by Contributor Renee Shepherd – I asked Renee what mistakes she sees veg-growers make most often and she had plenty of answers.
They sow seeds or set out seedlings too early!
Be strong: resist the temptation to sow your garden on the first warm spring weekend! Heat- loving summer annuals will not thrive and grow well until the soil has warmed up and spring weather conditions are warm and settled with outdoor night temperatures consistently in the 50° (10° C) range. This includes summer flower favorites like zinnias, sunflowers, morning glories and cosmos, heat loving herbs like all basils, oregano and thyme, and all the many fruiting summer vegetables such as pole and bush beans, summer and winter squash, cucumbers, corn, melons and watermelons, peppers, pumpkins and tomatoes. Read our seed packet backs to find out when to sow seeds if you are not sure.
While it’s sadly true that many nurseries sell started tomato plants much before this spring weather standard, there’s no advantage to planting seedlings out when all they will do is shiver until the weather warms. Good gardeners know that you’ll get excellent results when the weather is right, and poor or no seed germination if the soil is too cold and poor stressed plants if you plant seedlings out too early. Rest assured that seeds planted when conditions are warm enough will catch up and surpass stressed plants that were planted early. Don’t be fooled by one or two warm weekends — wait until the weather has truly warmed up for the season to plant.
If you want to get out in the garden when an early patch of nice weather feels irresistible, use the time to improve your soil and you will benefit all season. There’s really no advantage to buying seedlings of warm season vegetables and flowers to get an early start. If you wait until weather conditions are right, you can sow seeds directly in the garden and they will catch and even surpass those early planted seedlings because they experience no disturbance or transplant shock.
If you are determined to start early, be prepared to give your tender seedlings extra protection. This means using hot caps, “Walls -O -Water”, black or colored plastic soil covers, or other devices to protect them from cold nights and chilly mornings.
They don’t thin to the proper spacing
Our seed packet backs give both the initial distance apart for sowing seeds and also tell you the final spacing to grow them after they have germinated into seedlings. Specifically, thinning to the final spacing means that you take out extra seedlings that have germinated too close together, leaving only those that are at the proper distance apart so they have enough space to thrive and grow to maturity. Do not neglect to thin your seedlings out to the suggested final spacing. Give away or compost the extra seedlings you take out. Over and over, I’ve seen proof of the incontrovertible fact that unhappy crowded plants just won’t grow or produce well and are more disease prone.
While it’s hard to acquire the habit of thinning out the seedlings we have nurtured along, it is critical to a successful and healthy garden. Unthinned seedlings can never reach their potential. The crowded plants inevitably tangle together and do no thrive or prosper in the way properly spaced plants do. Properly thinned, evenly spaced plants have the room they need to grow and mature and bear the harvests you expect.
They don’t build good soil
There is a very simple gardening Golden Rule: the better the condition of your soil, the better garden you will have! The best way is to work several inches of organic material into your garden soil to improve its balance, texture, and water-holding capacity. Use aged manure, rotted leaves, peat moss, compost (the best!) or whatever kind of organic material is available in your area. Adding organic material benefits all soil types—sandy soil will hold more water; clay soil will be friable and less compacted, so add it before you plant each new crop as well as at the end of the season. Good soil is essential to having a productive garden.
They don’t fertilize
Even if you have good soil with a high organic content, remember that most plants need supplementary nutrition in the form of fertilizer for best growth and to produce the abundant harvests we all desire. Whatever product you choose to feed your plants, they should have a constant and adequate supply, especially in sandy soils. Plan to feed monthly at prescribed regular intervals throughout the growing season as it really can make a big difference in getting successful, high yielding plants.
A good rule of thumb is to use a high nitrogen fertilizer during active growth. Then during flowering or fruiting, switch to a low nitrogen, high potassium-phosphorous fertilizer. These days, you will find that there are many excellent organic fertilizers available in both liquid and granular formulations. Dr. Earth is one brand that is marketed nationally, but there are many fine regional brands — check with a good independent garden center for what is available in your area. As longtime organic gardeners, an all-purpose, tried and true combination that we still rely on is liquid fish emulsion and liquid kelp. Use 1 tablespoon of each mixed into a gallon of water. Apply to the soil all around the plants.
