed with a change for each season. They can make a handy, gap-filler between shrubs and perennials in sunny areas. Notable varieties include cosmos, rudbeckia, petunia, hollyhock, marigold, and sunflower.

Flower gardens require a fair amount of planning, as you’ll want to consider blooming times for different varieties and make sure they coordinate with the right flowers you want to bloom together. 

Choose Your Plants 

When choosing your plants you should consider every part of their function in your garden. Will they be adding to the aesthetic appeal of a flower garden? Are you expecting them to bear large amounts of vegetables and herbs so you can feed your family off of your harvest? Some plants will work better to serve your specific needs.

-Soil Type 

Naturally, you’ll have more success growing plants that already do well in your type of soil.

You can easily get a soil analysis (you can request one at most nurseries) to see the pH level and type of soil you have. Soil test kits are also available at most gardening stores if you want to just do it yourself. You can read more about this in our article, “Organic Garden Planting for Beginners!”

-Native Plants 

Walk around your neighborhood and ask your neighbors or local plant nurseries what they’ve had success growing. Planting native plants will make your gardening success so much easier—especially if this is your first time!

-Local Climate 

Knowing the climate of your geographic area will help you understand what kinds of weather your plant will be required to endure. If your climate tends toward hot, dry summers and very cold winters, you’ll probably need to find cold and drought-tolerant plants to have the most success.

There is such a thing as microclimates, but that’s a story for another article!

-Hardiness Zone

You’ll want to choose plants that do well in your geographic area as well. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has put together a map that distinguishes each “hardiness zone,” and can tell you which hardiness zone you live in.

Seeds or seedlings you pick out should have this zone included on their label so you can make sure the plants you choose will be planted in their optimal environment. This works hand-in-hand with knowing your area’s climate.

-Yard Conditions

If your yard is covered in shade or has very poor soil, don’t worry! There are actually certain plants that do really well in these conditions.

For shady conditions, you’ll want to look at plants like Boxwood, Hosta, Geum, Japanese maples, Heucheras, Heucherella, Trollius, Jack Frost, Golden Yew, Japanese Holly, Ogon, Evergold.

For poor soil, try Blue Fescue, Red Orache, Sea Kale, Creeping Rosemary, Curry Plant, Lavender, California Poppy, Sweet Alyssum, Heartsease, Marigold, Cotton Lavender, or Annual Clary.

–High Yields 

Plants that result in a larger yield should be higher on your priority list when planning your garden. In most circumstances, a cold-tolerant or disease-resistant hybrid is designed to produce more when compared to a more traditional variety. 

–Who is Your Garden For?

Another important consideration is who will be spending time in your garden and what purpose it will need to serve for them.

Will it be a hobby specifically for you? Will it be a way to beautify your backyard so you have a welcoming environment when you invite over house guests? Will it be a space for your pets to run free? What will your family members’ relationship be with your garden?

If you have children and hope to spend time outdoors with them, plant some everbearing strawberries. This gives kids a chance to have fun picking fruit from your garden. Incentivizing with a treat at the end can also convince them to help with the planting!

–Privacy/Covering Up Undesirable Features

When planning what to plant in your garden, take time to evaluate what features you may already have. Do you have an extremely boxy-shaped yard that you want to add some life to? The key here is to accentuate the favorable attributes of your yard and downplay or even hide what attributes may not work in your favor.

Don’t worry if you’ve got an ugly fence or a wall that just can’t seem to stay clean. Use climbers to cover walls and fences. Climbing foliage is a great way to disguise unsightly features on your property (including walls or fences), sometimes in the span of just one season. They also work to cover up old, and possibly dead, vegetation. Some must be tied to supports, but some climbers use twining stems or tendrils and attach themselves to those surfaces. They can also grow through existing shrubs or trees, or be trained to cover an arbor. Trusted variations of climbers are honeysuckle, jasmine, clematis, wisteria and climbing roses.

Summary

As you can tell, there are a lot of things to consider when deciding what to plant in your garden. Make sure you put a lot of thought into deciding what would work best for you and your garden’s needs. In our next article, we’ll go over next steps for getting your seeds planted!