GROWING ENVIRONMENT

Organic gardening with natural methods goes beyond replacing pesticides with harmless sprays.  Attention must be given to the overall-growing environment.  Healthy plants need rich aerated soil with good drainage, proper moisture, adequate sunlight, and regular cultivation.    A good overall-growing environment coupled with natural sprays and organic gardening practices will ensure a healthy, productive garden free of insects and disease.

LOCATION SELECTION.  

Ideally, the garden would be in a spot with rich soil, away from trees and shrubs that suck up nutrients and moisture, and in full sunlight.  In practice, however, the garden spot is not always ideal.  Poor soil can be improved by adding humus, improving drainage, and adjusting the pH (acid/alkaline balance).  The issue of sunlight can be a much more difficult matter, with trees and man-made structures obstructing the sun.  When selecting a location, keep in mind that fruit and seed producing plants, such as tomatoes and corn, need at least 6 hours of direct sunlight each day.  Plants that are grown for leaves or roots, such as cabbage or carrots, can get by on less.

SOIL DRAINAGE.  

Poor drainage can restrict root development or kill plants by cutting off the oxygen supply to the root system.  Therefore, proper drainage is essential to having a healthy, productive garden.  A percolation test is the standard way to check for proper drainage.   A “perc test” is run by digging a hole 2 feet deep, and then filling it with water.  If water remains in the hole after 24 hours, then the drainage is poor, and will restrict the productivity and health of the plants.

Correction of poor drainage is difficult and can be very expensive.  There are three ways of dealing with the problem:

• HUMUS.  If the poor drainage is due to compacted soil and not to a high water table, the drainage can be improved by digging down to a depth of 12-18 inches and working a generous amount of humus into the soil.
• DRAINAGE SYSTEM.  Another solution for the compacted soil problem is to install a drainage system.  Basically, the system uses drainage pipe buried at about 2 feet deep that will drain off excess water rapidly.  Exact plans for installation of drainage pipe must be tailored to each individual site.  A local construction contractor may be used, or for the do-it-yourself person most building suppliers will offer expert advice, and provide a source for the materials.
• RAISED BED.  Probably the best solution is with a raised bed garden, which not only solves the drainage problem but most other soil problems as well.  A raised bed garden is created by digging out soil in strips 3 or 4 feet wide to a depth of 18 inches and filling in the resulting hole with 24 inches of bedding soil, which is typically made up of ½ sandy loam and ½ compost.  After the 24 inches of bedding soil has been placed, the raised bed is then 6 inches above ground level.  Raised beds are often bordered with brick, stone, or timbers so that they can be more easily maintained and raised even higher.