Ten Steps to Growing a Productive Vegetable Garden
Few gardening endeavors are as enjoyable or rewarding as growing your own vegetables. The pure pleasure of being able to stroll through your garden, harvesting fresh tomatoes, beans, cucumbers and alike for that day's meal, is only heightened by the knowledge that you're providing the freshest, most flavorful and nutritious produce that nature can create.
Growing a productive vegetable garden isn't all that different from other types of gardening. However, there is less room for mistakes. Successful vegetable gardening is about consistency - making sure that growing conditions are properly maintained for the entire growing season. Let plants grow dry just for a little while, or forget to fertilize, and you may sacrifice a large portion of your harvest.
Here are 10 steps to growing a productive vegetable garden:
Choose locally adapted varieties. Not all vegetable varieties grow well in all areas. So ask your local nursery or cooperative extension office which varieties are best for where you live. There may be varieties that resist diseases specific to your area, or ones that produce better quality crops under your climate conditions.
Plant at the right time of year. For most areas, now is the time to plant summer vegetables like corn, tomatoes, squash, and peppers. But in some areas planting windows are very narrow and you must hit them fairly precisely for a bountiful harvest. In other areas, you can plant several times over the summer and maintain the longest possible harvest season. Again, your local nursery or cooperative extension office is the best source of local planting dates.
Prepare the soil properly before planting. Work in generous amounts of organic matter such as compost or composted manure. If you don't use composted manure, which already contains nitrogen, also work in a complete fertilizer.
Plant properly. Follow planting directions on seed packets or in books on vegetable gardening. Sow seed at the proper depth and space, or thin plants later to recommended distances. Vegetables that are planted too closely together will produce poorly.
Water consistently. This is probably the most important step to a successful vegetable garden. Maintain even soil moisture so plants do not dry out, but are not over-watered. Water deeply, then give the soil time to dry partially before watering again. Inconsistent watering will reduce yields in most vegetables, and make others, like cucumbers and lettuce, taste bitter. One of the best ways to water a vegetable garden is to install a drip irrigation system connected to an automatic timer.
Fertilize regularly. Maintaining vigorous growth is very important with almost all vegetables. Most should be fed with a nitrogen fertilizer at least every 4 to 6 weeks. However, you do have to be careful not to over-fertilize. Some vegetables, especially tomatoes, will produce less if over-fertilized.
Mulch. A 2- to 3-inch layer of organic matter applied over the roots of your vegetable plants will cool the soil, reduce weeds, and help prevent soil moisture fluctuations that ruin quality.
Eliminate weeds. Weeds compete with vegetables for water, nutrients, and sunlight, thus reducing yields. Pull weeds by hand, or cultivate the soil frequently to keep them to a minimum.
Harvest often. Many vegetables, especially beans, squash, peppers, and cucumbers, will stop producing if not harvested frequently. Pick every few days. If you can't eat all you gather, give some to a friend.
Control insect pests. Many insect pests enjoy fresh vegetables as much as you do. Always keep an eye open for insect damage. To control smaller pests, like aphids or whiteflies, or when larger ones get out of hand, use Bayer Advanced™ PowerForce® Multi-Insect Killer Ready-To-Spray. Always read and follow label directions.
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