Designing Organic Gardens

If you are looking to garden, and want to have a more positive impact on the world, then why not consider using an organic garden? The main difference between organic gardening, and regular gardening is that organic gardening relies not on synthetic, or manmade materials. A very important element in the success of your organic garden though is going to be its design. Luckily, designing organic gardens is a fairly easy thing to do, as long as you follow a few simple guidelines.

• Light. One of the primary items to consider when designing a garden is the light that it will be receiving. Typically your plants will need a lot of light. This means that you want to select a location for your garden that will receive plenty of light for your proposed crops and plants. Do not rush to judgment. Take some time to carefully consider the spot for planting. Visit it at various parts of the day to see what the light level will be like.
• Wind. Wind is another element that many people do not stop to consider when planning their organic garden. If the proposed location has too much wind, the plants will not grow well; conversely, if the location has too little wind then the same thing will happen. While you may want to take time to look over the area for wind damage before you plant, this is not strictly speaking necessary. You can always add windbreaks later, or remove other growth in order to promote adequate wind passage.
• Soil. Be sure that you know what type of soil you have in your proposed garden location. The best way to figure this out is to take a few clearly marked samples to your local county extension office. They will be able to test your soil there to see how good it is, and will also have some great ideas for increasing its viability naturally.
• Water. The importance of water cannot be stressed enough. While it would be wonderful to have a garden located near a natural source of water, you may not always have this luxury. Keep in mind that your plants will need the right amount of water, and you will have to either provide this, or remove excess water to avoid damaging your crops. Look into the drainage capabilities of your proposed location as well.
• Structures. Where are you going to have your compost pile? What about your tool storage, or your seedlings stored? While these items may not necessarily be considered part of the garden by many people, they can actually be a wonderful help. If you need to create a windbreak, as mentioned above, then why not create one using your storage buildings and your compost bin?