Garden Herbs and Vegetables - Tips to a Bountiful Harvest

You can’t be too sure of your vegetables these days. There are pesticides used even for vegetables. Garden produce sure aren’t raised like they were used to – pest-control free and can be eaten straight from the harvest. (Yes, dirt and all.)

The materials you use in planting greatly affects your harvest, so steps must be made to ensure that your mini-vegetable and herb patch are in tip-top shape.

Soil

Your soil must be 50 percent solid and 50 percent porous. This so that there would be much room for air and water. This also allows the plant’s roots to breathe, and it provides the much needed space for the plant to grow and expand.

When your soil is 100 percent packed, it will possibly result in the stunted growth of your plants since water and air cannot immediately be accessed by the roots. If you are using pure backyard soil, it is recommended that you put some sand, small rocks or pebbles at the bottom of the pot or container so as to provide some air and space.

Fertilizer

Preferably, you must have loam as your soil. It consists of 40% silt, 20% clay and 20% sand. (This can be bought at gardening stores in your area.) You can mix some compost or organic material (once living things but now dead and/or in the process of decay) to the soil to further improve it. Garden waste such as cut grass, sawdust, dried leaves, straw and others similar to them may be used to complete your compost pit. It saves you money, as you need not buy fertilizer anymore. (You may opt to buy them if you want to though.)

Pots and Containers

Your containers should be light colored. This is to prevent too much absorption of heat from sunlight (since dark colors tend to absorb light and heat like a magnet). Make sure there are sufficient holes at the bottom of the container to drain our excess water when necessary. If you are planting and will be using a big container, make sure that your plants or herbs are spaced properly so as to still provide room for growth of the roots.

Hanging Plants

Hanging planters require more care than their floor counterparts because they dry more easily. In the hottest part of summer, some plants may require watering twice a day. They sometimes require more fertilizer feeds to keep them flowering and the leaves green. Experiment on fertilizer feeding. Some does it by giving fertilizer (made specifically for hanging planters or containers) once a week; others do it by giving a less potent and concentrated mix of fertilizer every second watering.

Water

Do not water at night time. If unavoidable, water the plant roots only. Avoid the leaves as some fungi and pesky insects love to thrive on wet, fresh leaves.

Provide care for your plants and they will return the favor by giving you a great and fulfilling bounty.