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Improve your Soil...
Having trouble getting your garden to grow? Have you tried fertilizers and regular watering but your plants still come out looking sick and weak? Your problem may be improper soil. The key to a good garden is good soil! Often soils don’t have the right texture or chemical properties for plants to grow well. The good news is: even though you can’t replace the soil you have, there are things you can do to make it a better environment for your plants. Fixing your soil takes a few simple steps. Follow them and you’ll be on your way to having a beautiful garden in no time.
The most common problem with soil is the texture. The best soil for growing a garden is loam.
Loam holds appropriate amounts of water and allows enough aeration in the soil. Sandy soil doesn’t allow proper draining or aeration. Clay soil gets very hard and can allow essential moisture to wash away without ever penetration into your plant’s roots.
To test your soil, wet it slightly and take a ball or soil in your hand. If your soil is sandy, it won’t form into a ball. If it is clay, it will form into a ball and not break apart easily. Both these problems can be fixed by mixing in a thin layer of compost into your soil with a gardening fork.
For sandy soil, add fine particles of compost. Add coarser particles to loosen up a clay soil.
Another common problem with garden soil is an improper pH level. You can find kits to test your soil’s pH at most garden supply stores. The pH of your garden should be between 6.0 and 7.5. Anything higher or lower is too acidic or too alkaline for proper growth. If your soil is too acidic, you can raise the pH level by adding various materials, including: crushed egg, clam or oyster shells, wood ashes, or calcitic lime. For an alkaline soil, pH can be lowered using sawdust, woodchips, peat moss, or pine needles.
Check back soon for more soil and growing tips!
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Water your Garden
Vegetable plants require water
for temperature regulation, growth and fruit development. Efficient
water use directs water to the roots and reduces evaporation. Soil types
affect the amount of
time required to water vegetable gardens. It takes longer for clay soil to absorb water than does sand.
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Water shallow-rooted plants,
such as lettuce, beets and chard, until the soil is wet 6 inches below
the surface. Water deep-rooted plants, such as corn, tomatoes and
asparagus until the soil is wet 2 feet below the soil surface. Water the
plants again when the soil is dry 2 inches below the soil surface.
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Adjust your vegetable watering
schedule according to the phase of plant development and the type of
plant. Keep germinating seedlings uniformly moist, but not soggy.
Developing plants respond better to thorough, deep irrigation every five
to seven days than they do to more frequent, brief watering sessions.
Critical watering periods for plant and fruit development vary by plant,
but most require consistent moisture levels during flowering and fruit
development. Beans require consistently moist soil during pollination
and pod development. Crucifers, such as broccoli and cauliflower,
require at least 2 inches of water weekly during head development. Water
onions, carrots, turnips and potatoes once weekly until the soil is wet
18 inches below the surface when the roots are enlarging.
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Irrigation methods include hand
watering, drip or trickle irrigation, and oscillating sprinklers. Hand
watering methods, such as with a watering can, is adequate in small
gardens. Hand-watering methods are inexpensive but require more time
than other methods. Drip or trickle irrigation efficiently directs water
to the plant root zone at a rate the soil absorbs without runoff. The
disadvantages of drip irrigation include the cost and time of setup.
Evaporation claims much of the water emitted from oscillating
sprinklers. They are the least efficient method of irrigation. Sprinklers are useful when watering large, uniform crops, such as corn.
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Mulch reduces soil temperature
and evaporation in the vegetable garden. It also reduces weeds that
compete with plants for water. Organic mulches, such as straw, leaves
and grass clippings, improve the soil's moisture-holding capacity as
they decompose. Apply 2 inches of sawdust or grass clippings and up to 6
inches of straw in the late spring after the soil warms. Inorganic
mulches, such as black plastic, newspaper and landscape fabric, retain
their structure longer than organic mulches. Newspaper is equally
effective as plastic mulch and retains less heat in hot climates.
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Conserve water by observing your
plants and soil to determine when they need moisture. Leaves turn
bluish green, wilt and fold inward in the hot part of the day if plants
need water. Leaves turn a yellowish green, droop and flatten when the
plants are over watered. If puddles remain on the soil surface 15
minutes after the plants are watered, add compost to improve drainage.
Read more: Vegetable Garden Watering Requirements | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8340223_vegetable-garden-watering-requirements.html#ixzz1OM7pd6EK
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Seasonal Growing
Success with
regions
With
these techniques it's important that you be aware of the last frost/first
frost occurrences. This depends on what part of the country you're in. The
best way to make sure is to check your local weather forecasts online. Once you
know your weather window for planting, you can have some fun with this method of
gardening.
Intervals keep it
coming
One
way to succession garden is to plant your seeds at intervals. So, instead of
planting all of your seeds in the beginning of the season, you can plant a few
at once at two-week intervals. That way, your plants will be bearing fruit at
intervals as well. There's no better way to keep the good stuff coming all
season long and into the fall than with this technique.
Switch out strategy
Another
type of succession gardening involves removing plants that are done producing
for the season, then growing something else in the same spot. This works if
you're planting vegetables that thrive in cooler
temperatures-then you can switch them out for a plant that does well at the
height of the summer's heat.
Play with
maturities
You
can also plant different varieties of the same plant that have different
maturities. In the case of tomatoes, "Early Girls" mature early, but you can
also plant a main-season tomato variety (such as a beefsteak) at the same time -
that way you'll have a nice crop going for a longer period during your
summer.
Why not get the most out of your home farm? With a little
planning, succession gardening will keep the good stuff coming all season
long.
http://www.homefarming.com/Article/16/succession-gardening
