Edible Plants

"What can be more valuable now than a small garden, free of synthetic fertilizers and pesticide poisons, yielding food that tastes as good as the vegetables and fruits we were able to buy in markets years ago? Valuable not only to the body but to the spirit."

-- Robert Rodale

  Cleaner, safer, and better tasting fruit is not just a myth of organic gardening. With proper seed selection, your edibles will taste better than a store selection. Furthermore, they were grown by you, making it well worth the wait. The same guidlines are used for edible planting as with other plants. However, I will introduce a few concepts.

Companion planting- The oldest garden adage- plant corns, beans, and squash together. Why has this been around so long? Because those three plants are the backbone to companion planting ideas. Certain plants not only like the same water and soil and sun requirements, they have other beneficial aabilities. Some may bring insects that help out the other plants. Perhaps the odor of one keeps away insects for another. Each companion planting has a reason to be paired with the plant they are in. Some plants fix nitrogen in the ground. Some good companions are:

asparagus, onion; beet and cabbage; tomato and asparagus, basil, cabbage, carrots. Each plant has a specific list that is best to grow with. These lists can be found in many books oron a website such as this:

companion link

-Crop rotation is also very important- harvesting rips the nutrients from the soil and never gives anything back- growing the same crop year after year can destroy the soil. Rotating the crop while adding organic amendments and a cover crop will help the soil nuture itself.

-Cover crop- After harvesting, a cover crop such as alfalfa or clover should be planted, let go through the winter, and hoed under in the spring. This reduces weeds, soil erosion, conserves topsoil and continues the organic cycle in the soil.

Need specific answers or ideas for garden problems? See the FAQ page for links.

 Learning What Organic Means 

  Starting/Maintaining A Lawn

  Trees, Shrubs, And Perennials

Vegetable Gardening And Edible Plants

  Organic Amendments

  Frequently Asked Questions