Growing Organic Food - Tips to Help you Get Started

Do you scour the local farmer’s market to get the freshest fruits and vegetables? As you browse the stands, have you ever gotten the itch to to grow some of your own food to save money and get the freshest food possible? Here are a few tips to help you get started growing your family's food organically.

1. Seeds grow in the soil, but who said that that soil had to be on the ground? Growing fruits and vegetables in containers is a good way to get a sampling of several different plants. Container gardeners can use fertilizer free potting soil as the medium to grow their food.

2. Use natural insect repellants. Mint leaves have been shown to repel ants. Crushing the leaves releases the oils that bother the pest's nervous system. There are pesticides that derive from flowers that can be used to kill some insects. Even sprays made from soaps can kill them. Substances like eucalyptus and camphor have vapors that can be used as natural repellants without harmful effects to the food.

3. Instead of buying that big bag of fertilizer at the store, create your own compost pile. Banana peels can be used as a type of fertilizer due to the potassium they contain. Plants that require an alkaline soil medium can grow with an ammonia and water liquid fertilizer added to the soil.

4. If you are preparing the soil in your yard for organic gardening, determine the type of soil that you have. There are three categories: clay, loam, and sand. Loam is the best, because it holds water, but is easily manageable when you have to till the soil.

5. Choose plants that are perfect for growing in your area. Depending on where you live, certain foods may have a harder time thriving than others. Seed catalogues list under each offering a list of the zones that are favorable for that particular plant. Tips on how to choose the best plants for your garden

6. Collect rain water. You will need to use your hose from time to time, but collecting rain water in barrels will help to lower your water bill. The barrels can be stored in a shed to reduce the rate of evaporation of the water. Visit your local feed and seed store to buy rain collecting devices, or ask around at places like Dunkin' Donuts for plastic buckets with lids (they'll often give these to you for free).

7. Weeds and grass will grow even though you’ve prepared the soil. Weeds and grass compete with your plants and steal the water and nutrients from the soil. The crops must be kept weed and grass free to survive.

Organic gardening can be fun and rewarding. Your dinner table will feature fresher and tastier food without all of the chemicals. Your body, your taste buds and your checkbook will be better off for it.