The organic kitchen garden. Part 1: soil and fertiliser

Organic gardening. Just stop watering and you're done, you might think. However, there is more to it than just stopping watering, although that does not mean it has to be more difficult. In this series of articles, we discuss how you can start an organic vegetable garden yourself in simple terms. We start with soil and fertiliser, because a good basis is everything!

Healthy soil

For an organic vegetable garden, a healthy soil is of great importance for the plants. The plants get their nutrition from this soil. In the traditional garden, artificial fertiliser is often used, which feeds the plant but not the soil. So, paying attention to a healthy soil is very important. It is more than just a growth substrate, but consists of a complex ecosystem in which an enormous number of organisms live. These organisms feed on organic material, and their excrement contains minerals that the plants use to grow. By giving organic material, such as compost, you are feeding these organisms. However, immediately available nutrients are also important. These can be given in the form of cow manure pellets or blood meal.

Organic fertilizers

By adding organic matter you will also improve the water management and workability of your soil. The use of more organic material will, in fact, ensure a better soil structure. On clay soils this will ensure a more aerated and better draining soil, on sandy soils it will improve the water-storage properties.

But beware: too much is never good. Over-fertilisation can also occur when using compost. A good guideline is to add about a 1 cm layer to the soil. For poorer soils, this can be a little more, and for garden soils that are already well-fertilised, a little less.

By the way, did you know that organic fertiliser consists mainly of carbon? When this is added to the soil, the carbon is partly fixed. In this way, CO2 from the air can also be fixed in the soil. When tilling the soil and adding oxygen, this CO2 is then released back into the atmosphere.

Read more about which preventive measures you can take to protect your vegetable garden from unwanted guests in this article!

Want to know more about the organic vegetable garden? Read the sequel!