Every gardener has their own set of gardening guidelines that correspond to certain predetermined gardening styles. If he knows his gardening style and if he can apply that style to the creation of an organic garden, then he has practically captured an advantage over other gardening enthusiasts. But, if he doesn’t have a gardening style that he can apply to growing organic vegetables, then he could be at a great disadvantage. What are the different styles of gardening that really apply to the successful harvest of organic vegetables? Here are some of the types you might consider:

Residential Gardening

This is the most common of all gardening techniques. It is often called “backyard gardening.” If you are a novice and have no seasonal experience in horticulture, then residential gardening is your best approach. The main purpose of the residential garden is to feed a family. A steady supply of home-grown vegetables can not only feed your family now, but if you understand canning and preserving, your garden can nourish your family long after your garden’s growing season is over.

The second appeal of residential landscaping lies in its aesthetic appeal. Your garden can add color and depth to your landscape. It is very transformative to see what was once just grass, a wooden deck or a concrete balcony become an eye-pleasing sculpture.

Residential gardening does not require a large amount of space. A window sill, deck, balcony, or other small area that gets enough light can easily produce a small crop. These small confined areas are easy to monitor and at the same time easy to maintain. Protecting your garden from pests is much easier in a smaller area. The best thing about residential gardening is the ease with which it transforms the aspiring gardener into a gardening professional. It takes the novice, who has no knowledge of planting, cultivating and harvesting, to a level of understanding where other styles of gardening become the dream and the possibility.

Specialized Gardening

Specialty landscaping generally involves non-residential areas. Common examples of specialty landscaping include amusement parks, botanical gardens, zoos, commercial landscaping along highway right-of-ways, and many more. Making the landscape more attractive seems to be the most common underlying theme of the specialty garden. These landscaping efforts are rarely the responsibility of just one person. Often a team of botanists and gardeners work together to maintain the garden’s aesthetic appeal. These gardens are often created to support or generate income for their owners or the organizations that support them.

Specialty gardens rarely sport vegetables like corn, tomatoes, potatoes, peas, or beans. They, according to their type, focus more on the rarer or special type of flora. Unique flowers, shrubs, even trees are often found in these areas. But, when a specialty garden focuses on planting vegetables, wide-row techniques, stitching seeds in a wide band rather than a single row, are more often applied.

impact gardening

By definition, impact gardening focuses on getting the most out of a small space. It’s all about using a relatively small garden area and finding ways to maximize your gardening potential. To achieve this goal, plants are strategically arranged and systematically planted in a “packed” format. This type of gardening requires a basic knowledge of plant types; annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, and even ground cover. Understanding the types of plants best suited for the environment and climate is critical to successful impact gardening.

Impact gardening requires planning. A haphazard approach will not work. A layout of which plants will be placed where is paramount to successful impact growth. The best approach is to draw an outline of the garden, label specific areas, and then fill those areas with the appropriate plants. These designs or surveys should be as detailed as possible to include plant details and cost analysis.

There are four basic steps to successful impact gardening.

• Step one, examine a garden space and mark the specific site. It is best to have the long side of the plot aligned with the sun, from east to west. This helps prevent plants from getting burned in the summer heat and ruining your crops.
• Step two, design the garden. It must be attractive but maintain its functionality.
• Step three, make long skinny beds, eight feet longer than they are wide. This makes weeding and planting easier. Build the bed frames out of long 2×8 boards. If you make several, you can place them end to end, parallel to the sun.
• Step four, use soaker hoses to water. Arrange them up and down in rows, about a foot from the edges of the bed.

indoor gardening

Growing plants indoors isn’t just a science, it’s an art. This type of gardening can be as small as a few potted plants placed on the coffee table or near the front door; or as large as a greenhouse with thousands of varieties of plants housed in a climate controlled environment. These greenhouses or conservatories are designed and built with controlled heating and air conditioning systems, as required by the plants. Unfortunately, this type of greenhouse gardening is better suited for the commercial grower due to the expense factor involved.

For the homeowner, the greatest benefit of indoor gardening is the simple fact that plants can be grown year-round, completely independent of extreme weather conditions such as heat, cold, wind, or rain. . Light is the most common limiting factor for indoor gardening. Most plants don’t do well indoors, so it’s important to match a particular plant’s light needs with the amount of light it can offer you. There are three general categories of light: high, medium, and low light. An easy way to gauge how much light there is in a particular area is to use a light meter, usually available at your local nursery, or simply place your hand between the light source and where the plant will be placed. The amount of shade gives a rough indication of the available light. If there is no shadow or if a shadow is hard to see, that is an indication of low light.

aquatic gardening

If you enjoy gardening with little supervision and you love fish and aquatic plants, then aquatic gardening is for you. Perhaps the most important consideration in water gardening is location selection. Most aquatic plants and fish need plenty of sun, so a location that gets 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight is best. Choose a site away from tall bushes and trees. This site will provide the best lighting and hopefully prevent leaf debris from accumulating on the surface of the pond.

Planning is once again very important. Be sure to apply both common sense and some basic landscaping principles to your site plan before you begin construction. Consider the overall size of your property, the size of your site selection, and your ability to maintain your yard before digging out the first shovel of soil. It goes without saying that small ponds are best for small properties. A container on deck may be all you need depending on the space you have available. Features like waterfalls, rocks, lighting, and fountains depend on the budget. They can add style, but they can be too expensive.

Aquatic plants should not cover more than 50 – 60 percent of the water surface. Some are free floating while others are marginal or partially submerged. The selection depends on the size of the pond and your personal preferences. Water lilies are very popular and can add drama and fragrance to even small gardens. Some plants oxygenate the water and help keep the water clean and the pool healthy. Fish can be a beneficial addition due to your collecting activities. They naturally clean up debris that would otherwise accumulate in the garden. They can also help control mosquito larvae and the development of other insects.

Community Gardening

Community gardening is becoming quite popular, especially in densely populated urban areas. It involves concentrated efforts by different members of the community to help plant, maintain, and then harvest a garden. It’s a huge undertaking, but community members have autonomy to design their areas however they choose. At the local level, the Master Gardner program, through local Agricultural Extension Services, can provide the right atmosphere for a community to plant a garden, maintain its integrity, and grow its produce.

Neighborhoods come together and transform vacant lots into green space. The tenants of the buildings gather on the roofs to plant and grow vegetables. Everyone shares the responsibility and the harvest. This is community gardening at its purest. These community gardens are a great way to get kids and adults involved in beautifying your neighborhood while also working with nature.

No matter which style best suits your needs, it can be effectively applied to organic gardening. Each style of landscaping requires some level of planning and site preparation. Once the planting is complete, the actual gardening work begins. Caring for your garden plants is very similar to caring for your pets. They need regular food and water. Your space needs to be cleaned or weeded regularly. And, the more attention you give them, the more they respond and produce.