Welcome to Lost Valley Educational Center’s online guide to organic vegetable gardening! This
guide was assembled in late summer and fall of 2006 by Chris Roth. For
information about some of Lost Valley's current gardening activities and opportunities, click here.
These gardening tips are intended
to be locally appropriate to Lost Valley and to similar growing environments.
They stem from nine-plus years of direct experience in Lost Valley’s vegetable gardens, preceded by
eight years of organic gardening elsewhere in Lane County. At the same time, we hope they are
useful to gardeners anywhere (as well as anyone curious about gardening, food,
or sustainable culture in general).
This gardening guide also includes links and references to the lyrics of the Beetless, “four lads who made organic
gardening a household word once more.” Their musings on topics horti- and agricultural complement the material presented in each section. Explore them if you dare.
The
contents of this site are still being created. Please click on the live
links below to read the current versions of individual sections. Further chapters are
forthcoming; please check back for revisions and additions.
PT. 1: THE GARDENING YEAR
PT. 2: PROPAGATING CROPS FROM SEED
PT. 3: GREENHOUSES
AND SEASON EXTENSION METHODS
PT. 4: GARDEN INFRASTRUCTURE AND TOOLS
PT. 5: BED
PREPARATION METHODS
PT. 6: TRANSPLANTING
AND DIRECT SEEDING
PT. 7: COMPANION
PLANTING
PT. 8: IRRIGATION
PT. 9: WEEDS,
PESTS, DISEASES, AND GARDEN ECOSYSTEMS
PT. 10: COMPOSTING
AND SOIL FERTILITY
PT. 11: HARVESTING, FOOD PRESERVATION AND STORAGE
PT. 12: SEED SAVING
PT. 13: VEGETABLE FAMILY OVERVIEWS AND GROWING TIPS:
- Carrot
Family (Apiaceae)
- Lettuce
Family (Asteraceae)
- Cabbage
Family (Brassicaceae)
- Beet
Family (Chenopodiaceae)
- Squash
Family (Cucurbitaceae)
- Bean
Family (Fabaceae)
- Onion
Family (Liliaceae)
- Potato
Family (Solanaceae)
- Other
Families
PT. 14: AN
INTRODUCTION TO VARIOUS GARDENING APPROACHES (Permaculture, Biodynamics,
Natural Farming, Perennial Polycultures, Kinship Gardening, etc.)
PT. 15: CULTURE AND
AGRICULTURE: SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES