Organic Gardening Resources

Garden Planning

How should you go about planning your garden? These resources detail how to test your soil, select which crops and varieties to plant, and design the layout of your garden.

Garden Planting

Garden planting resources include guidelines on seed starting, variety selection, direct seeding & transplanting, companion planting, spacing in and between rows, and more!

Garden Maintenance

Organic garden maintenance covers a wide range of topics, including soil health, disease & pest management, mulching & irrigation, weeding, trellising, and maintaining your tools and equipment for longevity and functionality.

Food Preservation

This list includes information on how to can, dehydrate, ferment, freeze, add value, and store food.

Heart Healthy Cooking

This resource page includes recipes that will empower you to add produce from the garden into your daily meals

Season Extension

Season extension is the practice of extending the season so you can grow earlier in the spring, later in the fall, and throughout the winter months.

Crop Profiles

This list includes over nineteen plants and goes through individual growing needs, pest concerns, and production considerations.

Databases, Directories & Manuals

Appalachian Sustainable Development’s introduction to organic farming – Understanding Soil & Garden Preparation, Organic Techniques for a Healthy Garden, Insects and Pests, Plant Profiles, Seeking Seed, Storing and Resources

University of Kentucky’s Guide to Home Vegetable Gardening – Plans and Preparations, Planting, Growing More with Less Space, One Garden Plot: Three Garden Seasons, Caring for Your Vegetables during the Growing Season, Diseases, Insects and Weeds, What You Should Know about Asparagus through Watermelons

Grow Appalachia’s Technical Gardening Manual – Planting considerations, mulching, watering, weeding, fertilizing, pest & disease control, small livestock, drip irrigation, Florida weave, protected agriculture, and soil health

New Entry Sustainable Farming Project Resource Library – Search the directory for downloadable digital resources, helpful websites, and online farming videos

US Department of Agriculture publications – 304,305 full-text journal articles on agricultural topics. Search specific plants, diseases, production techniques, and more

USDA PLANTS database – Provides standardized information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories

Organic Farming Research Foundation – Online Learning – Sign up for online training programs, farming guidebooks, webinars, reports, and instructional videos

Our YouTube Channel

Grow Appalachia

Grow Appalachia
Learn more and apply to join the EKY-DIGS program: https://growappalachia.berea.edu/production-planning/ Appalachian Proud counties in Kentucky: Adair, Bath, Bell, Boyd, Breathitt, Carter, Casey, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Cumberland, Edmonson, Elliott, Estill, Fleming, Floyd, Garrard, Green, Greenup, Harlan, Hart, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Lincoln, Madison, Magoffin, Martin, Menifee, Metcalfe, McCreary, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Nicholas, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Powell, Pulaski, Robertson, Rockcastle, Rowan, Russell, Wayne, Whitley, Wolfe Note: The EKY-DIGS program also works in Fayette and Jefferson counties in KY. Learn more, apply, or join the waitlist for our Beginning Farmer Education Series: https://growappalachia.berea.edu/beginning-farmer-series/ Learn about our high tunnel designs & request a quote: https://growappalachia.berea.edu/ht/ Place a growing supplies order (Berea, KY pick-up): https://growappalachia.berea.edu/catalog/ Visit our resource library: https://growappalachia.berea.edu/resource-library/
Quick Intro to Grow Appalachia's Farmer Development Team (3 min)
Wondering how to fertilize through your irrigation system? This workshop introduces the basics for small-scale farmers and gardeners. The workshop covers crop fertility needs, fertilizers suited for drip irrigation, organic fertility, selecting a system that is right for you, and the basic process of incorporating a fertigation unit into a drip irrigation system. For this workshop, Grow Appalachia partnered with Dr. Rachel Rudolph, the Fruit and Vegetable Extension Specialist for Kentucky.
Fertigation for High Tunnels and Small Plots
This initiative is made possible by the generous support of John Paul DeJoria's Peace, Love & Happiness Foundation. https://www.peacelovehappinessfoundation.org/ Grow Appalachia is a Strategic Initiative of Berea College. We partner with organizations, communities, and families in Appalachia to create healthy, resilient, and economically viable food systems. https://growappalachia.berea.edu/
Grow Appalachia Beekeeping Initiative
Will It Waffle? Making Messes with Eli
Making Messes with Eli: Potting Plants
Making Messes with Eli: Fermentation
Virtual workshop on winterizing and maintaining high tunnel greenhouses in Kentucky of winter. Hosted by Grow Appalachia and funded by the Kentucky Agriculture Development Fund (KADF), USDA-NIFA, and USDA NRCS Workshop was conducted via the Zoom platform on 10/11/2021.
High Tunnel Winterization and Maintenance Workshop
Full workshop on post harvest considerations for small scale fruit and vegetable production for direct sales (farmers markets, restaurants, etc.). For more information about Grow Appalachia, visit our website at https://growappalachia.berea.edu
Post Harvest Considerations Workshop
Kayla Preston, Mark Walden, and Chris McKenzie of Grow Appalachia explore the different types of soil, classifications, soil testing, nutrient consideration, and organic matter in the Foundations Workshop of the upcoming Soil Health Series by Grow Appalachia. To learn more about Grow Appalachia: https://growappalachia.berea.edu/ This video and workshop was produced with support from the Kentucky Governor's Office of Ag Policy, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the USDA.
Soil Health Foundations Workshop
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Resource Library

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