How do I Grow an Organic Kitchen Garden?

Growing an organic kitchen garden is a great way to produce high-quality ingredients that are fresh and grown without the use of chemicals. Also, doing this at home is a good way to save on grocery expenses, especially as the price of organic fruits, vegetables, and herbs can be rather steep. The types of fruits, vegetables, and herbs that can be planted in an organic kitchen garden depend on the amount of space that is available and the quality of the soil that the plants will grow in. Furthermore, the quality of light will also affect the growth of the plants.

For people with large outdoor spaces with rich soil and plenty of sunlight, pretty much any kind of fruit, vegetable, or herb can be planted as part of the organic kitchen garden. Even plants that produce large fruits and vegetables such as watermelons and pumpkins can be a part of this kind of large kitchen garden. In the right climates, fruit-bearing trees can even be added to an organic kitchen garden. For those who have smaller spaces in, perhaps, a small yard or in part of a courtyard, plants that produce smaller fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes and herbs should be chosen.

Even apartment dwellers can grow gardens as long as they have a space for a window box or an interior area that gets good light and can be dedicated to planters. For apartments, it is usually best to fill an organic kitchen garden with the smallest plants, such as herb plants, unless a large area within the apartment is dedicated to planters, in which case larger plants can be cultivated. Plants can be grown from seeds or from seedlings, depending on the gardener's preference. For a proper organic kitchen garden, it is best to use seeds or seedlings that were harvested or grown in an organic fashion.

When growing an organic kitchen garden, it is important to make sure not to use any pesticides or harmful chemicals on the plants. Compost is a wonderful source of soil and is used by many organic gardeners. For those who do not have a composting system, organic fertilizer can be purchased from a home store. However, for those serious about an organic kitchen garden, composted material is highly recommended. While not everyone has an outdoor space for a composting bin, there are systems that are specifically designed for apartments with instructions for how to keep the compost from smelling up the living quarters.