I have about 1/4 acre to put into organic gardening for my family this year. Land has laid empty for at least 6 years (since we lived here), and prior to this, was part of a horse pasture. Only weeds grow on the land now. Where do I go from here? May eventually want to certify it organically. Am especially interested in block (?) beds and grass between the beds for easier upkeep. Any/all suggestions welcomed!!!! Oh, live in Zone 7. Also, should I bring in pickup loads of compost from the BioMass facility to enrich soi?

Start smaller than 1/4 acre. it sounds like you have not done much gardening and if you start big you will almost certianly doom yourself to failure.

It takes several years to get rid of weeds from an uncared for garden. Mowing the area for a couple of years will go far in getting rid of most weeds.

You should start by looking at what gardening tools you have. you will need a good shovel, a good spade, a 5 tined pitchfork, a potato fork, a light weight hoe-I like the stirrup hoe, personally. A wheelbarrow, a couple of rakes (a leaf and a garden), water hose, watering cans, a pressure garden sprayer or three, a few trowels, baskets or some sort of container to harvest produce into, etc..

There are many great books on the subject of how to start a garden. Eliot Coleman's "New Organic Gardener..." is one of my favorites.

You should start making your own compost ASAP. Compost from landfill facilities tend to have sewage sludge in it which usually contains heavy metals and other toxic substances..

Thanks for the advice -- actually, I have been gardening for many years but wanted to know the beginning steps in "organic gardening" so I don't make any mistakes along the way - like the year I used discarded tires for tomatoes - tomatoes turned out great and abundant, but I later learned that heavy metals can leach into the soil. In fact, I grow my own garden peas, green beans, tomatoes, corn, various peppers, horseradish, rhubarb, garlic, strawberries, summer and winter squash, ad infinitum. Just looking for info on how to start a new plot without making any first-timer mistakes!

It's okay to make first timer mistakes-it's about the best way to learn.

Organic is a process that takes years to learn. I liken the first 5 years of organic market gardening to getting a degree in college-it is that steep of a learning curve. My husband and I made lots of mistakes and learned a lot form each one. We also read a lot of books on the subject and talk to other organic mnarket growers as often as possible and we try to get to one or two organic agricultural conferences a year. The west coast has about 10 huge ones each year and lots of smaller conferences. I also made sure to get a subscription to Growing For market (www.growingformarket.com) which is a great newsletter for those into or interested in market farming organically.

Growing for market is a great deal different than having a home garden. It takes a different mindset to do it successfully and a lot more work. Going Organic is even more work if you want certifacation.

I am noot trying to talk you out of market gardeing just trying to rip through the romance of the profession.