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In this article, you’ll learn…

I know it’s a LOT to take in, so skip ahead to the topics that interest you most by clicking on the bullets!

• Garden Safety
• Types of Gardens
• Choosing Plants
• Garden Planning
• Starting from Seeds
• Gardening with Cuts
• Getting to Know Your Soil
• Compost
• Preparing Soil
• Watering
• Mulching
• Weeding
• Pests
• Harvesting

Gardening Beginner’s Starter Guide

Organic gardening 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.

People who have started their own organic gardens have learned that organic gardening doesn’t have to be expensive or require lots of 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!

Start with Garden Safety

Before you get too excited about starting your garden, just remember that gardening requires some essential tools, and being outdoors can present its own dangers too.

So you don’t injure yourself while trying to grow amazing plants, you’ll want to review some safety guidelines to keep in mind while gardening.

Follow Instructions

Keep yourself safe by always following instructions.  It’s important to follow the instructions on your chemicals (if you choose to use them) and tools closely.

Garden chemicals can cause skin irritation and eye injury and tools (especially motorized, or electrically-powered ones) can cause serious bodily harm if you don’t know how to use them.

Of course, a great way to avoid any danger with chemicals is to not use them altogether (I mean, that is what organic gardening is after all!). Just be sure you know the proper use of anything you choose to use in your garden. 

Knee Pads

Protecting your knees while gardening is really important too. If your garden includes low-growing plants, it might be worth it to invest in a set of knee pads specifically designed for gardening.

And this isn’t just for those more mature in years. Trust me, if you’ve had any experience spending a good chunk of time out in the garden, you will appreciate the value of a pair of good knee pads. Getting a portable garden stool can also help with this. 

Tools for Heavy Lifting

Gardening can sometimes involve some heavy lifting and moving, so investing in a quality wheelbarrow can save your body a ton in the long run!

In other words, don’t make anything harder on your body than it needs to be. The fact is, gardening is a very common hobby and if you feel like you are expending too much of your own physical efforts, there is most likely a tool out there that can help. 

Protect Yourself From the Sun 

Gardening out in the sun can be pretty tough, so make sure you wear clothes that will protect you from the sun.

Applying sunscreen with an adequate SPF level and wearing sunglasses to protect your eyes is also really important.

Wide-brimmed hats are also a great way to protect your scalp when the sun is beating down. These are all very simple things to do, but they make a huge difference in helping you avoid sunburn and the risk of developing skin cancer.

Avoid Infection

Before working in your garden, make sure any cuts on your hands have healed completely, or shield any cuts from contact with chemicals and dirt.

If you have an open cut while gardening, contact with dirt or debris can infect the wound and make things pretty nasty!

Deciding What Kind of Garden You Want

The first thing to consider when starting your organic garden is exactly what type of garden to have. There are many different factors that go into this, and the priorities of a garden will vary from person to person.

Differences can be based 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, broken down into each factor. 

What You Want GROWING In Your Garden

–Herbs  

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 grow like weeds!). Also, consider how much sunlight herbs need if you choose to grow them indoors (they need six hours just like vegetables). 

-Vegetables

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. 

-Fruits

It’s important to consider that many fruits grow on trees. There are of course a variety of fruits that don’t, (including vine-grown grapes, lowbush berries, etc.) but a lot of thought will need to go into spacing.

If you don’t have the space to grow a full-sized tree, there are options such as growing dwarfed versions, or pruning and training trees on a trellis

–Flowers

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. 

What METHOD of Gardening You Want to Use

–Container 

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. 

There are definitely challenges that come with container gardening, too—like making sure you are getting enough nutrients in your soil!

-Raised-Bed

A raised-bed garden is a great choice if your soil conditions are not ideal. Especially if you’re trying to grow a large harvest of vegetables/herbs, starting with a raised garden essentially allows you to build your soil from scratch.

