Organic Home Garden Guide: What and How to Plant For Holistic Beautiful Lives

During this pandemic, it’s important to take as many steps as possible to reduce visits to public or crowded areas such as malls, grocery stores, theaters, etc. stores. The less you go out, the safer you’ll be from exposure. #stayhome

While it is unlikely you will get every food item you like you would from a store from home but there are definitely options! One of them is starting an organic home garden. Planting some delicious and healthy foods serves many purposes: growing an appreciation for earth’s natural resources, providing organic products in your backyard, and a fun activity whether you are living alone or with others. The best part of starting an organic home garden is self-sustainability. Should something happen to impair your access to standard food sources, you have a plan B. Furthermore, the benefits can be physical, mental, and spiritual. This guide will start with going over some ideas for fruits and vegetables to plant and then get into more technical aspects of gardening.

Organic gardening distinguished itself from traditional gardening practices by excluding the use of chemicals. Removing chemical-based fertilizers from the process makes the garden and its products healthier for the consumer and other living things. The reduced cost in starting and maintaining an organic garden also aligns with a common reason why people start home gardens in the first place: to cut down food costs. By minimizing these less helpful qualities, doing good for your family and environment does the world good.

One of the toughest yet most rewarding decisions a home gardener must make is what to grow. That is why we have provided some suggestions to get you started based primarily on health benefits and utility (note: it is recommended you check your local farmer’s market to determine what foods are in season, readily available, and best grow in your area):

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are one of nature’s greatest swiss-army knives, which may contribute to why many people have debated whether it is a fruit or a vegetable. While now more commonly agreed upon as a fruit, the versatility of tomatoes is not just in its appearance but in the health benefits it contains as well. As a major source of the antioxidant lycopene, a diet that includes tomatoes results in a lower risk of cancer and heart disease. Its main nutrient is Vitamin C, a nutrient everyone should emphasize in their diet during a pandemic since much more time is spent indoors.

Eggplants

Eggplants may be more commonly associated with the Nintendo game Ice Climber and its notorious emoji these days, but they are a great source of vitamins and minerals, namely Vitamin C, Vitamin K, fiber and potassium. Other benefits include improved digestive, bone, and heart health. An interesting recipe to try is eggplant parmesan or its vegan equivalent. Sounds so delicious that it is almost enough to forgive this vegetable for not tasting more like eggs.

Peppers

If you enjoy spicy foods, you are likely familiar with peppers and pepper-related spices. They provide a powerful flavor boost to various soups, salsas, and other dishes. Packed with antioxidants, peppers help improve night vision. That may sound contradictory given how pepper spray is meant to reduce vision, but of course, the two are similar in name only. Improved vision is a crucial benefit especially as many people spend a lot of time looking at screens for business and leisure. Even if spicy foods are not your preference, peppers are worth the try. After all, there are several varieties, many of which are not spicy at all.

Potatoes

Potatoes have a multitude of purposes for your kitchen creations with some bonuses when grown organically. Organic potatoes are more mineral-rich than their traditionally sourced counterparts, boasting more magnesium and iron. They also contain fewer nitrates, which affects the amount of hemoglobin in your body thus compromising the movement of oxygen. If you are looking for something you can carbo-load off of, the carbs you intake make significant differences health-wise. Potatoes aid blood sugar control and reduce heart disease risk, making these carbs worthwhile. Or perhaps you are interested in recreating the french fries you find at your favorite restaurants.

Zucchini

Zucchini is one of the last edible plants alphabetically but should be one of the first on more shopping, or more appropriately gardening, lists. Zucchini is nutrient-dense, which is a good quality to have in a vegetable that combines nicely with potatoes in soups and other dishes. That tag team forms the perfect pick-me-up for those sick days. Another fruit that blends in easily with vegetables, zucchini is a great choice for those who are interested in losing weight at a healthy rate.

Peas

Small but mighty collectively, peas are an often underappreciated entity in most dinners or feasts. Proving that big things come in small packages, peas are rich in calcium, potassium, and magnesium which is vital for maintaining healthy blood pressure and preventing heart disease. By taking care of your health, that added inner beauty can positively affect the exterior as well. Additionally, the leftover plant that peas come in can produce organic fertilizer for future crops in your garden. Those qualities make peas a green crop through and through, not just in color.

