Are you a gardening enthusiast who wishes to own a tiny home herb and vegetable garden? Whether you have a green thumb or not, an organic vegetable garden can be the ultimate game-changer for your home and kitchen.
There’s nothing as fresh and yummy as the vegetables grown in your garden, and when it comes to organic herbs and veggies, there’s no match for the taste and satisfaction. There is a wide-growing popularity of organic gardening. But what is it that makes it different from conventional ways of gardening?
The term organic gardening refers to the means of growing plants without using any chemical products. It’s a natural process carried out using only natural resources. Activities carried out in these gardens are totally in compliance with practices that are safe and healthy not only for you but for the environment as well.
Let’s learn how to start an organic garden that can help you grow food at home. Here, we explain 15 easy and creative ideas of how to grow an organic garden.
How to Start an Organic Garden with 10 Steps
Do you want to start your own herb and vegetable garden? Let’s get you started with these easy steps.
01. Prep Up the Soil Base!
Preparing the base is the foremost step to set up your herb and vegetable garden. Soil is the ultimate food house for plants; thus, make sure to prepare a proper soil bed for crops to be planted.
02. Conserve with Compost
Create a nice mix of local materials for compost and add it to the plant base as it’ll not only aid in the plant’s growth but also help you preserve excess water usage.
03. Prepare the Garden
Prepare the garden and practice caution while doing so, or else the soil might get damaged entirely.
04. The Right Pick
Pick easy-to-grow plant species that are well-suited to the climate you live in, and with a careful selection, bring a variety to your home herb and vegetable garden.
05. Plant Em All!
Plant the chosen crops in a bed that’s quite evident, or else someone might step on it and destroy it within seconds. Create a nice mix of different species grown together to reduce wastage and minimize the growth of weeds.
06. Keep them Hydrated
We’re sure you know how important it is to keep your plants hydrated. Keep watering them regularly for proper growth.
07. Goodbye Weeds
Bid adieu to weeds growing in your little herb and vegetable garden, as these might contaminate the entire crop.
08. Ample Nutrients are Must
Rather than spraying toxic fertilizers or pesticides in your herb and vegetable garden, opt for natural ways of bringing nutrients and pest control. Ensure that the plant gets ample sunlight, hydration, and nutrient supply.
09. Accelerate the Growth with Organic Fertilizers
Fertilizers ensure healthy growth of plants. In the case of organic practice, make sure to give them additional nutrients for faster growth with natural fertilizers like animal waste, agricultural lime, etc.
10. Maintain the Garden
Once you see your herb and vegetable garden full of greenery and liveliness, make sure to retain it with proper maintenance. Keep the plants healthy by performing basic practices like watering, mulching, and regular pruning.
Which Species to Pick: Easy to Grow Plants
The idea of having your own herb and vegetable garden sounds fun, but it comes with a little challenge of deciding which species to bring to your garden. Gardening requires a part of your daily routine and proper efforts for fruitful results. This job can be simplified with easy-to-grow plants that demand minimal attention and offer healthy vegetables.
Stringing Beans
Buy a packet of bean seeds and cultivate them in your garden. Offer them a nook or perhaps a railing for them to twine and grow.
Tiny Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes are appealing with their small yet vibrant look, and these can enhance the entire aesthetics of the garden when planted. Let them hang or sprawl in a container for the yummiest tomatoes.
Garlic
One of the easy-to-grow plants is garlic. All you need to do is dig a hole and place a clove in it. With proper watering, you’re promised healthy garlic bulbs.
Salad Box
Make your salad with greens grown in a home vegetable garden. The best part about leafy vegetables is their flexibility to grow both in a large garden and in containers. The only key to a successful vegetable garden is to retain moisture.
Healthy Herbs
Here’s the good news: herbs are super easy to grow plants at home. Pick your favorite herbs and place them in a container in a spot that gets ample sunlight. Make sure that the chosen container offers enough space for the herbs to spread. Various herbs like mint, cilantro, thyme, and oregano are must-haves not only in your cuisines but also in your home garden.
The Organic Greens: 15 Cleverly Beautiful Ideas
Now that you’re familiar with the basics of gardening and a few species as well, let’s give your home garden a creative twist. How wonderful is the idea of this tiny organic farm serving as one of the decor elements for your home? Amazing, right?
Let us present you with 15 smart ideas that not only fulfill your desire for fresh and healthy food but offer a lovely appeal to the space as well.
01. Tomato Containers
Pick an eye-catchy container and plant cherry tomatoes in it. Yes, it’s that easy to grow tomatoes at home. All it takes is a spacious container, sunlight for 5-6 hours, and water. And to jazz up the home for these tomatoes, you can explore containers in vibrant colours and shapes. However, these tiny veggies demand at least a 5-gallon grow bag for proper growth.
02. A Leafy Balcony
Who doesn’t love the idea of nestling greens on their balconies? This is the best idea to grow the most reliable crops that garnish your food. Whether you’re opting for salad greens or other leafy vegetables like spinach, it’s easy to grow once proper space is allocated to them. Whether the balcony receives natural light or not, there’s nothing to worry about with these species.
03. Berry Patio
The cute red strawberries not only look pretty on plates but on patios as well. Make a statement with a patio that helps with the growth of strawberries. All it takes are containers that help keep the soil warm and have proper drainage. A little effort for a berrylicious patio can serve you yummy fresh fruits at any time. So, wait not and start with these easy to grow plants.
04. Little Culinary Herbs
There are numerous ways to spruce up the balcony decor with plants. Grow a herb garden in containers with a variety that fills up the entire space with a lovely aroma and enticing greens. Species like basil, mint, oregano, etc thrive in heat, provided the water level is maintained. However, there are other species that need a lower temperature to grow, so you need to plant them under shade.
