Why Fight Mother Nature, When You
Can Grow-it-Organically?

Organic gardening is big, and getting bigger. And it’s not just happening out in the country, or on large suburban lots, where you’d expect it.

SaladScape of ‘Santoro’ and ‘Mervielles des
Quatre Saison’ Lettuce © Steve Masley
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Organic vegetable gardens are sprouting up on rooftops, backyard decks, and apartment balconies. Community gardens have long waiting lists.

If you’re concerned about food safety issues like e. coli, salmonella, and pesticide residues on produce–and who isn't, especially if you're a parent–why not grow some of your own food? It’s easier than you think, and it’s a fun way for families to connect with each other and for kids to connect with nature.

If you’re a locavore looking for ways to reduce your carbon footprint, you can’t get any more local than your own balcony, deck, or back yard.

Don’t have a plot of land? With all the options for growing vegetables in containers, balcony farmers and container gardeners can grow some of their own vegetables even in apartment highrises.

Whatever your reason for starting a vegetable garden, Grow-it-Organically.com is here to help teach you the ins and outs of organic vegetable gardening.

‘Academic’ (Pointy-Headed) Cabbage, a.k.a., ‘Caraflex’

Growing Tomatoes ‘Italian-Grandfather-style’. Fruit Sets in Fat Clusters Along the Stake

Most of the photos on this site are from my gardens, except for a few choice photos taken in other gardens. Some photos on the Vegetable Varieties pages are from our seed source, Cook's Garden Seeds.

Organic Gardening is Biologically-Based, not Chemically-Based

People have been growing food organically for millenia–this isn’t rocket science. Many of the principles were worked out long before chemical fertilizers and pesticides came into widespread use, although science continues to advance and improve techniques from the past.

The biggest problem with using chemicals in the garden is this: Chemicals simplify ecosystems. Use a nitrate salt fertilizer or an herbicide, and kiss the beneficial fungi in your soil goodbye. Earthworm populations dive—literally—as they head for the subsoil or out of the garden.

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Images on this site link to either larger images for a clearer view, or related pages.

Apply an insecticide, and the first insects to die are the gnat-sized parasitic wasps that control aphids and caterpillars—before they get out of hand. Even the “inert” carrier oils in insecticides are lethal to these tiny garden allies.

Organic Gardening mimics—and amplifies—natural ecosystems. Biodiversity below ground supplies nutrients to your vegetables, while biodiversity above ground controls insect pests.

Organic gardening offers a more sustainable way to grow vegetables. In the 26 years I’ve been growing organic vegetables, I’ve made almost every mistake a gardener can make, and heard about the rest.

Experience is the best teacher, but trust me, you don’t want to make a compost pile like my first compost pile. And your neighbors don’t want you to, either. How to Compost shows you how to do it right the first time.

Facts About Soil gives you all the information you need for improving garden soil, whether you’re growing vegetables in sandy soil, loam, or clay. Organic NPK Fertilizers covers everything you need to know about organic soil amendments.

How to Grow Vegetables and Planting Herbs provide plant profiles and tips on how to grow vegetables and herbs organically.

**Click Any Image to See a Larger Version**

I put everything I know about how to grow, harvest, and enjoy the fruits of your labor into each plant profile, including tips about varieties, timing, harvesting, and recipes, as well as gardening tips I’ve picked up over the years.

I hope this site is helpful. Happy Gardening!