Planting Organic Vegetable's
A successful vegetable garden starts out with a plan. Planning your garden is one of the most important parts of vegetable gardening.
1. Decide what you want to grow.
2. Determine how much space you have.
3. Take a sheet of paper and draw a small plot plan of your garden plot, and decide where the vegetables will go.
4. You can determine the proper distance between seeds and between rows it tells you how to space your plants on most seed packets.
Companion planting is another way of working with plants. Some have developed a relationship-they help each other survive. 'Carrots Love Tomatoes' and 'Roses Love Garlic'.
Plants that need partial shade often grow best in the shade of a larger plants or bush. Sometimes a row of sturdy plants can protect weaker plants from wind damage. Root depths vary from one plant to another. You can take advantage of this difference to grow more vegetables in a given area. As an example, by planting shallow-rooted onions in close proximity to deep-rooted carrots, you can grow more of each in your eco raised vegetable garden.
The whole point of a eco raised garden bed is that it gives you the opportunity to garden in perfect soil. Take this opportunity to fill your bed with a good mixture of quality topsoil, compost, and rotted manure. Once filled and raked level, you're ready to plant or sow seeds.
Eco raised raised bed gardens require very little maintenance. Each spring or fall, it's a good idea to top dress with fresh compost and manure. As with any garden, mulching the top of the soil will help retain moisture and keep weeds down. Moisture retention is important, because raised beds tend to drain faster than conventional beds.
Planning & Planting an Organic Vegetable Garden
  Before you start to plant your eco gardens draw a plan (to a scale) of the area at your disposal. Make allowances for paths, borders, etc. Next, take inventory of your organic produce vegetable favourites. Put down on paper every vegetable you will be planting. Go back to your plan and mark out a definite space or number of rows for each different organic vegetable. Select early, midseason and late season sorts of these vegetables. This will give you a constant supply of them. When garden is ready to planted, be sure to follow your plan.
A disregard of a carefully planned eco garden may easily spoil results. I cannot lay too much emphasis at this point, since most gardens fail to yield satisfactory crops for lack of following through with the original plan. Study the characteristics of certain vegetables and utilize them to best advantage. Some vegetables thrive even in partially shaded positions, while others require lots of sunshine for best results. Some of the finest lettuce I ever seen was grown between rows of early peas. The two-foot tall pea vines, rows running east and west would shelter lettuce.
With the pea rows standing 2 1/2 feet apart, the lettuce grew in abundance, since peas root deeply while lettuce is a shallow, rooting plant. Keeping the lettuce row free from weeds gives additional cultivation to the pea. vines, which will, under such conditions, stand considerable dry weather and still bear heavy crops.
A good many vegetables are of exceedingly slow growth during the seedling stage of development. Take advantage of this by utilizing space between such rows for quick-growing crops. For example, sow beet seed by end of May { for zone 4 & 5 } and set young lettuce plants between the rows. By the time the beet tops develop, the lettuce will have already been used. Other zones can either start sooner or later. A distance of 20 inches between the rows is ample for most vegetables in a carefully managed eco garden. Tall peas, tomatoes and corn should be allowed at least 2 to 2 1/2 feet and should be staked for best results. The proper thinning out of organic vegetables is advisable. Do not permit root crops to crowd each other in the row. Thin out radishes, beets, onions, turnips, etc., to stand about from 2 to 4 inches apart in the row, according to variety. Beans will yield more and better pods if plants stand 4 to 6 inches apart in the row.
Location of Rows and Crops
As to the location of the different rows and crops, here is a good rule to, follow. If the land runs east and west the taller plantings should be on the north, so that the light will not be shut off from the lower growing vegetables. Corn grows so much taller than anything else cultivated that it should, if possible, be placed in the. rear. In front of it the few hills of early potatoes as they are the least ornamental of vegetables. Cabbage and cauliflowers grow of about the same height, and may be planted side by side and given the same treatment. Tomatoes may follow the potatoes, and so on in the order of height until the front of the garden is reached.
Vertical Planting
Many vegetables, including peas, pole beans, squash, cucumbers, gourds, and melons will naturally climb a support and grow up rather than out, leaving more ground space for other crops. Support structures include trellises, strings, tepees made from poles, chicken wire, or a chain-link fence. Tomatoes also can be trained to grow upright in wire cages or tied to stakes. Vertical planters are becoming popular for all your favourite plants. Works well indoors or out.
Plant Generously
Whether in the garden or in flats, sow seed generously to allow for seeds that fail to sprout and for seedlings that die. Plant a seed to a depth of not more than three or four times its thickness. If planted too deeply, the seeds may germinate but die before reaching the surface. If planted too shallow wind or rain may blow or wash the seeds away before they sprout. In sandy or lighter soils, plant a little deeper.
