Developing an organic vegetable garden should be considered as much more than just a hobby. They play an important role in safeguarding our environment and they help to develop a sustainable environment. You do not need a large cultivated plot of land to develop an organic vegetable garden; you can develop it in a small space, even in a city, with minimal effort.

It is very inexpensive to develop and maintain an organic vegetable garden; however, the yield you are obtaining from it will be comparatively high and the quality will be the very best. The concept of organic vegetable gardening is based on the knowledge and methods followed over millenniums. In general, terms, developing organic vegetable gardens is a slow process; however, the yield will be more stable and abundant.

Organic vegetable gardens can be defined as the gardens for which we are not using synthetic fertilizers and related products such as pesticides. Ideally, organic manures and composts are used instead of synthetic fertilizers. In addition, the leguminous plants can be planted all around the garden to facilitate nitrogen supply with the help of the biological process called nitrogen fixation. Nitrogen fixation is being done by the nitrogen-fixing bacterium Rhizobium leguminosarum that is present in the root nodules of many leguminous plants. The main concept of organic gardening is to feed the soil with organic materials; in turn, the soil will fertilize the plants.

You may be wondering what are the uses for developing organic gardens? There are many uses. First, in contrast to non-organic gardens, organic gardens do not pollute the environment. Second, the vegetables harvested from the organic vegetable garden are nutritious! Third, many farmers claim that the vegetables harvested from organic vegetable gardens are very tasty. Lastly, the vegetable plants of organic gardens grow healthy and they are resistant to many plant diseases. In addition, an organic vegetable garden saves you money on vegetables which can now be homegrown.

Organic fertilizers can be prepared using organic waste materials such as animal wastes (e.g. cow dung and fish heads), plant wastes (e.g. decaying plant matter, dried leaves, grass clippings), and kitchen scraps. Composts are very useful organic fertilizers; especially the vermicomposts which are the best organic fertilizers and soil conditioners. These types of composts are prepared by using a unique species of earthworm.

Organic gardens in general, can be developed to cultivate various cash crops that yield flowers, fruits, and vegetables. Be sure to visit and tend to your organic garden periodically in order to take notice of and to eliminate any plant diseases. If you do find any diseased plants, you need to take immediate action. There are various organic pesticides available on the market which you can use for your organic vegetable garden or for whatever type of organic garden you are cultivating. You should handle all pesticides carefully as overdosing or too frequent use may kill even the beneficial insects.

Beverly Clarke manages a network of green living websites offering helpful information and tips on alternative fuels, greenhouse gardening and sustainable development

Dove Tree or Davidia - Wherever dependably hardy (a specimen at Arnold Arboretum, Boston, blooms periodically), an exotic tree, with big white bracts amidst heart-shaped leaves in springtime. Involves specialized attention, but is worthy of the effort.

Franklinia or Gordonia - Like the dove tree, also necessitating special care. Single, camellia-like, cream-white flowers bloom in late summertime and keep going until frost. Foliage is colorful in autumn. Barely holding up through winters around Boston, this is dependably hardy from New York City southwards.

Fringe Tree - Large shrub or small tree, with downlike, white blooms coming out with unfolding foliage in later springtime. Displays strikingly against evergreens.

Ginkgo - Among the finest, very sturdy and slow growing displaying an intriguing form. Also known as maidenhair tree, it transplants well. An upright variant, the Sentry Gingko, will impart accent.

Golden-Chain Tree or Laburnum - Small ornamental tree with pendulous, wisteria-like, golden flowers in springtime. It will draw in a great deal of attention in a large-scale plant box.

Golden-Rain Tree or Koelreuteria - One of few yellow-flowering trees for the North. Compound leaves are highlighted by erect panicles in midsummer, succeeded by pods that modify through many colors. Golden rain stands firm against drought.

Hawthorns - Numerous varieties, with splashy red, pink, or white flowers in springtime. Spectacular is the English hawthorn, including the red Paul's Scarlet and Arnold hawthorn displaying white flower bundles. Washington thorn features gleaming red berries in autumn.

Hollies - Pyramidal broad-leaved evergreens with bountiful foliage and bright red berries. American holly is hardier than English, however both have varieties with varicolored leaves and yellow or orange berries.

Japanese Maple - All stand firm with ceremonial pruning. Japanese Red Maple. Delicate, with sectioned dark leaves and a crosswise habit. Varieties feature deep-cut green leaves (Acer palmatum dissectum) or purple foliage (A. p. atropurpureum). Often grown in containers along the West Coast.