05. Vertical Peas
Don’t you have enough floor space for the herb and vegetable garden? Don’t worry! You can grow vertically. Plant peas on the balcony and let them climb up the trellis and offer you a lovely view. These fast-growing veggies will provide you with a sweet product within a few months and with minimal effort. Let these nestle on your balconies and enjoy the yummy delicacies served on your plates.
06. The Beans Spot
Whether it’s bush beans or pole beans that you’re planning to grow, both can easily grow in a container. Fix a spot that gets enough natural light and has trellis-like support for the climbers to grow. Once the plant is set in its position, you can notice the beans sprouting within a few weeks.
07. The Easy Peppers
Among the easy to grow plant species are peppers. These tiny yet spicy veggies grow comfortably in small containers. Take a large pot that has a certain depth to it and place it in the sunlight. With a proper dose of fertilizer given to the plant, you can notice flowers within a short time. Jalapeno, devil’s tongue peppers, poblano, etc are a few species that promise to grow in containers.
08. Super-fast Radish
One of the perfect vegetables that gives you fast results and comes under the easy to grow plants category is the radish. Plant them in a large or small container that gives them ample space to grow. These plants will start yielding within 24 to 60 days, depending on the type you choose. Pick these up and enjoy your meal with these, serving as the best salad veggies.
09. Large Eggplant
Eggplants in the home garden? Yes, you heard that right. These large veggies take up a little space in your home organic garden and offer you a delightful taste. Take a five-gallon pot and plant the seeds. With proper sunlight for 6-8 hours and a good supply of nutrients via fertilizers, you’ll get the best!
10. Simple to Grow Beets
Have an empty container? Plant beets and notice them growing at a superfast rate. All you need to consider is that the container needs to be deep and well-draining. Plant them in a soil bed that’s rich in compost and enjoy the delicious taste once they’re ready to be picked.
11. Pick the Best Spot
Based on the space you have and sunlight conditions, you need to assess the best spot to plant your herb and vegetable garden. It could be your terrace, backyard, or balcony. Evaluate the conditions and check which space serves as the best home for these green friends. You can play around with the decor ideas and make both spaces fruitful for the design and kitchen.
12. Keep it Protected
Once you put effort into growing a home herb and vegetable garden, you don’t want it to go to waste. Therefore, it is extremely important to keep the plants protected. Cover them with a breathable barrier to safeguard them against heavy winds.
13. The Fragrant Corianders
How beautiful is the idea of coriander filling up the balcony and releasing its lovely aroma? Plant these fragrant herbs in a container and place them in sunlight. Keep them hydrated by spraying water and letting them spruce up.
14. A Raised Vegetable Bed
The growth in an organic garden is better when the plants are planted in a raised bed with good-quality soil serving as the growing surface. Deeper layers of soil rich in nutrients offer a healthy ground for roots to extract nutrients from and are extra lush. These can become one of the feature elements of the home by playing around with the levels of the vegetable bed and pairing up complementary species together.
15. Let’em Climb!
The best part of a home herb and vegetable garden is that you can have a lot in a minimal space. For those who are running short of floor space, you can maximize and utilize the vertical elements like a fence, trellis, etc by planting climbers. This hack not only saves space but time as well because it makes it easier to spot the veggies. The stringing plants also accentuate the aesthetics of the space and make the entire space exude refreshing vibes.
Gardening Tips to Attain Low-Maintenance Vegetable Gardens
Before the gardening enthusiast in you takes you to the job, make a stop here and go through the gardening tips for a healthy and low-maintenance garden.
Take Baby Steps
If the question of how to start an organic garden ponders you a lot, just remember that you don’t need to establish a large farm at first. Start small with a tiny container and your favourite vegetable and assess whether you can take on the responsibility of growing more or not. Small-scale gardening will brush up your skills and help you grow more in the future with ease.
Use Pot Soil
Always take a safe route with pot soil. While ground soil might lead to drainage issues, it’s best to use potting soil for container-growing plants. Add some compost for organically better growth.
Place it in Sunshine
Sunlight is vital for plants to grow well. So, if you are really interested in knowing how to grow an organic garden, make sure that the chosen spot receives ample light and feeds the plant with the required amount. A minimum of six hours of daylight is a must for most of the plants, thus, choose the spot carefully.
Have Water Nearby
To make your job a breeze, ensure that the water source is near the plantations. Regular hydration will help you get better results, and nearby sources will save you from the effort of carrying water to and fro.
Have an Open Cutout
Make sure that the chosen location for the garden gets not only natural light but also rainfall. Natural aids can help you save effort and offer a low-maintenance garden.
Take large containers
It’s always better to pick large containers, no matter how small the plant is. This lets the roots grow and saves you from the task of repotting them in large containers or pots.
A Happy Garden!
Ready to get to work? Planting a herb and vegetable garden will be super fun and easy with these tips. Fix the spot and let these veggies grow, filling the entire space with freshness and rich aroma. Rather than simple plantations, design your home garden by bringing in different species and exploring the growing options. Happy Planting!
Author Bio
Saili Sawantt – She is an Architect and Interior Designer by profession. Writing is what she treats as her passion. She has worked as an Architectural Writer, Editor, and Journalist for various design as well as digital portals, both national and international. Formerly she has also worked with Godrej Properties Limited (GPL) Design Studio, Mumbai, due to her keen interested in learning about Sustainability and Green buildings. Apart from this, she runs her blog ‘The Reader’s Express’ and is a practicing Architect & Interior Designer.