“Thick and thin” is the way to sow seeds. Plant seeds twice as close as the desired plant spacing, After germination, pull out the extras to provide growing space for the remaining plants. Remove the surplus while they are small and before they compete with others for light, air, and water.
Planting Tomatoes
 When planting tomato plants they should be planted in warm soil, they do not thrive in cold temperature's. Make sure to plant them in full sun one week after last frost. Last week of May beginning of June is your best bet. When planting tomatoes dig a hole large enough for the size of your roots throw a hand full of bone meal cover with soil lightly then plant your seedlings.Bone Meal  promote's the growth of your tomato plant. Our tomato plants grew five plus feet tall using this method. We also water them with organic miracle grow every two weeks. Tomato plants have what you call suckers, these suckers need to be removed as they will stunt the growth of your tomato plant. They are located at the bottom roots of the tomato plant.
  This is what you will be looking for. The sucker is located in between two branches. Tomato plants should to be watered on a daily basis, preferably just the roots. There are many varieties of tomatoes. Beefsteak tomatoes seem to be the preferred tomatoes. They are huge and sometimes grow as big as a grapefruit. A nice thick slice will make any hamburger taste delicious. Sweet Baby Girl or  Super Sweet are about the size of a grape, excellent in salads or just to eat. They are a accent to any vegetable platter."Cherry tomatoes bursting with sugary flavor. The scarlet, cherry-sized fruits are produced in long pendulous clusters right up to frost. Fresh Salsa Tomato  are another favourite. They are used to make Italian sauce's, salsa, bruchetta and are also very nice choice for canning. For those people who do not have the priviledge of planting garden's you can plant them on your patio using several different ways. Pots, growbags ect... Prepare soil the same as raised garden bed, mix a little bone meal in your soil. This can be used on any patio, balcony or deck. It can produce alot of tomatoes just as it would if planted in a normal raised garden bed. The difference obviously is you will cultivate more tomatoes in a raised garden bed. Tomato Grow Bag is another method that can be used to plant "Tomato" if you do not have the space for a raised garden bed.
  Ultimate Tomato Growers Kit Twice the tomatoes in half the space! SAVE 20% Double your tomato production and use less of your garden doing it. It's easy with our Ultimate Tomato Growers Kit. Contains everything you need to maximize growth, yield, and flavor. Works on all tomato plants! You get: 3 Tomato Towers- grow your plants straight and tall, taking up much less space. Improves air circulation and ease of harvest. Total height 58". Qty 3 per kit. Reflective Red Mulch Film- special SRM-Red material reflects certain wavelengths of sunlight, increasing growth and yields up to 20%. Qty 8, 3'x3' sheets. Blossom Set Spray- all-natural spray promotes blossoms and fruit development. Nearly every blossom will produce faster, larger, meatier fruit- ripening up to 3 weeks earlier. Garden Stretch Tie- unique tie-up material expands and stretches to gently hold growing plants. Won't strangle or cut plants like ordinary wire or twine. Continuous roll (100 ft. x ½ in.). Ultimate Tomato Growers Kit
Twice the tomatoes in half the space! SAVE 20%
Double your tomato production and use less of your garden doing it. It's easy with our Ultimate Tomato Growers Kit. Contains everything you need to maximize growth, yield, and flavor. Works on all tomato plants! You get: 3 Tomato Towers- grow your plants straight and tall, taking up much less space. Improves air circulation and ease of harvest. Total height 58". Qty 3 per kit. Reflective Red Mulch Film- special SRM-Red material reflects certain wavelengths of sunlight, increasing growth and yields up to 20%. Qty 8, 3'x3' sheets. Blossom Set Spray- all-natural spray promotes blossoms and fruit development. Nearly every blossom will produce faster, larger, meatier fruit- ripening up to 3 weeks earlier. Garden Stretch Tie- unique tie-up material expands and stretches to gently hold growing plants. Won't strangle or cut plants like ordinary wire or twine. Continuous roll (100 ft. x ½ in.).
 Cucumber Planting
  Cucumbers are also a gardener's favourite. In the raised garden bed prepare small mounds about one square foot 8 inches apart along outer edge of raised garden. Soak cucumber seeds for a few hours before planting, this will allow them to germinate quicker. Plant six seeds about 2 inches apart in each mound, this will insure that if one or two seeds do not germinate they can easily be thinned out, and transfered to another spot, rather then re-seeding if they do not germinate. Cucumbers again like the tomato require frequent watering. Burpless Cucumber seems to be a favourite for gardener's they grow very straight, quick and have a nice taste not bitter at all. English cucumbers are also a variey of cucmber that will do well in a raised garden bed.A Cucumber Fence will be necessary in order for cucumbers to grow straight. Plant cucumbers the same time as tomatoes they are not hardy you will have to shelter them if you have a frost. Heavyweight Row Covers for frost protection will be necessary. National Pickling cucumber is the best of all pickling cucumbers, they produce a lot more cucmbers then any other variety.
