Tips On Taking Care Of A Vegetable Garden

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Your newly planted vegetables are your pride and joy. Thankfully, they require no more care than household plants you may have. The only thing about taking care of vegetables is that they way less forgiving if you go days or weeks without tending to them. They need attention otherwise your vegetables will never mature. You also want to make sure that your veggies are producing as many yields as possible. A plant that is well taken care of is also less susceptible to insects and diseases. Here are some useful tips that can help you take care of your vegetable garden.

Water Regularly

This should go without saying, but it is an important step in the health of your vegetable garden. Your veggies need water just as much as they need sunlight. If they do not get the correct amount of water needed, some of your vegetables will not fill out and some will even burst open before they are ready. It is recommended that water your plants at least one to two inches per week, every week without fail. If it is a hot summer, you may need to modify this to do it more often than that. You can either set up a drip irrigation system or use the hose. Either way, your vegetables have to be watered often.

Keep Your Vegetable Plants Maintained

If you have planted vegetables directly from seed, it is recommended that you remove any excess seedlings, a practice called thinning. Though this may seem counterintuitive, if you leave all the sprouted seedlings growing too close to each other, your vegetable’s growth will be stunted and you may not produce as much yield. Another step to vegetable maintenance is staking plants. Staking helps tall and climbing vegetables from being injured or damaged.

Handle Weeds As Soon As You Find Them

Weeds are the bain of vegetable’s existence. Weeds will compete for the nutrients your vegetables need. As soon as you see weeds, get rid of them. This will prevent them from getting out of control. Manually remove weeds from your garden not only from the garden itself but also from the surrounding pathways and grass. It is very important that you keep weeds in check from the beginning. Use a Poulan pro 25cc weed eater to rid those pesky weeds.

Mulch, Mulch and More Mulch

Adding mulch suppresses weeds, cools plant roots and helps you save water. It is easily one of the best things you can do when it comes to maintaining your vegetable garden. Make sure that you are using seed-free straw for your vegetable garden as it makes for a nice cover and is easy to move around for planting. Seed-free straw mulch can also be turned into the soil at the end of the season, so nothing is wasted.

Make The Soil Nutrient-Rich

Your soil may be top-of-the-line but your vegetables will love you if you find ways to work organic matter into the soil every year before planting as well as side-dressing with more organic matter a few times during the growing season. Pay attention and follow the directions of your plants as it pertains to fertilizing as every plant is different.