Frequently Asked Organic Gardening Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
I already have a garden structure. Can you help me with this?
Yes. If you already have a structure, we can help you with a garden design, planting and maintenance throughout the season.
I already have a garden structure. Can you help me with this?
Yes. If you already have a structure, we can help you with a garden design, planting and maintenance throughout the season.
How do I decide how large my organic garden should be?
Homefront Farmers organic garden designs come in a variety of sizes. All our gardens are custom-made and we can build to fit almost any situation and budget. We’ll help you decide which size is right for you by looking at the available space in your yard, your hours of sunshine and how much food you want your organic vegetable garden to yield.
How do I know the best place to put my organic garden?
We help you determine where to put your organic garden during your free site evaluation. Factors that influence that are the amount of sun, available space, slope and aesthetics.
How much sun do I need in my yard?
Organic vegetable gardens definitely need sun to grow well, but some crops don’t need as much sun as others. During your free site evaluation, we’ll determine the specific number of hours of sun that occurs in the space where you want to build your home garden, and we can let you know what will grow well there.
What happens when one crop finishes producing, can I plant something else in its place?
Yes. We can do that for you if you like. That’s called succession planting.
How do I decide what crops to plant in my organic vegetable garden?
We will send you our Crop Planner, which lists all the organic and heirloom crops that are available. You’ll check off the crops you’d like, and our head of garden maintenance will help you decide which are the best choices for the amount of sun and space that you have in your garden.
Glossary of Organic Gardening Terms
Crop Planner
A list of crop options which allows you to choose the varieties and quantities of various vegetables, herbs and edible flowers, fruit vines, bushes and trees you would like to grow. With your choices, we will design an aesthetically pleasing organic garden that will provide continuous food production, maximizing space and sunlight availability.
Crop Planner
A list of crop options which allows you to choose the varieties and quantities of various vegetables, herbs and edible flowers, fruit vines, bushes and trees you would like to grow. With your choices, we will design an aesthetically pleasing organic garden that will provide continuous food production, maximizing space and sunlight availability.
Crop Rotation
Changing or “rotating” the kinds of crops grown in a particular spot in your garden each year. This minimizes the spread or “wintering over” of pests and diseases while increasing the health and productivity of your organic vegetable garden.
Disease Control
Homefront Farmers utilizes locally sourced organic compost to maximize your garden’s health and disease resistance. We use straw mulch to prevent soil-borne disease from backsplash in heavy rains. This includes timely and appropriate pruning of fruit trees/shrubs and tomatoes to increase air flow and minimize the spread of mildew and other biological and viral diseases.
Organic
While the term “organic” means many different things to many different growers, Homefront Farmers follows a model of practices that promote the health and ecological biodiversity of your garden without chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, or other synthetic application. Instead, to promote garden fertility, we use locally sourced organic compost and OMRI rated soil amendments (Organic Materials Review Institution). We source USDA Certified Organic Seed whenever possible and design our gardens to attract beneficial pollinators for pest control.
Permaculture
The development of self-sustaining agricultural ecosystems intended to increase ecological health by mimicking patterns in nature, promoting the growth of perennial crops and using no-tillage systems. The holistic ideology behind permaculture is also used in “green” building, community development and business planning. Think of this as synergistic gardening.
Pest Control
Although use of companion planting, good soil health and regular watering can do a lot to avoid insect problems, they still do sometimes occur. Organic techniques include traps, physical removal, and attraction of beneficial insects and installation of row covers.
Pruning
While you may be aware that many fruit trees need pruning in order to set healthy sized fruit, you may be less aware that some vegetables require regular pruning for plant health, disease prevention and increased fruit production. Homefront Farmers provides pruning expertise in our professional garden maintenance services to help manage your crop’s bounty.
Raised Bed Gardening
Gardening in which soil fills framed beds raised above surrounding base soil. Use of raised beds reduces soil compaction detrimental to plant health and circumvents having to dig up rocky New England soil. Raised beds are also easier on the gardener’s back than in-ground beds and lend a neat and tidy aesthetic look. Our locally sourced, rich organic soil improves plant health and production.
Site Evaluation
In a Homefront Farmers’ site evaluation, we use the Solar Pathfinder™ to measure the sun’s path across your property at various times of year. This information allows us to recommend the best location for your organic garden and design it to maximize light and increase productivity. The aesthetic appeal of your organic garden design is also very important. We strive to integrate your garden into the natural surroundings and layout of your property as much as possible.
Succession Planning
Homefront Farmers will ensure that you get the most from your organic vegetable garden by planting successive crops for harvesting in spring, summer and fall. For example, we might plant peas in your garden for spring harvest, then transplant tomatoes into that same spot for the duration of the summer, and then mache (a winter-hardy French salad green) into that same spot after the frost kills your tomatoes. Succession planting ensures you get as much production from your garden as possible.
Thinning
Pulling surplus seedlings when appropriate ensures optimal spacing of the remaining plants and supplies you with a harvest of baby salad greens.