Garlic Planting
  Every garden require's a organic garlic patch. It is a natural insecticide for organic raised garden beds. It is also a pest control for keeping dogs and cats out of the garden using Dog and Cat Garlic Clips . Plus, garlic is very beneficial to your health it is a natural antibiotic. Purchase garlic bulbs and plant them with bud down. Plant garlic in between rows, middle of patches or scatter through out garden. Garlic clips are also used to keep inects off of roses or any flowers that are prone to bugs. Deer and rabbits have a sense of smell a hundred times greater than ours, so just imagine how they react to the powerful garlic scent, this will keep them away sometimes. FALL IS THE TIME TO PLANT GARLIC AND SHALLOTS! Did you know that the late Summer and early Fall months are the best for planting Garlic and Shallots? Plant them in your garden today, and they will be ready for harvest just in time for Spring! Now is the time to order your garlic and shallots at Burpee.com. And Burpee always carries a wide assortment of perennials, so if you order today, you can enjoy a beautiful garden both now and once again in the Spring.
 Garlic, Extra Select these widely adapted garlics are easy to grow and will keep 10 months. Plant 6" apart in spring and early fall. These mother bulbs are made up of several cloves. In the North, plant in fall or early spring; in the South and Pacific South west, plant in fall. Proven tops for performance, flavor and wide adaptability. Sun. Fall planting: Plant cloves in mid-autumn in a sunny location with rich, well-drained soil. Set cloves root side down 4-6" apart in rows 1? to 2-feet apart, and cover with 1-2" of fine soil. In the North, put down 6" of mulch for winter protection. Garlic may begin growth late in fall or early in spring.
Garlic, Elephant prefers a long, cool growing season and is best planted in early fall. The larger the planted clove the larger the bulb it will produce, and these cloves are huge. You'll harvest enormous bulbs that are up to 4-" wide and 3-" long! Delicious mild flavor. Plant in fall for summer harvest. Plant 8" apart. Sun. "
Onion Planting
  When planting Onion they should be planted with bud down also make sure they are completely barried or the birds will eat your bulbs. Green onions are hardy they can go in garden early. When onions start to get to big bend the tails and they will continue to grow into a nice white cooking onion. At this point you can plant another patch insuring green onions all season. There are many different varieties of onions red onoins, spanish onions, white onions ect... Spacing is the issue when planting bigger onions make sure you allow for the size of the onion. Onions like garlic are also a natural bug repellant.for your organic garden. Green onions have always been a favorite for any organic gardener.Grow a plentiful crop of tasty Onion Sets in your home garden, perfect for enjoying freshly dug, or for long-term winter storage. Choose from three varieties: yellow Stuttgarter Riesen, red Red Baron, or white Ebenezer. Stuttgarter Riesen is a medium-large flat onion with mild flavor Red Baron onions have a beautiful dark red color and sweet taste Ebenezer onions have a delicate flavor that makes them popular for cooking All three varieties store well 75 bulbs per bag Plant in full sun in well-drained soil on 3" centers These long-day onions require 14 hours of sun for best harvest. Onions can be stored in Potato and Onion Storage Wicker Baskets in a cool place like a cold cellar or basement almost all winter long or until you eat them all.
 Shallots are very expensive to buy in stores, they're so easy to grow that you can use them lavishly. Plant in spring (fall in the South) and harvest in fall, or leave in the ground overwinter for spring use. Space sets 12" apart. 10 sets will plant a 10 ft row. "
Walla Walla Sweet how sweet it is. Living up to its name, 'Supersweet' is so sweet you can eat it raw. The jumbo yellow-skin globes have sweet, piquant white flesh. Onions can reach baseball size, and grow plentifully. Plants ship in spring at proper planting time for your area.
"Horseradish, excellent variety for making your own ground horseradish. Vigorous plants produce large white roots for use in late fall or winter. Plant 18" apart.
Planting Pepper's
  "Pepper's are a another type of vegetable that is very common in vegetable garden's.There are many varieties of pepper's. Their seed's are very tiny so they should not be planted to deep. Your best bet with peppers is to start them indoors. Or you may choose to purchace the seedlings. Green pepper's and Red Bell pepper's are the most common. "Pepper, Sweet Big Daddy banana Pepper's also grow very well."Think big. These huge 8-10" peppers are glossy golden yellow, thick-walled and crispy sweet. Try roasting with red peppers for a bright and beautiful combo. The strong 18-24" plants hold the hefty fruits high for easy pepper picking. A winner every way you look at it. Excellant choice for pickling. Pepper's are prone to attracting bugs so plant them close to your garlic and onions. Germination for pepper seeds 7 to 10 days.
"Pro Series Folding Plant Supports" Sturdy, stackable supports allow you to custom-fit them to your plants. The patent-pending Burpee design is now offered in 3 distinct sizes, the better to support all your tomato and pepper plants. Folds flat for easy storage.