Most raised-beds are contained within four walls of wood, rock, or concrete and can be any length or shape.

-Hydroponics

This is in itself a WHOLE other type of gardening and it is up to debate whether it is really considered “organic” (since, when you usually think of the natural way of growing things, it usually involves dirt).

But it is something I’ve personally been trying out because it’s a relatively easy method that is especially well-suited for cold weather (you can easily set it up in a basement or spare room).

It’s also cost-efficient because it doesn’t involve buying many of the materials you usually need like pots, shovels, dirt, etc.

All you need is some sort of container, water, clay pebbles, rock wool (if you’re starting your own seeds), seeds, and maybe a few other materials (if you’re not doing the Kratky method).

Stay tuned for more info as I continue experimenting with this method— if you’re interested!

-Aquaponic Garden

Aquaponics essentially creates its own ecosystem of fish and plants. The waste created by the fish is what provides the nutrients for the plants.

So in that sense, it is very much organic—but like hydroponics—it’s a less conventional method of gardening. I have yet to experiment with this method so stay tuned for more information on this!

What FORM of Garden You Require

-Xeriscaping/”Localscaping”

This form of gardening is a great choice for anyone living in a desert climate, or one where rainfall is minimal.

Xeriscaping implements styles of landscaping that don’t require a lot of watering. It utilizes rocks and drought-tolerant plants, and because of this is very low-maintenance and water-efficient.

In Utah, they have what they call “localscaping,” which is similar to xeriscaping in that it creates efficient garden spaces that take into account the needs of the specific geography/climate of Utah.

–Victory/Potager/Kitchen Garden

These are all names for a very similar garden. Victory Gardens were implemented during World War I +II as a way for each citizen to do their part by growing enough of their own food.

Victory gardens, as well as kitchen and potager gardens grow plants with the purpose of providing food. In many cases, this is a mixture of herbs, vegetables, and maybe even fruits/flowers.

What STYLE of Garden You Prefer

There are so many different styles of gardens you can choose to incorporate into your space, but here is just a (non-exhaustive) list of some of the styles out there:

• English + Cottage Garden
• Japanese Garden
• Mediterranean
• Modern Garden
• Tropical Garden
• Eco-Friendly Garden
• Traditional Garden
• Wildlife Garden
• Formal Garden
• Coastal Garden
• City + Coastal Garden

The best way to determine what style best fits your space is to turn to the architectural styles already built into your home or buildings that will be surrounding your garden space.

If your home was built with French architectural elements, it would best complement your home to bring some of those French elements into your garden.

It might take some research and time to accurately place your home into a specific style, but it will really help to give a more cohesive look to your garden and home.

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 fruits/vegetables/herbs so you can feed your family off of your harvest? Some plants will work better to serve your specific needs.

-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.

-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. Trusted variations of climbers are honeysuckle, jasmine, clematis, wisteria and climbing roses.

Garden Plan/ Placement 

Before jumping right in and planting your garden, devise a plan. This will help you remember where you planted different plants when sprouts begin to shoot up from the ground. 

Many people like to take measurements of their lot too so they can accurately sketch out where each plant is going. Graph paper usually works best for this. 

It’s also a good idea to start a garden journal so you can keep track of what you planted where, when, and keep track of their specific needs. 

Start From Seed/Seedlings

When considering how to start your organic garden, just keep in mind that the most environmentally friendly way of beginning is from seed. 

Many nurseries use plastic growing pots that aren’t always recycled and just end up in landfills. To avoid this, you can buy from organic nurseries and farms so you make less of an environmental footprint. It will not only help the earth, but it’ll also save you money too since transplants have high failure rates!

Prepare Your Seeds

Before planting seeds, soak them overnight. Place some seeds into a small container, then fill it with water until it’s almost to the top. Then place them in a cupboard or other place where they won’t be exposed to light. Soaking them overnight like this will give them a healthy head-start in the growth process and give them a better shot at survival once they’re planted.

