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Organic Vegetable Gardening Plans for the South

Gardeners in any area of the country can plant and grow a vegetable garden. In cold areas, though, they must deal with late spring thaws and short growing seasons. The warm U.S. Department of Agriculture Growing Zones 7 and 8 incorporating Southern states like Georgia, Arkansas and Alabama offer longer summer seasons and easier plant selection, but still require specific timing. Organic gardens also require careful ingredient selection.

  1. Season

    • Prepare and plant the garden in early spring, around the last frost of the season. Start your soil amendment four to six weeks ahead of the last frost, to get frost-hardy vegetables into the ground as early as possible. Frost dates in this region range from late March to late April, so aim for a mid-February to mid-March start date.

    Site

    • Find a planting site that gives you the right mix of space and conditions. Use a new site to ensure truly unpolluted, organic gardening from the start. North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service

      recommends starting a 25-square-foot garden to give yourself plenty of space, in a site that provides full sun for eight hours every day and good air and water drainage.

    Organic Gardening

    • An organic garden uses only plant- or animal-derived matter. Check your labels carefully, and use only organic compost, fertilizer and pesticides. Dig 5 inches of organic compost into the top 12 inches of natural soil to nourish it and prepare the foundation. Add organic fertilizer, bone meal or fish emulsion at planting to encourage quick, successful vegetable growth. Plant organic lettuce, carrot, beet, broccoli, spinach and cabbage seedlings before the last frost. Plant organic tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, peppers, squash and okra after the last frost.

    Staggered Plantings

    • Keep your organic vegetable garden productive with continued plantings, staggered at every couple of weeks. Plant long-season plants like tomatoes and beans until mid-July to give them three months of growing before the first frost in October. Plant quick-season vegetables like radishes and carrots through mid-August in the South.

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Vegetable Garden
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