"Jalapeno Pepper. Does the thought of a hot pepper leave you cold? This new beauty with only the slightest hint of the heat brings savory jalapeno flavor to non-heat lovers everywhere. Even better, False Alarm makes compact plants that are barely 18" tall, yet smother themselves with thick-fleshed, 3" peppers. A good thing, too, cause you can eat a lot of these mild, tasty jalapenos. Excellent for roasting, nachos, poppers, and salsa. It's the perfect little hardly-hot pepper for small gardens and containers."
  Beans are always popular in eco organic garden's. Our favorite in Fordhook Farm's test gardens, these full, straight, 5-6" bright yellow beans are exceptionally tasty and appear in abundance atop tidy 12-15" plants. You'll love them for 55 days." These will also germinate quicker if the seed has been soaked a couple hours before planting. Plant them about five inches apart because they grow about 12 to 18 inches tall and 12 inches wide. they can be planted about 1 inch deep or the birds will eat them. By using this method they will germinate within a couple of days. Beans require frequent watering also.
  Cauliflower is also common in eco organic vegetable garden's when planting allow 6 inch spacing between seeds. Cauliflower also thrives in cooler temperatures, shady spots are the best location for this vegetable. As they mature and you find their tops turning yellow, wrap it's leaves around the top and clip with close pin or even toothpicks will work. The sun will sometime's make this occur so by covering the cauliflower head this will prevent it from happening.
  Asparagus Mary Washington "HEIRLOOM. As asparaguses are perennial vegetables, you just plant them once and to enjoy season after season of succulent spears. The graceful, feathery green foliage remains attractive long after harvest. In 2 years, you?ll have light cuttings, with regular cuttings thereafter. Plant seeds or roots in early spring to garden in May. Full or partial sun.
  Eggplant "All-America Winner. Tender, plump and sweet, these luscious-looking mini marvels are little jewels of delicious creamy flavor. The short, slender fruits make tasty conversation pieces, with their beautifully marbled purple and white tones. In clusters of six fruits, the mini eggplants 4-5" x 1" grow on prolifically branching compact plants. Perfect for growing in containers." Plant one week before threat of frost is over.
 
Squash type cylindrical, smooth, deep blackish-green, straight to slightly curved fruits. Creamy white, tender flesh freezes well. Plants are bush-like and vigorous. A Winner. Ready for harvest 57 days after seed is sown. GARDEN HINTS: Fruits are best when 8-9 in. long. Cultivate or mulch to control weeds. Fertilize when fruits form to increase yield. Plant one week before threat of frost. Plant one or two of each variety. Them ten inches apart the plants grow quite large.
  Corn Burpee's latest 'Extra-Performance' corn trio combines the high sugar content of Super Sweet types with the true corn flavor of the Sugar Enhanced types on each ear. Our Triple Crown XP Hybrid Corns are synergistic (se/sh2) varieties. These have a combination of 75% se kernels and 25% sh2 kernels. These combine the high sugar content of Super Sweet types with true corn flavor of sugar enhanced types. Plant the same way as beans.
  "Pea Collection produces a huge crop with high percentage of 2 pods per cluster. Vigorous 28" plants bear 4 ?" long pods. Resists pea virus, common wilt and powdery mildew. We searched the world to find the best organic seed - Burpee fully guarantees that not a drop of synthetic chemicals was used to make these excellent seeds. Certified Organic Seed. Peas also can be soaked for a couple of hours to speed up germination. Plant one week before threat of frost, pretty tolerant to cold weather. Plant 2 to 3 inches apart. You will also need a Pea Fence for them to climb. Excellant to plant border of eco raised garden bed.
 
Lettuce thrives in cooler weather so it can be planted at the same time as onions, garlic and vegetables that grow in ground. You should be able to replant a couple times a year. Lettuce seeds are very tiny depending on what type you plant follow directions on packet. Leaf lettuce plant as you would grass seed. Lettuce loves cool watering daily.
  "Our best tasting and most beautiful vegetables provide you with a bountiful harvest all summer. You get 9 PLANTS (1 each) of:
•Eggplant 'Purple Rain' - gorgeous color and nearly seedless.
•Eggplant 'Crescent Moon' - striking white skin.
•Pepper 'The Godfather' - exceptionally sweet Italian type.
•Pepper 'Orange Belle II' - deep orange, sweet and prolific.
•Pepper 'Red Delicious' - more uniquely flavorful than any other.
•Tomato 'Burpee's Big Boy' - our legendary favorite since 1949.
•Tomato 'Sun Gold' - popular and distinctive tangy cherry.
•Tomato 'BushSteak' - large fruits on container-sized plants.
•Tomato 'Sweet Tangerine' - bright orange and extremely mild
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