Choosing the Right Plants

For many people, organic gardening seems like a huge job, and they’re convinced that they have to scrap everything from their existing garden and start over. Although organic gardening requires some planning, it doesn’t have to be an enormous task. In fact, you may already have something in your garden that can benefit from this new gardening pursuit.

Part of the planning process of organic gardening is choosing the right plants for your soil. This is the crucial part of the process as the mismatch of the soil with your plant of choice could ruin your dream of having a bountiful organic garden. It is important to consider your soil in terms of its type, moisture content, amount of sun received, and other environmental considerations when choosing the kind of plants for your garden.

The following questions will help you determine your garden conditions and the kind of plants that will most likely thrive in them:

Soil Type

What type of soil do you have?

How to Tell:

To determine the type of soil that you have, you can try this primitive soil test: pick up an inch clump of soil and roll it into a ball. If you can do this successfully, then you have a clay soil. If it falls completely apart, then it is sandy. If it falls somewhere in between, then you have loamy soil.

Moisture Content

Does your soil retain moisture when you water it or when it rains? Or does moisture seeps out in an instant?

How to Tell:

Wait for a few minutes after you water the soil. Dig down, around 8 inches, and grab a handful of soil and squeeze it. If water drips out of it, your soil retains moisture. If it stays together but leaves an imprint on your hand, it has average moisture content. If it crumbles, it’s dry.

Sunlight Exposure

If your plant receives less than sufficient amount of sunlight, it would tend to be weaker and more susceptible to pests and diseases.

How to Tell:

Observe your garden and watch how many hours of sunlight each location receives or will receive.

Environmental Conditions

Understanding the different environmental conditions in your garden will help you prepare for them. This will save you from the frustration of having to replant your seedlings after they’ve been damaged by certain environmental conditions.

How to Tell:

Observe how the wind blows across your garden beds. It’s also worth considering how your plant will be affected by rain or wind exposure in that area.

Other Factors:

Other factors to consider when choosing plants for your organic garden include the following:

·      Plant Varieties

Most insects and pests attack the entire family of a plant. Checking the plant’s family and its susceptibility to certain pests beforehand will help you save from frustration. Generally, plants under the Brassica family like Brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage, and cauliflower are all susceptible to club root. Hollyhocks, hibiscus, and several malvas are all susceptible to hollyhock rust.

·      Companion Planting

There are some plants that make it harder for competitors to grow around the surrounding area. There are also those that are beneficial to their neighbors. Here are some examples: chives planted at the base of roses help repel aphids, garlic at the base of a peach tree can repel borers, and basil planted among tomatoes helps to repel tomato hornworms.