Japanese Snowbell or Styrax - Small-scale and fanning out, with myriads of elegant white bells in early summertime dangling from below the horizontal limbs.

Japanese Tree Lilac - The last of the lilacs to blossom, with prominent, aromatic, cream-white tresses in early summertime. Really hardy and slow growing, it can be cultivated with a single or numerous trunks.

Magnolias - Numerous varieties displaying splashy flowers. Soonest to blossom is the star magnolia in white or pink. If springtime freeze threatens, relocate to protection during nighttime. Next to bloom is the standard saucer magnolia in white, pink, rose, or purple. These have an intriguing habit and soft gray bark. Sweet bay magnolia brings forth perfumed, cream-white flowers during a time period of weeks during the summertime. Attractive dark green leaves are whitish beneath.

Moraine Locust - Newly presented variety, with thin compound leaves and an exposed, elegant habit. Fast growing, and pest-free displaying neither thorns nor untidy seed pods. Sunburst locust, a different form, is notable because of its golden-yellow points.

Mountain Ash - Splashiest is the European displaying a relaxed habit and white blossoms in springtime succeeded by full-bodied bunches of orange-red fruits. Fast-growing plants provide filtered shade.

Oriental Flowering Cherries - Small trees, with single or double, pink, rose, or white flowers in spring. Unusual is the weeping cherry, displaying really early pink blossoms. Variety Kwanzan, a slender, upright grower, features prominent double blooms resembling roses.

Pines - Choice hinges on climate and individual preference. The red, pitch, Scotch, Austrian, and Japanese black pines are seacoast specimens, however all pines adapt comfortably to container culture if maintained damp and not unattended in wintertime. They behave best in sunlight and can be clipped or shorn.

Poplars - Fast-growing, weak-wooded trees, easy to be replaced since they're readily available at moderate prices. The lithesome Lombardy poplar can be planted for accent or a hedge. All well-fixed for the container garden.

Redbud or Judas Tree - Small, with rose-pink blossoms in close bundles and heart-shaped leaves. The eastern common redbud is the sturdiest, however in more moderate climates the Chinese redbud is every bit as lovely.

Russian Olive - Admired for silvery leaves and the malposed trunk and limbs it grows. Extremely hardy and robust, suitable for the seashore as it withstands wind and salty spray.

Silverbell or Halesia - Erect tree displaying petite bells in white or pink at dogwood and tulip time. Situate wherever it can be viewed closely.

Scholar Tree or Sophora - A member of the pea family, with compound leaves and cream-white blossoms in midsummer. Endures dust and soot of metropolises.

Sourwood or Oxydendrum - Small summer-flowering tree, with pendulous clusters of modest, aromatic flowers and glossy leaves that become scarlet in fall. In containers, specimens may well be furnished with the acrid soil they require.

Beverly Clarke manages a network of green living websites including GreenWindsofChange, TheGreenhousePrimer and GreenOutsideIn

My No-Dig Veggie Garden

Miles Trench

I have been a passionate organic gardener for over thirty-five years. My first memories are of my fathers fruit orchard in Marden, South Australia, where the deep alluvial loam grew magnificent plums, apricots, peaches and nectarines. In fact, everything we planted grew well. And I fondly recall our early morning trips to the market in the 1970s, the ute loaded up with half-cases full of ripe, juicy fruit ready to sell.

My grandfather had established an extensive market garden in Uraidla, in the Adelaide Hills. He taught my father about using nature to help grow healthy organic produce. And in turn, I learned from my dad. In fact, most green thumbs of the older generation have a wealth of valuable experience and advice to offer if only we take the time to ask. Then I moved to the Yorke Peninsula and found to my dismay that our block has only a very thin layer of topsoil and underneath its solid limestone. So it was with great interest that I began reading Esther Deans book on no-dig gardening. Well, straight away I was hooked. The no-dig system as she explains is a fantastic, eco-friendly method of growing nutritious fresh vegetables at home. Its cheap, easy, no fuss and completely chemical-free (something I have been advocating for a long time.)

There are many benefits and advantages to using a no-dig system; they include:

Any suitable area can be used to house a no-dig grow bed as long as there is enough sun, access to organic material and clean water is available you can even build a no-dig edible garden on top of flat concrete if thats the only space you have available.

(Just be sure that excess water can run off and wont cause problems later on.)

It saves time and effort (and your back! no more bending to work hard ground).

The organic medium in the grow-bed retains its structure and fertility well.

(This is because the organisms in the soil mix [soil biota] are not continually disturbed as they are during traditional in-ground digging and planting methods.

