Initial Steps to Organic Gardening #DigIn #Ad

I have been, or can be if you click on a link and make a purchase, compensated via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value for writing this post. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

This post on initial steps to organic gardening was written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

Usually by early May, I am already looking for plants at the store.  I was a bit dismayed when visiting our local Home Depot that the shipment of vegetable and herb plants had not arrived yet.  Someone must have known we didn’t need the plants yet as a late season snowstorm arrived last weekend leaving 6 inches of snow on the ground.

 

 

It was only a matter of days for most of the snow to melt off the ground.  So, with a lot of excitement, our family made the trek to the local Home Depot to pick up some plants and seeds to get started.

 

Steps to Organic Gardening: Start with a Rich Soil

As I mentioned in my recent post on Organic Gardening Plans, we are not blest with great soil at our house.  Matter of fact it is more rock than dirt.  Previous owners had created a garden plot and brought in soil. But, over the years the rocks have started to migrate leaving it less than optimal.

 

I figured we had a few choices:  amend the soil we have, create raised beds and fill them with purchased soil, or go for container gardening with organic potting soil.  With the colder than normal temps this month, we’ve opted to do a combination of the three.

 

Mr. O set up our portable greenhouse to start warming the section of soil we’d not used for planting in the past.  Some seeds or plants may be going straight into the ground.  But, I also have him leaving me space for containers.

 

We found organic soil for both building up our current garden plot as well as organic potting soil.  At first, I considered using just the big bags of organic soil in my few pots.  However, more careful examination of the packaging convinced me that I would need the potting soil to maximize the likelihood of harvesting produce.

 

 

Steps to Organic Gardening: Choosing Where to Plant Your Plants

While shopping at Home Depot, I decided that any organic container gardening I did this season would require larger pots than I already own. 

The advantage for us with container gardening is that with the help of a dolly we can move the containers around as needed.  If it’s going to be just a ‘little’ cold at night, they can be transported to the greenhouse for some extra warmth.  And, if it’s dipping below freezing and the plants are not cold hardy, then they can come into the house or (heated) garage.

I found a lovely pot which looks like it would be heavy, but is really plastic.  The boys aren’t sure that it ‘fits’ our yards décor (or lack there of.)  However, this mother is thrilled to have a little more pretty in my life.

As for the raised beds, I did have to ask an associate to help me find the kits.  Somehow we had walked right past them thinking they would be in more of a center display like the portable greenhouses. 

Being slanted towards more frugal living, we thought about scavenging odds and ends around the house to build our own.  However, I am thinking quick assembly may win out and I’ll be picking up at least one of these kits soon.

 

Steps to Organic Gardening: Selecting Your Plants

The final step in our organic gardening adventure was to find the plants and seeds we would purchase. 

I had seen a selection of Bonnie Organic Plants on the Home Depot website.  The pricing is fantastic and I would have enjoyed having boxes of plants arrive at the house.  However, our state is one of the few where shipping is not available.  I was pleased to see that almost all of the plants on the racks at our local Home Depot were labeled organic.

 

 

Even the seed selection has several organic options along with heirloom seeds and more ‘conventional’ ones as well.  Historically, we ordered a LOT of seeds from Burpee through the mail.  It was a relief to find a brand we trust in our local store.

 

Are YOU working in the garden this year?

How do you approach growing vegetables and other plants?

What is your favorite home grown vegetable or herb?

 

It’s home improvement time, and The Home Depot has everything you need to #DigIn for Spring. No matter what projects you want to tackle, they have great values on all you need. They’re ready to help you with renovation ideas and expert advice, too.

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.