A lot of the information I read on how to organic garden seems to get way more technical than is necessary to grow your own food in your back yard. Yes, raised beds and hoop houses are great, but if someone is just starting with this gardening thing it can be overwhelming.
If you feel like you barely have time to plant a garden you may give up before you start if you think you have to build trellis', neat little garden fences and just right garden paths. All that looks good in the pictures, but it is not necessary to feed your family.
What do you need to get started?
To start a garden you will need dirt. Makes sense doesn't. Actually, you will need a plot in your yard that is in the sun most of the day, does not sit in the lowest part of the yard where it will be wet all the time and will add to looks of your yard, not distract.
If you do not have a friend with a rototiller, there is an easy way to get your organic garden started. It is best to start the fall before the spring you plan to plant your garden.
Stake out your garden plot and cover the ground with several layers of newspapers, better than throwing them in the trash. Wet these down with water and cover with an old blanket, carpet, or leaves from the yard, whatever, to keep the paper in place and not allow any light to get onto the soil below.
What we want to do is kill all the grass in our garden plot so we will not have to fight with it for two or three more years. Trust me, grass has a strong will to survive.
When spring arrives
Early in the spring, long before you are ready to plant, remove the newspaper and whatever is covering it. Keep the paper if it has not decomposed and use it later for mulch. The reason is, if you do not remove the covering the soil will not dry out until the middle of summer and will be hard to work with.
As soon as the soil dries enough to turn over without making clods it is time to begin getting your hands dirty. Either, have that friend with the rototiller come by, or get out the trusty shovel (I really prefer a good garden fork) and spade up the soil. If you spade the garden, give it a few rain falls to loosen the soil before planting.
Finish soil prep
If you do not have a compost pile started you will need to purchase a few bags of compost from your local garden center. Put about an inch of compost on the surface of the garden and work into the top of the soil. Now you are ready to plant.
If you follow the above advice you can learn how to organic garden in your back yard, and then, you can start to add all the other features as you grow with your organic garden.
Pick up a free organic gardening newsletter just by clicking here now. A website that has more info can be found at http://solutionsfororganicgardening.com/
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