What does it mean to be an organic gardener? This video features the editor of Organic Gardening magazine and offers some great, simple tips on starting an organic fruit and vegetable garden.

When planning your garden, be sure to choose a location that gets 8-10 hours of full sunlight a day. It’s also important that the location have good drainage where water doesn’t sit when it rains. Keep in mind that you don’t need a lot of space if you’re just starting a garden – it’s best to start off small.

What do you need when starting a garden? Here are some recommendations:

• Wood stakes for marking off the garden area
• A large spade – make sure it’s sharp since you’ll be using it to lift up the sod
• A garden fork for working the soil – make sure there is wide spacing between the tines.

Another option for starting a garden is referred to as the “lasagna method.” With this method, you don’t remove the sod when planting your garden. You begin by layering newspaper over the sod, which will help kill the grass. For the next layer, you can use straw, grass clippings, and shredded leaves. All of this will eventually break down and create rich, fertile soil.

If you have a weed problem, remember not to use weed killers that contain chemicals. Instead, use mulch to control them, which also helps to conserve water.