Vegetables such as peas have a better chance of survival when their seeds are started indoors as opposed to outside, exposed to the elements. Seeds will always germinate much better when you plant them indoors first. After sprouting occurs, you don’t need to keep seeds as warm. Your seedlings should be moved away from any heat source.

After you’ve grown them indoors, you can then transplant them to your organic garden once they become seedlings. This really increases the survival rate of young plants and it also helps you stick to a tighter, cleaner planting schedule. The seedlings are ready to be planted as soon as you’ve removed the older plants.

Gardening with Cuts 

If you are gardening with a cut, make sure that you adequately protect it from dirt and chemicals. Cuts that are infiltrated by soil or other substances have the potential to breed serious infections.

Adjust Your Plants

It’s also important to give your plants the chance to gradually adjust to the change in temperature and conditions, or you risk shocking them. Try placing them outside in sunlight for about an hour or maybe two the first day. As the week progresses, gradually increase the time they’re left outside. Once the transition is complete, your plants will become better at tolerating the conditions outside.

As your seedlings start coming in, it’s also a good practice to thin some of them out to allow other seedlings the room they need to grow. 

Get to Know Your Soil

Check the soil before you plant anything in your organic garden and get a soil analysis if you need one. Many nurseries offer a soil analysis service, which will tell you what nutrients your soil is lacking and what you can do about it. 

You can also find your nearest Cooperative Extension office to help you with this if you’ve never done it before. If your soil needs a supplement, make sure it’s added before you start planting. 

Depending on the type of plants you want in your organic garden, your natural soil may or may not work. For special requirements, you can build separate areas with soil that’s right for certain plants.

Clay Soil Tips

Shoveling clay is very difficult since the clay is so hard and sticks to the shovel. If there isn’t anything you can do to improve soil conditions, try rubbing a thin coat of floor or car wax on the shovel, then buff it with a nice clean cloth to make dealing with clay soil easier. This also prevents rust. 

Alkaline Soil Tips

If your test says your soil is very alkaline, you can mix the dirt with used coffee grounds. Coffee grounds add acidity to the soil and are very cheap. Balanced soil will produce more flavorful, crisp vegetables and greens.

Compost 

Almost all soils need organic matter to provide the nutrients necessary for growing healthy plants. Unlike normal fertilizer, compost slowly releases nutrients over time and helps the soil retain moisture. 

You can either create your own compost or buy some from your local garden center. It does take time to allow things to decompose to make your own compost, so if you don’t already have some ready it may just be easier to buy some from the store. 

After adding compost to the soil, all you have to do is cover it with newspaper (to retain the nutrients) and turn the soil at the end of the growing season to add organic materials regularly. 

Create Your Own Compost

Where Do I Store It?

There are many ways you can create your compost and a variety of bins to do it in. 

You can get a bin with a lid or an open one. You can get one that rotates or one that is stationary. Whatever your choice of bin, just make sure it fits nicely into your garden space. 

You’ll also want to keep in mind that you’ll need to be able to turn your heap and allow it to get heated enough to speed up the composting process too (so maybe you can get one with a top that can go on and off easily). You can find some really good ones below>

What Makes Good Compost?

To make a healthy compost, use equal parts nitrogen/carbon in your compost pile. 

Steps to Creating Your Compost Pile

1. Add woody material first at the base of your pile to help circulate air.

2. Then, you can alternate between adding moist and dry material.

3. You’ll want to poke holes if you have a bag to help with circulation and keep it covered so the heat helps speed up the process. 

4. Every few weeks, go out and turn your pile to incorporate more oxygen to speed up the process.

5. Water your pile occasionally to keep it moist (you DON’T want it soggy).

What NOT to Add to Your Compost

• It’s so important NOT to add cooked food to your compost! This can attract pests! Also, only add manure if you know what you’re doing—your compost can end up breeding pathogens if you don’t! 
• Also watch out for diseased plants or fruit peels that may contain pesticides (including bananas, oranges, and peaches)! You DO NOT want these in your compost piles because they’ll just spread the diseases and pesticides to your other plants. 
• DO NOT add any sort of meat, bone, or fish to your piles either!

