Anyone with a green thumb knows how relaxing and rewarding gardening is. When you watch a plant grow, it is the most satisfying feeling. Planting your own vegetables will reduce your grocery store expense significantly as the vegetable prices are increasing constantly. When you grow your own vegetables, you are 100% sure it is organic and free from pesticides. However, growing vegetables isn’t a stroll in the park, you have to pay great attention to them and tirelessly give them care. Follow these tips if you want to help your vegetables grow healthy and happy.
Give Them Light
Though this might sound obvious, plants need at least six hours of light to grow properly. Make sure to expose them to enough sunlight during the day. If you have an open garden, exposing your plants to sunlight shouldn’t be a problem but if you are home gardening, you should place them in a place where the sun shines all day long (or most of it at least). Place the long crops such as corn on the north or west side so they don’t cast shade on other vegetables. However, some plants grow better in the shade such as lettuce, leeks, and gooseberries, so you should know what your plants want beforehand.
Nourish Your Soil
Plants absorb nutrients from the soil, and that’s why the soil must be nutrient-rich. You can nourish your soil by adding compost or organic matter such as manure, aged bark, leaf mold, or any other organic fertilizers. Some of these materials can be made at home for free, so you don’t have to purchase everything. The best time to nourish your soil is in winter to give the soil enough time to incorporate the fertilizers in it by spring.
Choose Your Plants Wisely
If you want to buy vegetables to grow from a garden center, make sure you don’t bring back home-infested plants. The first way to keep your garden healthy is by not introducing diseased plants into it. Unhealthy plants will not grow and yield a large harvest, and they may infect other plants. To help you become aware of how to pick healthy plants, you should check magazines, books, or catalogs that show how they look. If you find any dead parts such as stems, spots, or insects, don’t bring the plant back home.
Water is Life
We all know that plants need water to grow, but what we don’t know is how much and when to water our crops. Newly seeded beds will require frequent watering, while grown crops need an inch or two of water per week. Keep the leaves out of the way if you are watering by hand. Rainwater is the best option for watering vegetables, so if you can collect rainwater and store it, you will be doing your vegetables a huge favor. Aside from water, another way to ensure that your crops will grow healthily is by providing them with natural plant food that will later benefit your harvest. Giving your plants natural elements can help them grow more organic produce.
Space Plants Properly
Plants will not grow properly and will be prone to diseases if they are planted too close to each other. However, if you plant them too far apart, you will go out of space. The plants that are placed too close compete for light, water, and nutrients which makes them all grow poorly, and if one of them gets a disease, it will spread easily to healthy plants. You can find garden planners online that will help you to space the vegetables correctly depending on their types.
Fertilize The Right Amount
Applying too much fertilizer will burn the roots of the plants which will reduce their ability to absorb water and nutrients. The plants grow smaller if they are over-fertilized as they starve for nutrients. You should check what and how much fertilizer to apply for each plant type to avoid ruining your crop.
Mulch It Up
Three inches of straw, shredded leaves, or any organic mulch will conserve water and reduce the need to irrigate your plants. Place the mulch around your plants and over the irrigation lines to insulate the soil which helps in keeping it cool during summer and warm during winter. Additionally, mulch retains moisture, suppresses weeds, and forms a protective barrier around the plants from diseases.
A well-nourished vegetable will make a bowl of a healthy salad. Taking good care of your vegetables while growing them in your home garden will increase your yield significantly. Following these tips will ensure that your next harvest is full of big and wholesome crops.