Its simple kids through to the elderly can give it a go, and with great results too!

Its cheap, organic, uses recycled materials and is environmentally friendly.

It reduces water use, insect attack and damage; and weed infestation and competition.

It can be done on a small scale right through to as large as you can manage.

As the organic material breaks downs it creates a soil warming effect.

And finally it really works!

Worms

The gardeners friend, the humble earth worm, is natures underground dynamo.

When you make a no-dig grow-bed without a solid bottom (for example you recycle an old rainwater tank and cut the bottom out), worms in the soil underneath and nearby will then have access. They will work their way up from below, aerating the bed and enriching the soil mix as they go.

Worms:

Drag small particles of organic matter down into the soil.

Deposit worm-castings or vermicast back onto the surface

Vermicast helps enrich the soil through the addition

of micro-elements and plant-friendly bacteria.

Vermicast used au natural or in the form of a weak tea

makes an amazing, eco-friendly and non-toxic natural

fertilizer.



Tunnelling worms aerate the soil

this assists drainage, moisture retention and also provides

access for developing plant roots.

Tunnelling earthworms also leave behind a trail of polysaccharides

(sugars) and plant-friendly bacteria



Worm-farms, are a great way to recycle organic kitchen scraps and

will produce a free, natural, liquid fertilizer at the same time.

Earthworms - Class Oligochaeta Phylum Annelida

How to Build a No-Dig Grow Bed

Materials

1) No-dig bed framework any suitably robust structure strong enough

to contain the soil mix

2) Oaten hay, straw or lucerne

3) Old newspapers

4) Compost and well rotted manure

5) Clean water (to wet down the material as you go)

6) Organic fertilizer (to boost plant growth)

7) A couple of hours to prepare and construct the no-dig bed

8) Seeds or seedlings to plant.

Method

1) Choose a sheltered, sunny site for your no-dig garden bed, away from any large tree roots (if possible). Any form of solid frame can be used, as long as its strong enough to support the soil mix and wont break down in the rain and weather.

Do not set up your no-dig bed directly on top of established kikuyu or thickBuffalo grass or similar, as these grasses thrive on the leached nutrients and

will send runners all through your mix to eventually swamp the whole bed.



Recycled rainwater tanks makegreat no-dig grow beds

Some examples of no-dig frames you might use.

Hay Bales Old wire bed frames Boards

Sleepers Rainwater tanks Bathtubs

Tyres Wooden pallets (cut to size)

Stones piled up/Besser bricks, Galvanised iron



Be inventive - find what you can use - use what you find

2) Once you have picked your spot, erect or construct your no-dig bed framework. Secure

it well with screws or bolts or strong wire/twine to make it strong. You can use hay bales (see below), to get you started on your first attempts at no-dig.

Steps to constructing a hay/straw bale no-dig framework

Set up your bales of hay in a rectangle then loop and tie a supportive ring of strong twine around the shape, to prevent collapse (the coloured plastic cord that binds the hale bales is a good, strong twine).

Knock in some heavy garden stakes around the outside of the frame to provide extra support to the structure (see below). Using stakes tied with twine also provides an ideal trellis for climbing beans, tomatoes or cucumbers.

Next, place a layer of gravel, small rocks, twigs, or similar coarse material as a base to ensure your bed will have good drainage. Make sure this layer is thick enough to smother any ground weeds.I use a layer of broken bricks at the bottom for a no-dig garden bed, with hay bales to form the outside framework.

3) Lay down several sheets of newspaper, a layer of thick cardboard or an old piece of carpet. Wet this down thoroughly. On top of this spread a few handfuls of blood and bone, Dynamic Lifter or a similar (slow release) organic fertilizer.

4) Add the first layer of pea straw or hay (oaten hay is the best), about eight cm (ten inches) thick. Wet this down well also.

5) Add the next layer about twenty cm (eight inches) of manure. Make sure it is well rotted and weed-free (if possible). Water-in well also.

6) Cow manure is good, but any natural animal manure is OK Zoo-Poo is rated highly by some, but make sure any manure you do use is well aged, as fresh stuff will

burn fragile plant roots. On top of the manure add a layer of compost, humus,

or vegetative scraps (like old corn husks, cabbage or lettuce leaves.)

7) Add another layer of lucerne, straw or oaten hay and water in well. To this, add a crust

of powdered dolomite, garden lime, crushed rock or granite dust. These compounds add essential minerals and trace elements to the mix and help stabilize the pH levels (acid vs. alkaline). Soil pH of around 7 (neutral) is generally the best for growing most vegetables.

