Tips To Insure A Successful Vegetable Garden
The thought of being successful at raising vegetables has crossed just about every gardeners mind at one time or the other. There are many things that you can do to have the perfect showcase vegetable garden. There are a few things which you can not control such as weather but on the whole a showcase garden is not that hard. Here are some useful tips that will help you be more successful with your vegetable garden.
Big Is Not Always Better One of the biggest mistakes gardeners make is to take on more than they can handle. Many times gardeners will plant too much and that is the beginning of a disaster. Once things start to grow and weeds start to take over the gardener can no longer tend the garden properly. It is much better to have a small well maintained garden which will usually produce as much if not more, than a poorly maintained garden that can not be kept up with. So when planning your garden take into account the work required better two tomato plants that are healthy and full of fruit than ten that are struggling and being engulfed by weeds.
Proper Soil Preparation A Kay Ingredient Good friable garden soil is the key element to a successful garden. The soil should be rich in organic matter retain moisture but drain well. It is very rare to be able to pick a spot that has all these qualities but over the course of a couple of years you can transform mediocre soil into a rich organic soil that will nurture your plants and help them reach maximum production. Cay soil as well as sandy will benefit from the addition of compost and other organic matter such as sawdust and leaves. Stay away from peat moss when working with clay soil as it hold water and will only make the soil to wet. Also do not try to add sand to the clay because unless you add a massive amount the soil will turn hard as rock.
Choose The Right Location When planning out your garden be sure and choose a sunny location six to eight hours of sun a day minimum. Be sure that you have a convenient source of water nearby. This is important as if you neglect to water on a timely bases you will have a poor crop. If watering is a big choir it will not be performed as needed. Once you have found the best spot be prepared to work to improve it each year. When ever you till or work the soil be sure to remove rocks and large stones. You want a good clean soil the will rake smooth and provide no impediments to root growth.
No matter what you want to grow in your garden it will be important to maintain a weed free as possible growing area. Weeds steal moisture and nutrients from your plants and will quickly cause them to decline. Be vigilant about weeding. Check your garden often for pest or disease. Remove diseased plants as soon as they are evident but do not put them in the compost pile. They may spread further disease if the organisms are not killed during composting. A clean garden leads to healthy plants. The better you can maintain your plants the more your garden will return to you.
