How to Grow Organic Vegetables? A Complete Guide to Planting Methods

Developing organic vegetables has very broad market prospects and also yields good overall benefits.

Organic Vegetable Growing Techniques

1. Selection of the Production Site Environment

The production site environment mainly includes factors such as air, water and soil. First, there must be no air pollution sources around the base, and the ambient air must meet the GB3095 quality standard; second, the irrigation and drainage system of the organic plot should be effectively isolated from that of conventional plots, and the irrigation water quality must meet the GB5084 farmland irrigation water quality standard; third, the soil must have good tilth. No prohibited substances may have been used within 36 months, and it must not contain heavy metals or other toxic and harmful substances. Newly reclaimed wasteland requires a conversion period of at least 12 months, and the conversion from conventional vegetable growing to organic vegetable growing requires a conversion period of more than 2a.

2. Fertilization Techniques

The purpose of fertilization is to cultivate healthy, fertile soil, to return to the soil the nutrients taken up by the previous vegetable crop, and to provide a good living environment for the vegetable roots.

1. Types

The types of fertilizer suitable for growing organic vegetables include: organic fertilizer, compost, waterlogged fertilizer, green manure, mineral-source fertilizers, and pure organic fertilizers and bio-organic fertilizers produced by some manufacturers that are permitted for use on organic vegetables. When applying these fertilizers, note the following: the microorganisms added for composting organic fertilizer must come from nature, not from genetically engineered products; homemade organic fertilizer must be thoroughly decomposed; compost and waterlogged fertilizer must be fermented to kill parasite eggs and various pathogenic bacteria; biogas fertilizer must be produced under strictly sealed conditions with an appropriate amount of moisture, the optimum fermentation temperature is 25-40 degrees C, and the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio should be adjusted to 30-40; biogas residue may be used as farm fertilizer only after harmless treatment; when growing green manure, take care to chop it up by ploughing while it is young and tender and turn it into the soil, where it decomposes and matures, or make fertilizer from it by composting; the heavy metal content of mineral-source fertilizers should comply with the limits in Table 1, and when applying them, avoid the mutual influence and mutual restriction among various elements as well as any antagonistic relationships.

2. Application Techniques

During the growing of organic vegetables, fertilizer must be applied scientifically according to the different vegetable varieties, as blind application of organic fertilizer can likewise lead to harm such as excessive nitrite content in vegetables. For example, in areas where root maggots occur severely, applying undecomposed organic fertilizer can worsen root maggot damage; chicken manure has a high nutrient content and much uric acid, so the application rate should not exceed 3kg/m2, otherwise it will cause seedling burn; the application rate of compost is generally 15-30t; the application rate of waterlogged fertilizer is 2.3x104kg/hm2; for leguminous green manure crops, calculated at 3,375kg/hm2 of fresh plant matter, this contains 225kg of organic matter and 67.5-135kg/hm2 of nitrogen, with a nitrogen fixation of 45-90kg/hm2, equivalent to 225-450kg/hm2 of ammonium sulfate. In general, the fertilization rate can be determined according to the nutrient content and release ratio of the fertilizer, the nutritional needs of the vegetables and the yield.

Organic Vegetable Growing Methods

1. Variety selection should use organic vegetable seeds and seedlings. Where certified organic vegetable seeds and seedlings are unavailable (such as in the initial stage of organic growing), conventional seeds that have not been treated with prohibited substances may be used. Vegetable types and varieties should be selected that adapt to the local soil and climate characteristics and are resistant to pests and diseases, and the protection of crop genetic diversity should be fully considered in variety selection. The use of any genetically modified seeds is prohibited.

2. Crop rotation and field sanitation The organic base should adopt a rotation of at least 3 crops, including leguminous crops or green manure; in areas where only 1 crop of vegetables can be grown in 1 year, a rotation of two crops including leguminous crops is permitted. After the previous vegetable crop is harvested, thoroughly clean the base, and transport all diseased and residual plant material out of the base for destruction or deep burial, so as to reduce the disease inoculum base.

3. Supporting cultivation techniques Through techniques such as raising strong seedlings, grafting and root replacement, ridge cultivation, plastic film mulching, rational close planting and plant adjustment, make full use of conditions such as light, heat and air to create an environment favorable for vegetable growth, so as to achieve the goal of high yield and high efficiency.

Fertilizer Use

1. Types of fertilizer permitted Organic fertilizers, including animal manure and residues, plant waterlogged fertilizer, green manure, plant ash, cake fertilizer, etc.; minerals, including potassium mineral powder, phosphate rock powder, calcium chloride and other substances; in addition, organic special-purpose fertilizers certified by organic certification bodies and some microbial fertilizers.

2. Harmless treatment of fertilizer Organic fertilizer needs harmless treatment 2 months before application: splash water on the fertilizer and mix it moist, pile it up and cover it with plastic film so that it fully ferments and decomposes. During the fermentation period, the temperature inside the pile reaches above 60 degrees C, which can effectively kill the pests, diseases and weeds carried in farmyard manure, and the treated fertilizer is easily absorbed and used by vegetables.

3. Fertilizer application methods

(1) Fertilization rate: when applying fertilizer to land used for growing organic vegetables, growing vegetables and building up soil fertility should be carried out simultaneously. The ratio of animal to plant fertilizer used should preferably be kept at 1:1. Generally, apply 3000-4000 kg of organic fertilizer per mu, with a topdressing of 100 kg of organic special-purpose fertilizer.

(2) Apply sufficient base fertilizer: use 80% of the total fertilization amount as base fertilizer, and mix the fertilizer evenly into the plough layer together with ploughing, so as to facilitate root absorption.

(3) Skillful topdressing: for vegetables planted at high density with shallow roots, the spread-and-topdress method can be used; when the vegetables have grown to 3-4 leaves, evenly scatter the air-dried and finely processed fertilizer into the vegetable plot and water promptly. For vegetables with wider row spacing and more concentrated roots, topdress by opening furrows and banding; when opening the furrows, do not damage or break the roots, and water promptly after covering with soil. For vegetables with larger plant and row spacing, the hole-opening topdressing method can be used.