The Island Garden
By Roger Marshall
Organic gardening. You may have heard the term, but what does it really mean? Organic gardening means, at least in my book, gardening without the use of pesticides and herbicides. It means growing your own natural food in your own garden. There is a federal definition, but it is so skewed toward the big growers that it is virtually meaningless.

A proper organic gardener uses natural materials to sustain plants in his or her garden. Materials such as bone meal, blood meal, compost, animal manure, and mulches are employed to help with plant growth. To keep insects away, most organic gardeners use companion plantings, hand picking (yuck!) and careful observation, instead of spraying with a pesticide, the residues of which may stay on the plant.

So how do you set up your vegetable garden organically? First, you'll need to find a suitable sunny plot of land. It'll need at least eight hours of sun per day, 10 or 12is better. I use what is known as the French intensive system, in which garden beds are about 4-feet wide and are never walked on. Four-feet wide allows the bed to be reached into from both sides. By not walking on the beds, the soil is never compacted. Some of the beds grow winter rye in fall. I start it around September and turn it over in spring- now is a good time. The grass helps to prevent nutrient loss over the winter and gives the bed an immediate nitrogen boost in spring. Other beds have heavy mulch (chopped leaves mixed with grass clippings) that is left on the bed for the winter.

I grow plants in the basement germination chamber and move them to the greenhouse in early spring, but a cold frame will do just as well. Plants are then set in the outdoor beds around May 15 and as soon as they are growing, the soil around them is mulched heavily with compost, grass clippings, straw, or other organic materials. I usually sprinkle the area with blood and bone meal before putting the compost down because the mulches use up some of the nitrogen in the soil. Root crops, such as beets, carrots, and parsnips, are seeded directly into the soil in mid-to late-May. Only after the root crops have germinated and are about 3-inches high do they get mulched.

Basically that's it. The plants grow for the summer and I watch them carefully. Most mornings I take a stroll through the garden very early to check on insects and growth rates. Insects are the biggest pain. Cabbage white butterfly larvae grow on any of the brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, greens) and need to be treated early or they'll strip the plant. I use bacillus thuringiensis sprayed on the leaves to control leaf eating insects and spray as soon as I see signs that the leaves are being eaten. However, control can be even easier. Simply turn over the leaf and look for the tiny groups of eggs. Squish these eggs and insect problems mostly disappear. Similarly, squash bugs lay eggs in the underside of squash leaves, squish 'em and forget 'em! By inspecting leaves often you can find most problems before they start and you'll probably enjoy listening to the mourning doves and other birds on a sunny summer morning.

Mulches play a heavy part in a good organic garden. Mulches help to preserve soil moisture and keep a thriving community of beneficial worms, beetles and other bugs happy. Unfortunately, mulch also allows slugs to hide. To eliminate slugs, I spread diatomaceous earth around tender plants. The white powder is harmless to most insects, but gets rid of slugs.

Companion planting is another good way to keep insects at bay. Plant cabbages near mint (mint is invasive, so keep it in a pot) or sage to keep cabbage white butterflies away, plant basil near tomatoes, beans near corn, garlic near cucumbers, radishes, and roses, but do not plant it near cabbage and brassicas. If you grow carrots, plant them next to rosemary or sage to help prevent carrot fly. Grow celeriac and celery next to leeks which both prefer similar soils, also grow celery next to cauliflower. The list of companion plants is quite huge and you can plan your entire garden around it. Suffice to say, observation plays a large part in finding out what plant likes to grow next to other plants.

So, if you are going to start a vegetable garden this year, grow organically and enjoy fresh insecticide free vegetables all summer long. It doesn't take a lot of time, a few minutes each day and a little more time on weekends, but the benefits can be huge for you and for your family.