With the cost of food on the rise, salmonella outbreaks, and harmful pesticides being used as standard, there really is no excuse not to grow your own organic vegetables this summer.

Eek, its already June!

Have no fear, GardenMandy is here! ( Just in time for the weekend )

Here’s how to start your organic garden today:

To start your organic garden you first need to pick the plot of land where you want your garden. You want to be sure it gets about 8 hours of sunshine a day.

The first thing you need to do, once your plot is picked, is to cultivate the land.

It is best to do this at night to lower the risk of weeds. Dig an area about a foot to 16 inches deep. Mix about 1/3 compost to 2/3 soil. You want a “sandy loam soil” which means it has great drainage but also retains proper moisture. This is the ideal soil for most veggies.

You want to be sure that you soil is draining properly before you plant anything.

The easiest way to do this is to water it. If you are getting puddles on top of the soil, it is not draining properly. Add a bit more sandy soil.

Before you plant your seeds or plants you also need to check your nutrient level.

The kit you picked up from your local hardware store should have a nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium or potash, and magnesium. If your plants don’t have proper nutrients they will not produce as well as they can, so it is crucial that you test your soil. For organics tips to raise your nutrient levels click here. Remember, one of the best ways to keep your soil rich in nutrients is to make sure you have lots of earthworms. They provide most of the nutrients your soil needs.

You want you PH to be about 6-7 which is neutral. If you soil is not neutral check out these tips to balance it organically.

It is a lot easier to balance your soil before you have plants you have to work around.

After you have the perfect soil, it is time to start to plant.

Click here for a great way to start seeds.

Be sure to water regularly and fertilize with compost tea about 3 times during the growing season.
Once your plants start to grow, you are going to want to mulch. Some of the best mulches available for organic gardeners are compost, straw and bark. Just be sure that your mulch is organic.

You are off to a great start with fantastic, rich soil. Before you know it your veggies will be huge.