If you are eager to enjoy ripe tomatoes, sweet peas and crunchy lettuce from your own garden, try these ten scientifically proven techniques to increase your healthy yields:
1. Tomatoes thrive with a little support.
Cage your tomato seedlings or stake them using a flexible tie to prevent plants from toppling over onto the ground. When leaves are in contact with the soil, they are susceptible to disease. Another way to increase your crop is to remove the numerous suckers (lateral buds) that grow all season and sap energy from viable tomatoes.
2. Give your plants space.
Studies by the University of Missouri found that dense plantings increase susceptibility to diseases because the leaves receive less air flow and sunshine. Consult the seed package or go online to determine the best spacing of your plants.
3. Drip irrigation is a gardener’s best friend.
Are you tired of standing in the garden watering with a hose or a can? Invest in a drip line, which attaches to your regular garden hose so that you can simply turn on the water to get the job done. In addition to saving time and effort, drip lines reduce weeds and soil diseases by delivering water exactly where it is needed without splashing unto the undersides of plant leaves. If you see wilted or discoloured leaves, remove them to prevent a spread.
4. Use bone meal sparingly.
According to Oregon State University, bone meal supplies high levels of phosphorus (and calcium), but too much will harm your plants. High levels of phosphorus from bone meal or other source will inhibit the growth of mycorrhizal fungi. This good fungus increases the availability of soil nutrients. When we inhibit mycorrhizal fungi with phosphorus, our plants must put additional energy into root growth at the expense of the fruits and vegetables that we value. A soil test is a good way to determine if there is a deficiency in any minerals.
5. Save seeds but choose carefully.
Saving seeds is a great way to save money from year to year but be aware that many plant diseases are seed borne. Save seeds only from vigorous, healthy, open pollinating plants that have produced quality fruits or vegetables. Do not try to save seeds from hybrid plants, since the seeds “segregate” producing an unpredictable crop.
6. Be kind to your earthworms.
Earthworms help to aerate your soil and contribute nitrogen to the soil. Be kind to your earthworms by avoiding chemical pesticides and insecticides; maintaining adequate soil moisture; adding homemade compost to the garden and planting cover crops in the fall.
7. Plant cover crops.
After you harvest plants beginning in August or September, toss the seeds of oats, winter rye, winter pea, wheat, triticale, clovers or hairy vetch onto the space. Cover the seeds with a layer of compost. Allow these plants to remain on your garden over the winter to protect your soil and earthworms. In February or early March, turn these plants into the soil to provide nitrogen for your next crops.
8. Composted manure delivers beneficial nitrogen to the soil, but timing is important.
Composted manures should be applied to the soil in the autumn then turned into the soil to allow time for any natural ammonia to be released over the winter. The minimum time between applying composted manure and harvesting is 120 days.
9. Bark mulch or sawdust may look nice, but your plants prefer wood chips.
Mulch helps to retain moisture in the soil and suppresses weeds; however, the type of mulch you choose is important. Bark mulch can be contaminated with salt or weed seeds. Bark also naturally contains waxes that blocks water and air from reaching the plant roots. This also occurs when sawdust has been wet then dries into a somewhat solid sheet. Instead, apply wood chips (ideally from hardwood tree species) and use only as a top dressing.
10. Give your plants a meal, not a vitamin pill.
‘Whole food’ fertilizers such as compost, fish emulsion, blood meal, corn gluten, soy meal, greensand and alfalfa pellets take some time to dissolve in the soil, which provides a slow release of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium along with other trace minerals) for plants and beneficial soil organisms such as mycorrhizal fungi. For a quick hit of calcium, add a small amount of gypsum; for magnesium add a sprinkle of Epson salts.
Enjoy your bounty of fresh, delicious produce at a fraction of the cost of store-bought.
Sources:
Oregon State University. February 2014. “Some Garden Myths and What Research Has to Say.” https://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/techniques/some-garden-myths-what-research-has-say
University of Missouri. Revised May 2010. “Organic Vegetable Gardening Techniques.” https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g6220
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