Barb:
If you want to be organic, start that way.

Find resources.
Get a book that addresses gardening in your region. The Southern Living Garden Book is a good resource but if you're planning to grow veggies, you'll also want a book specific to growing veggies, organically.

Find a nursery.
Look around for a good, independent nursery in your area. If there isn't one, look for experienced gardeners whose style and ideology you respect. Check out your agricultural extension and your local botanical garden, native plant society and so forth.

Start small.
Get a compost heap going, and start with just one garden bed. Grow something that is relatively foolproof the first time around, like peas or radishes. As you gain experience, you'll be prepared to expand. Your ideas about your garden will change a lot as you practice, which is another reason not to do too much too soon.

Get to know your own particular region and growing conditions. This is most important.
-O

Organic is Totally within your reach, it's actually easier than the other kinds cause your basically letting nature do the work. Your job is to create ballance, this starts with good soil (lots of organic material (OM) mixed in). Good soil pretty much takes care of needing fertilizers but you can buy mixed organic fertilizers and it's harder to mess up with organics and burn your plants as it is with chemical fertilizers. For bugs you use more gentle techniques, you encourage the 'good bugs' which eat the 'bad bugs' and if something gets out of wack, you ask and someone will know how to fix it, besides you would have to learn which chemicals and they are really terrible for the soil, the beneficial organisms and bugs, and you.

I just started my first garden since I was a child. I had been doing container gardening but in the ground is different. First what do you wanna grow?

I'll assume vegies and I'll suggest what I'm doing-cause that's what I know. I'm doing 'square foot gardening' this is simply intensive gardening, you grow stuff in beds instead of in rows, you grow things close together and all mixed up. I think all the info you need on 'square foot gardening (SFG)' you can find on the '(SFG) forum' so check out their facs and they are really nice so ask questions. The author of SFG suggests you start with 1 4x4 block for each person you want to feed-for salad vegies you need more space for bigger gardens. I have the book and it is informative but most of the info is online-but you might check it out from the library. It is a good book.

I have several gardening books (too many-though not the southern gardening one) and by far the best in my opinion is The Vegetable Gardener's Bible: Discover Ed's High-Yield W-O-R-D System for All North American Gardening Regions. He also does bed gardening but doesn't section the space like square foot gardening does and he is organic.

The other technique you might consider is lasagna gardening, the soil forum knows all about this technique of layering compostables and mulches to create a raised bed that composts over time (also called sheet composting) and I think the soil forum Fac covers this-they are nice too so ask them too. I'm laying a lasagna bed right now-cause I can't face digging another garden in Tx clay gumbo. Fall is a perfect time to do a lasagna garden cause it can mellow and compost all winter to be ready for spring planting-though you can plant right away.

Things that are easy to grow: Radishes, Carrots, Bush Beans (green beans), swiss chard, arugula seems easy, zucchinni grows like mad but takes tons of space. Oh do some herbs, like basil, oregano, mint (can be invasive), dill, cilantro many herbs are easier and they tend to protect plants against some of the pests and their flowers attract beneficial insects.

With all respect to organica's excellent advice, I would hold off on the compost pile, I'm starting one now but as a beginner you just need to buy compost at lowes or someplace and incorporate in your soil to get started. I find composting sorta intimidating-though I'm getting over it and its a really great thing to do, I just think it's too much all at once for a beginner.

Don't stress about it, its for enjoyment. I have to remember that sometimes :)

Have fun,
Kristi

Start by, as Kris stated, getting to know your soil. Contact your local University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service office about a soil test to give you a base knowledge of your soils pH and nutrient levels and then dig in and look closely at what you have by doing these simple tests;
1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fillting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it it for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. Your primary concern is the OM level and yours may be pretty good.

2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up.

3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart.

4) Smell. What does your soil smell like. Pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer you soil will smell.

5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy.

Once you know more about your soil then you can make intelligent decisions about what needs to be done to get that into good shape so what you grow is strong and healthy.

Well, Barb there you go! Ask three gardeners, get seven opinions! The main thing in starting, is to START! Best of luck.
-O