One of the biggest focusses I held when learning about organic vegetable

farming this summer was developing systems that dont pollute the environment, and
build soil instead of eroding it. In simplest terms the direction I believe we need to take
in vegetable farming will revolve around permanent, no till, mulched in-ground raised
beds. In the past months I have been working at an organic farm I have learnt from
making many mistakes, and past down knowledge that successful organic in ground
gardening needs to be planned precisely and executed but with the fexibility to deal with
unforeseen circumstance. The frst and most important thing that I am going to be
getting into is the building and design of the permanent beds.
By in-ground raised beds I mean that the dirt is mounded about 4-6 inches above
the paths and leveled of for a manageable planting space. In the fall about 1/2 of an
acre will be tilled and mulched to decompose over the winter. in the spring we will pull
back the mulch and with shovels and metal rakes we will dig paths and build up the the
In-ground raised beds for the vegetable beds. imagine beds that are 4 feet wide and 20-
30 feet long that are build on contour or just straight in fat areas. the beds are 4 feet
wide so that the middle can be easily reached from each side to make planting, tending,
and harvesting efcient. the paths around the beds will be mulched with wood chips,
and the beds will be mulched with shredded green matter or hay. Mulching the beds
inhibits weed growth drastically and keeps the soil from drying out in the sun and
blowing away, it is the key to reducing erosion and keeping the soil alive and healthy.
crops can be transplanted into beds by moving a little mulch, digging the plant in, and
the moving the mulch back, small rows of mulch can also be pushed aside and hoed for
the direct sowing of seeds. Other measures will also be taken to ensure the health of
our soils, to maintain consistent crops. Crop rotation will be very important so that
certain minerals rant depleted over the years via mono cropping. The applications of
rich compost every spring and fall will build up the soil over the years to become more
stable for cropping. Natural fertilizers, compost teas, and worm castings will be
consistently top dress and watered in to the soil. Along with the in-ground beds we will
be using wooden raised beds for plants that need to be direct sowed, and herbs, and
other specialty crops. These beds will be top dressed with compost every spring and
mulched through out the year. The beds will also be watered with worm casting water
once or twice a month throughout the growing season. Mulch will be easily moved for
the sowing of seeds.Together we will grow and learn more to develop or techniques and
practices to work towards sustainable stewardship with the land.
The establishment of the in-ground beds and the systems by witch we irrigate it
are the two most permanent parts of the vegetable garden. Irrigation can be one of the
biggest burdens on the land sucking up reserves of water for human use, and to avoid
this burden it is important that we conserve watering in everyday possible. With
mulching and contour planning we can drastically reduce the amount of watering
needed by catching water efectively and keep most soil from drying out in the sun, and
also using rain catchers, ponds, and solar powered pumps will provide us with the
irrigation needs of the gardens with out the reliance on outside water and energy
sources. Over head watering can also spread fungal diseases on plants, such as
tomatoes, squash, beans, and peas, but should be used on plants that tolerate over
head watering to avoid excessive use of soaker hoses ($$$/Plastic waste). for optimum
growth gardens need to be watered evenly and consistently in times of drought, and
selectively in rainy times. It is very important to remember that irrigation needs, difer
from plant to plant witch makes a thorough knowledge of the crops extremely important.
the needs, traits, and the techniques of planting and maintaining difer greatly
among the species of plants in the vegetable garden. All crops tend to have there
specialized pests and knowing how to deal with them organically makes it possible to
avoid crop failures without use of hazardous chemicals. Eggs of any pest should be
killed by hand as soon as it is noticed. Pest like afds and potato beetles can be picked
of plants and crushed or drowned to keep them from laying a next set of eggs. Faster
fying bugs like squash beetle can be difcult to catch by hand and can be felt with using
bug traps, or by using compost teas to invoke unfavorable living conditions. Benefcent
insects can be attracted to gardens using certain plants, and by avoiding pesticides,
diversity of species in the gardens is key to balance. Fungal infections like rust and
mildews can be controlled with various sprays and planting methods. Using mulches
and trellising plants helps inhibit the spread of fungal spores from the soil to plants
leaves. Solutions of water, milk, and baking soda are very efective at controlling fungus
problems by changing the ph on the leaf surface to an unfavorable level. These organic
solutions only work when on the leaf so they need to be reapplied once a week and
after rain to be efective. For animal intruders and good fence is needed around the
vegetable garden area. A garlic, and hot pepper tea to be sprayed on the perimeter or
the area and in problem beds can prove to be efective for rabbit and vole control.
Tomatoes, pole beans, and peas need to be trellised onto fences to optimize yields and
to prevent fungal infections. plants like cucumbers, squash, and melons can be trellised
but it is not necessarily any more efcient than letting crawl on the ground. A good rule
of thumb for root crops is that they cannot be transplanted, accept for beets witch seem
to do fne after transplanting. Along with root crops, beans, and peas need to be directly
sowed. Tomatoes, and potatoes stalks with turn into more root system when buried, so
mounding dirt around the base is a good way to promote a good root ball on tomatoes
and the formatting of more tubers on potatoes. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash,
kale, lettuce, cabbage, chard, celery, broccoli, basil, nasturtium, kohlrabi, tomatillos,
melons, cucumbers, and most other fowers and herbs can be transplanted from the
greenhouse, or raised beds, into the felds. Onions, garlic, and leeks can be
transplanted but it is more efective to directs sow onion bulbs and bunching onion
seeds. Since some crops like radishes can take less than a month to reach harvest and
the the growing season 5 plus months a plan of succession plantings needs to be
executed for continual harvests.After all the hard work is done, it is important to harvest,
eat, store, or sell crops before they bolt, go to seed, become overgrown, and rot.