Life Begins In A Garden

In my "Food" course, this unit we explored the characteristics of good soil. We have also discussed how the ecosystem is full of life and how some organisms support each other. For this assignment, we were asked to create our own virtual organic gardens. The long process consisted of finding out the dimensions of the "raised" garden and finding out if the soil was ready for planting. I ended up planting an assortment of plants, including a "nitrogen fixer." A nitrogen fixer is a plant that is grown within a garden to create essential compounds to help all the plants grow healthy.

My garden will be held in the backyard of my home. My home is on the southside of Chicago in Calumet Heights. My backyard is large and full of plants and dirt. My garden will be 50 inches by 50 inches by 12 inches, approximately 18 cubic feet. Just the right size, so I can fit all 10 plants that I plan to plant. In class, I learned that plants need 16 different nutrients to grow and survive. The 3 most important elements are Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K). I believe that the soil is good and alive because it receives sunlight and occasionally mulch too. Of course I’m not dirt so I conducted a test on how good the dirt really was.

After conducting the soil test, I will know what lives within the soil and what is required to add, so that the crops can be as healthy as possible. From my soil test, I learned that my soil has a pH of 6.5, a surplus amount of phosphorus, a surplus amount of potassium, and a surplus amount of nitrogen. After all my tests, I realized that my soil is surplus and top grade in all categories. This means that nothing is needed to add to the soil in order for me to proceed planting procedures.

I will be planting the following: Broccoli (Early Green), Onions (Valencia), Pumpkin (Howden), Basil, Maize (True Gold), Rosemary, Eggplant (Brinjal), Beetroot (Shiraz Tall Top), Kale (Red Russian). I will also add alfalfa because it is a nitrogen-fixer and it improves the condition of the crop. All these plants have a soil preference pH between 5.5 and 7. Look below for a sketch of my garden.

This is a winning combination of plants because they are companion plants and they have a mutual relationship. I'm growing Corn with Pumpkin because pumpkins smother the weeds and helps corn roots retain moisture. Onions are planted with beetroot because onions improve growth and flavor of beets. Broccoli and Rosemary are planted together because Rosemary helps repel harmful insects from their aroma.

In conclusion, my garden has surplus dirt and great potential for growing crops. Most of my plants benefit each other vastly or are neutral towards each other. My garden sounds good!