Step 1: Select the right location for your organic vegetable garden. 

Choose a spot in your yard that receives at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight each day. Ensure that the area has good soil drainage and is easily accessible for watering and maintenance. You can also grow herbs and some vegetables in containers on a patio or porch if you live in a condo or an apartment. Be sure that your patio area receives at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight each day and has a water source nearby, such as a faucet or spigot.

Step 2: Choose your vegetables and know your hardiness zone. 

Select vegetables that are well-suited to your climate and the time of year you plan to grow them. Temperate climates can grow cool season crops (such as broccoli, cabbage, or brussel sprouts) in the winter and warm season crops (such as tomato, pumpkin, or zucchini) in the summer. Climates that experience a true winter and frosts can grow cool season crops in the spring and fall, and warm season crops between their average last frost date in spring and their first frost date in the fall.  

Next, you’ll want to consider the space available, your personal preferences for vegetables, and the time you have for maintenance. It's a good idea to start with a few easy-to-grow vegetables like tomatoes, lettuce, radishes, or zucchini.

What’s my Hardiness Zone?

To know when your average frost dates occur for your area, (or in other words: your hardiness zone) go to the USDA hardiness zone map website and enter your zip code. Your hardiness zone will tell you your gardening zone so know what plants can be grown in your region and when. 

Step 3: Plan your garden layout.

Before you start planting your organic vegetable garden, you need to understand the space you’re working with. Consider the available space and what vegetables you want to grow. Make a sketch or plan of your garden layout, taking into account the height of the plants, their mature size and how much space you’ll need around each plant and if you need any trellises to support their growth. 

If you’re growing in containers, then you’ll need large containers for large plants. More compact veggies and herbs can be grown in medium sized pots. If you’re a beginner and want to grow easy veggies in containers, then I recommend growing lettuce and leafy greens, radish, herbs, and peppers in medium sized pots. 

Step 4: Prepare the soil.  

Clear the area of any grass, weeds, or debris. Remove any rocks or large hard clumps of soil. If you’re growing in a raised bed, build your frames then add a 50/50 mixture of organic raised bed potting soil and high-quality organic compost. If you’re growing directly in the ground, add organic matter such as organic compost or well-rotted manure to improve the soil fertility and structure. 

Amending the soil is an important step. Compost and organic matter feeds the soil and adds life and nutrients to the soil. Veggies consume a lot of nutrients to help them grow and produce a harvest so they need soil that is very rich and full of life.  Many people till compost into their existing soil, but tilling can harm the life and soil ecosystem. It’s better for the health of the soil to simply layer 1-2 inches of compost on top and let microbes, bacteria, and nutrients percolate down into the existing layer overtime. 

Step 5: Start seeds and buy seedlings. 

Decide whether you want to start your vegetables from seeds or purchase seedlings from a nursery. Some vegetables, like carrots and beans, need to be directly sown into the ground as seeds because transplanting is too rough for their delicate roots. Others, like tomatoes and peppers, are often started indoors from seeds and transplanted as seedlings. If you’re just starting out, I recommend buying seedlings to transplant.