Cucumbers

Cucumbers are often associated with health and rejuvenation, typically by applying them as a facial spa treatment. As for eating them, they stand out among other vegetables as being 95% water. While drinking water throughout the day is important for hydration, cucumbers also aid in that department and help your skin and fitness levels. Cucumbers are a great recommendation for anyone who struggles with remembering to drink enough water. Whether they appear in a salad or on the side of a dish, cucumbers are a staple food for healthy organic lifestyles.

There are other great options for your ideal organic garden, but hopefully, those examples are a good starting point. Now with your crops in mind, time to get into more practical advice in terms of gardening.

Establishing a Location

Potted or grass? That is a matter of preference as well as the structure of your backyard or whatever space you choose to use for your garden. While it can be exciting to grow fruits and vegetables and you may wish to use up as much space as possible to maximize your harvest, consider how much time and effort you are able to dedicate to this product. Typically, less is more. Try a 4 x 4 ft garden to start with and ensure that the location gets at least six hours of sunlight a day. Consider surrounding houses, buildings, or trees and the shadows they may cast. Every smartphone should also tell you when sunrise and sunset occur in your location so use that to your advantage. If your household has small children or animals, consider safe ways to protect your garden or perhaps select a distant location within your property that they rarely frequent.

About Organic Soil

When using organic soil, testing for and maintaining a healthy pH level is important because it determines the plant roots’ ability to access key nutrients in order to reach its potential. For some, Chemistry was a long time ago, so here is a refresher: a pH of 0 means extremely acidic, 7 is neutral, and the highest possible value 14 is extremely basic. Anything below 7 is acidic to some degree as is anything between 7 and 14 somewhat basic. Organic garden soils can work if their pH is within 5 to 9, meaning close to neutral. The best pH to aim for is 6 to 6.5 or slightly acidic. This is a general rule of thumb, and your results may vary depending on what items are planted. Within these values, plants can access the following nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron. Some provide the energy that allows these crops to grow, while others become part of what makes vegetables healthy and desirable. If your soil is not at the desired pH range, do not worry. You can raise pH by adding ground limestone or wood ash. Conversely, you can lower the pH with sulfur.

This may seem like a difficult balancing act, but organic gardens require a lot of thought, preparation, and in some cases trial and error. Do not be afraid of failure. If something doesn’t work, consider why that is, and adjust your approach.

Watering and Maintenance

Set a consistent schedule, primarily in the morning. The combination of watering crops and exposing them to as much sunlight as possible will yield the best results. Otherwise, you are minimizing your garden’s potential. Just like consistent eating and sleep schedules can make humans healthier, consistent watering and maintenance schedules provide a similar effect for plants. Be sure to aim water at where the roots are or should be. The tops of plants will not benefit too much from the water as they would the sunlight.

Harvest

When do you know when to harvest each crop? Here are some examples:

• Cucumbers: Typically about two weeks after they flower, once at full length. Over time they may begin to turn yellow and produce seeds. Try to harvest prior to that process.
• Zucchini: Wait for 3–5 days after flowering, in which they should appear to be 12–14 inches long and 2 inches in diameter.
• Lettuce: The lettuce plant will begin to flower and should be around three inches above the ground. Pull from the outer leaves rather than the center.
• Beans: The pods should be fully formed and the beans themselves are bulging from the pod. Similar to the phrase “Cash burning a hole through your pocket” minus the literal burning.
• Tomatoes: Wait until they appear to be a bright red before picking, which may occur throughout several days. Overripe tomatoes fall to the ground but do not worry: they can help produce the next generation of tomato plants.
• Peppers: Peppers grow from upright plants, making harvest simple by twisting from the stem. Typically they change color from green to a variety of others when they are ready.
• Carrots: The stalk or green part of the carrot should be anywhere from 10 to 12 inches tall with about an inch diameter. Pull from the top.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, this helped you get excited about living self sustainably and naturally. Be sure to stay safe, healthy, and indoors (when not tending to your organic garden) as much as possible. If you wish to do more, sign up to become a Svanah Beauty influencer. Svanah Beauty will donate a free mask to each person who signs up.

Thank you for reading and please continue to stay safe and healthy.