Add another good, thick layer of aged manure.

9) Top this up with a thick layer, about twenty cm (eight inches) of humus, compost, potting mix or good, clean garden soil. This acts as the base medium to plant your veggies in.

CAREFUL: You can use grass clippings in the layers of your mix, but be careful! Grass clippings should be mixed in with other material (like compost or dry leaves, bits of bark, or small prunings/twigs) to make a combined layer, so that the grass wont form into lumpy mats that will go mouldy, spoil the mix and may also introduce mould and fungus.

Warning:

1) Some horse or livestock manures may contain residual chemicals used in worming, performance or pest control treatment, especially stuff from

pig farms horse studs.

2) Poultry manure (especially pigeon poo) is very high in nitrogen and phosphorus. It must be well broken-down and diluted or combined well with other composted material before using: Never use raw poultry manure as fertilizer on your plants.

Well, thats about it. Of course, this is just one way to construct and prepare a no-dig garden. You can rig-up just about any sturdy framework and fill it with layers of organic material and grow lovely veggies. So if you dont have all the material suggested above,

use what can obtain cheaply and easily and give it a go. The important thing is to have

a weed-free, nutrient-rich soil base that is deep enough for the plants to grow in.

You will also that notice that over time the soil mix in the bed will begin to subside. This is normal. Just keep topping up with organic material to maintain a sufficient depth.

A bed using hay/straw bales for the framework will last a couple of crops. Just recycle the hay or straw and use it as mulch or as part of a new no-dig grow bed. Boxes or large pots can be another easy way to no-dig garden as well. Some people grow potatoes in a ring of old tyres, they just keep adding another tyre on top, filling it with more organic material as the spuds develop and grow. When the tops die off, the spuds below are ready to harvest.

Other materials that can be used in a no-dig bed:





Coconut fibre / coir / comfrey leaves

Sawdust (mix with manure or leaves, compost or similar)

Mushroom compost, shredded seaweed

Rice hulls, Cocoa bean/nut shells, peat



Hint: Mulch around veggie seedlings with seaweed:

It adds vital minerals like iodine to the soil mix.

Q. What if I use an old tub with a bottom and the worms cant get in? Good question

A. Well, worm eggs abound in most good soils, so add a couple of handfuls to your mix and once the moisture and conditions are right, they will soon hatch and grow and begin the industrious machinations we all appreciate and treasure.

But if after a few weeks there is still no sign of worms, make sure once again you have adequate drainage (if its too moist, they will drown) and then go for a dig around the moist parts of your garden or beg, borrow or buy a few from a neighbour or friend

(you can also purchase worm eggs on-line).

And lastly, be aware that there is a difference between the tiger worms used in worm farms, and the usual garden variety found in most soils.

Well I hope you have enjoyed this story of how I created my no-dig garden.

I now have six grow beds in operation some tin, some wooden-framed. This allows me to leave a grow bed fallow (unplanted) or plant a green-manure crop but Ill tell you all about that and also how I achieve non-toxic pest control using companion planting the next time we discuss the fascinating and rewarding adventure we call organic gardening.



Smiles from miles

Miles Trench - Email: milestrench_22@yahoo.com.au

http://au.geocities.com/milestrench_22/milestrenchwebpage.html


About the Author:

Published:

[Expected] - October 2008, Divan 7 Institute of TAFE, Victoria (poem) a moment
August 2008, Warm Earth Organic Gardening (article) My No-Dig Veggie Garden
July 2008, Back Yard Farmer (Earth Garden) (article): Basic No-Dig Gardening
March 2008, Scribble Gum - Highly Commended - (poem) Flores
October 2007, Kerneweck Lowender - Highly Commended A Piece of Paper
December 2006, Writing Right - Poetry Prize
April/May 2006 Grass Roots Magazine (article) Do a Number on Your Garden
May 1999, Grass Roots (article) Marion Bay
June 2002, Thats Life (article) Look What I Can Do!
October 2001, Winner of Across the Valley Short-story award Martins Secret
May 1999 Third Prize International Library of Poetry Winter
November 1998 Nimbin News - Papermaking An Ancient Craft Revisited
April 1998 Australian Business Opportunities Recycling
December 1997, New Age Guardian Papermaking.

Oeuvre to Date:

56 poems, 26 short stories, 1 book, various fragments and many works in progress

Qualifications:

2007 Diploma Professional Writing (external) ARTS SA

Motto Learn, create, explore and believe