Upkeep Your Compost 

Be sure to turn your materials in your heap to incorporate air to speed up the composting process every so often. Heaps that get too moist can slow the process significantly. The heat helps the pile to compost faster, so it’s best if you can cover it too. 

When Your Compost Is Done

Your compost can be done in as quickly as six months if you start in the summer, or another good way to tell if it’s done is just to see if it’s nice and dark and has a crumbly soil-like texture to it. 

When you’re ready to use it, take the compost from the very bottom of the pile. 

Prepare the Soil 

You don’t need to rush the process once you’re ready to sow seeds in your organic garden. It’s really so important that you’ve taken the previous two steps to make sure you have nutrient-rich soil that will keep your plants happy.

Once you’re good to go with your soil you’ll need to moisten the soil and spread the seeds evenly, making sure they have enough room to grow (you’ll need to know how big they get when they’re mature). Look at how big the seeds are and multiply that by three to know how far down to plant them. Some seeds you won’t have to bury because they need light in order to grow (just pay attention to what’s written on your seed packet). You’ll want to pat down the soil with your hands after planting to make sure the plant is firmly in place. 

Water 

Once you have your seedlings planted, give them a little more water to give the soil a chance to settle around the roots. 

Your watering schedule should flow with the seasons and be adjustable according to climate.  If you have four seasons, you won’t need to be watering in the winter, and not nearly as much in the fall as you would in summer. If you live in a climate with a rainy season, you obviously won’t need to water as much then either. 

Depending on whether it’s morning, noon or night, the chemical composition of your local water supply and soil type can also determine how much water you need to use (you can get test kits to find out the chemical composition of your water).

Make sure to water your garden properly. Use a soaker hose so you don’t have to keep watering plants individually with a water can or hose. 

Don’t over-water your plants, and keep the soil around them aerated. Parasites and pests are attracted to excess moisture on plants. Not only this, when you water too much, you can actually harm your plants by essentially drowning them and not allowing their roots to get the nutrients they need. A good way to avoid this is to check weather stations to see if it’ll rain later in the day before watering your outdoor plants.

Mulching 

Once planted, you should cover your soil with around three inches of organic mulch. Mulch is awesome because it not only adds nutrients and helps the soil retain moisture, it also keeps weeds from taking over (your knees and back will thank the mulch for this!!). 

Weeding 

Make sure to keep weeds from taking over your organic garden. These pests don’t need much to survive and can overpower the plants you actually want in your garden. 

For tips on how to organically and safely eliminate weeds from your organic garden, read our guide HERE. 

Keeping Your Plants Pest-Fee

Along with making sure your plants are watered according to their instructions and keeping weeds out, be sure to check your plants regularly for bug infestations. Stink bugs especially become a problem in the fall. They like fruits, as well as peppers, beans and tomatoes. Stink bugs may get out of hand and do significant damage to your garden. 

Read more about natural pesticides in our article HERE.

Harvesting Time!

Every vegetable has a “perfect” time to be picked to capture the very BEST flavor. For example, zucchini and baby peas are best picked young. However, you get better taste out of tomatoes that have ripened as much as possible while still on their vine. Take the time to learn the perfect time to harvest the vegetables in your garden. 

When it’s time to pick the vegetables, keep in mind the warmth of the day can make vegetables soft and more prone to damage as you pick them. Twisting off vegetables also causes damage to the plant, so you’ll want to make sure you always snip them at the base of the vine.

Summary 

That wasn’t too bad, right? Obviously, there’s a lot more detail you can dive into with any of these steps but this is a great place to start. Be sure to stay tuned for even more resources to help you start your organic garden on the right foot!