These days, the buzz about organic gardening comes mostly from the garden itself. Every day at Sunset's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, bees, hummingbirds, chickadees, and frogs add to the quiet music of trickling water as the creatures flit among healthy, pesticide-free plants, looking for sustenance. Visitors think such abundance comes from our magic touch. It doesn't. In fact, nothing could be easier — or more natural — than growing an organic kitchen garden.

Thomas J. Story
Keeping plants healthy

Last year, when we planted the one pictured at left, visitors were surprised to find out just how much can grow in a small space. We raised several kinds of tomatoes, peppers, and squash, as well as beans, corn, tomatillos, watermelons, and an assortment of herbs and flowers, all in about 400 square feet.