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.

Online Databases

New Entry Sustainable Farming Project Resource Library

You can search the directory below for downloadable digital resources, helpful websites, and online farming videos.

https://nesfp.org/farmer-training/library

AgEcon SEARCH – Research in Agriculture and Applied Economics

Access to free agriculture journals and papers from thousands of topics and sources.

https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/search?ln=en&p=tomatos&f=&sf=&so=d&rg=10

US Departement of Agriculture publications

304,305 full-text journal articles on agricultural topics. Search specific plants, diseases, production techniques, and more.

https://pubag.nal.usda.gov/

USDA Plants database

The PLANTS Database provides standardized information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories.

https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/java/

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Resource Library

Collection of resources available to look through and learn from.

https://agris.fao.org/agris-search/searchIndex.do?query=tomato&selectedLanguage=0&countryResource=0&selectedResourceType=Both

Directories

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center

The Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC) specializes in identifying resources for food systems and practices that support the United States Department of Agriculture’s effort to ensure a sustainable future for agriculture and farmers worldwide.

https://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic

Farmer Resource Network

This online directory contains more than 750 organizations all over the United States that work directly with farmers on a variety of issues.

https://farmerresourcenetwork.force.com/FRN/s/

Local Harvest

This directory lists over 40,000 family farms and farmers’ markets, along with restaurants and grocery stores that feature local food. Users can create listings for their own small agricultural businesses and farms.

https://www.localharvest.org/

Organic Farming Research Foundation

Sign up for online training programs, farming guidebooks, webinars, reports, and instructional videos.

https://ofrf.org/programs/education/

USDA’s Local Food Directories are the gateway to locate local food retail and wholesale market outlets.

The directories are a free service to help you find local food businesses. You can search for markets and operations according to zip code, product availability, payment method and even whether the market participates in Federal nutrition programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/local-regional/food-directories-listings

Growing Manuals

Appalachian Sustainable Development’s introduction to organic farming.

Chapter 1: Understanding Soil & Garden Preparation
Chapter 2: Organic Techniques for a Healthy Garden
Chapter 3: Insects and Pests
Chapter 4: Plant Profiles
Chapter 5: Seeking Seed, Storing and Resources

ASD’s Growers Manual

University of Kentucky’s guide to Home Vegetable Gardening

Chapter 1: Plans and Preparations
Chapter 2: Planting
Chapter 3: Growing More with Less Space
Chapter 4: One Garden Plot: Three Garden Seasons
Chapter 5: Caring for Your Vegetables during the Growing Season
Chapter 6: Diseases, Insects and Weeds
Chapter 7: What You Should Know about Asparagus through Watermelons
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Pest, Disease & Weed Management tips from Build it Up East Tennessee.

Lexy Close’s Growing Tips

Grow Appalachia Technical Gardening Manual

PLANTING CONSIDERATIONS – 3
MULCHING – 9
WATERING – 12
WEEDING – 15
FERTILIZING – 18
PEST DISEASE AND CONTROL – 20
SMALL LIVESTOCK – 24
DRIP IRRIGATION – 29
FLORIDA WEAVE – 32
PROTECTED AGRICULTURE – 34
SOIL HEALTH – 36

Technical Gardening Manuall 2-25

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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