How To Grow an Organic Kitchen Garden

Map out the space you'd like to use for your organic kitchen garden.

Grab some chalk, or some stakes and string to draw it out and get a good perspective of how it will look when it's finished.

While you're planning don't forget to take traffic patterns into consideration. Where does the dog head when you let him out the door?

Where do the kids walk on their way to the swingset?

If you place your garden in a high traffic area, it may be difficult to persuade other family members to walk around.

Don't forget to take a look at your future kitchen garden at different times of the day to see if it's getting direct sun, or if it's in the shade. The amount of sun could affect the growth of your garden.

Create a diagram of the space so you know what you have to work with. Decide what your favorite herbs, vegetables, and flowers are.

Create a balance between the number of plants you'd like to include, and the amount of space you have to grow your kitchen garden.

Think about your favorite recipes, and what herbs and vegetables you use the most.

You may have to prioritize your list, you may not have enough room to grow everything you'd like to.

You may just need to scale back. A few herb or tomato plants can produce enough for several summer meals.

Start digging and planting. Add the plants and seeds you decided on, then stand back and watch your kitchen garden come to life (well you may have to do a little weeding and tending in the process).

Don't forget to stir in a liberal amount of compost to help boost your soils quality. If you don't have fresh compost of your own, look for worm casting, or composted cow manure at a local garden center.

When you're planning and planting your kitchen garden make sure you leave enough room for the mature plants to thrive.

Your plants may be small when you put them in the garden, but by harvest time many will need at least a foot of space.

In a few weeks you'll be stepping outside your door to pick fresh fruits and vegetables.

Image via sxc.hu

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