Organic Garden from Scratch

How to Start an Organic Garden without Killing Yourself

"How to Start an Organic Garden without Killing Yourself." That was the title of an article which I wrote years ago but never got around to publishing. Many of my cyber-friends have expressed interest in learning to garden organically but don't know where to start. To them I dedicate this article. To read the captions for the pictures, hold the mouse over them.

My Dream

Since my childhood, I helped my dad in his consignment garden while dreaming of starting an organic garden of my own from scratch some day. Once in a lifetime, every gardener should have the opportunity to see that dream become reality. I did, and I gained valuable experience in the creation process. I am convinced that it is possible to create a beautiful organic, naturalized garden, no matter what the conditions are to start with.

The Setting

I fell in love with the large corner lot which my husband and I would soon call home. The backyard was overgrown with weeds and self-seeded trees. The front yard was covered in lilac suckers which had taken over the lawn. Neglect was written all over the property. Once a year, the area weed inspector would mow the supposed lawn and spray it with herbicide. That, however, did not make a dent in the healthy dandelion and thistle stand. What an opportunity! I was free to do as I pleased, free to follow my dream. Before I was able to start on the project, however, I was disabled in a motor vehicle accident. I now had plenty of time to devote to my dream, but I no longer had the ability to do the hard work which I had always associated with organic gardening. I had to find a better way, an easier way.

The Method

Digging up trees, weeds, and lawn was impossible. I therefore decided to choke them to death. Any vegetation will die within a year if kept from breathing. A plastic cover does the trick, but has to be removed before the area can be cultivated. Leaving the plastic in place leads to fungus diseases. I decided to use newspapers which would not need to be removed later. Choosing a comfortably-sized area, I spread a heavy layer of newspapers on it and piled compostables on the papers. Then I covered the compost with soil. When that soil cover is about 10" high, seed can be sown into it or seedlings set.
The copyright of the article Organic Garden from Scratch in Organic Gardens is owned by Traute Klein, biogardener. Permission to republish Organic Garden from Scratch in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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