Keep your vegetable garden well-weeded.
Weeds are a nuisance. They steal water and nutrients from your plants, and can spread quickly if left unchecked. It’s ideal to get rid of weeds when you first see them—they grow faster than healthy plants, so it’s important to stay on top of weeding.
Check in on your garden every day or two when the weather is warm and there has been recent rain. Make sure that any weeds you remove are fully pulled up, including the roots! You don’t want them growing back in a few days, but if you accidentally pull off part of one of your plants while removing a weed, that’s okay! Just replant it right away. You can use herbicide to kill weeds as well, but be careful not to spray too much or it could harm your other plants.
Pick up bugs and slugs by hand.
A great way to get rid of slugs, snails and other small pests is to remove them by hand. This will help you avoid using harmful pesticides, which are dangerous for your family as well as the environment.
To pick up a slug or snail, bring along a bucket of soapy water, with 3 tablespoons of salt added. You can also try adding some lemon juice to the water. Line the bottom of the bucket with newspaper or mulch. Then, use tongs or gloves to grab the slugs and put them in the bucket of water or on top of the newspaper/mulch. They will die quickly this way and you can then throw them away in a trash bag or bury them in your garden soil.
If you have trouble picking up any bugs that are loose on your plants, you may want to cut down branches that are infested with these pests until they’re gone so that they won’t spread to other plants as easily. If they’re too large/heavy for hand removal (like caterpillars), prune off infected leaves before spraying an organic spray like neem oil on them once every three days until it works!
When trying out this technique keep an eye out for stray pests! Check your plants regularly (every day if possible) during peak hours when there are more bugs flying around outside than inside like at dawn or dusk — especially after watering because it brings many insects into hiding spots nearby like under leaves and rocks where they may hide from predators (and us!).
Use mulch to keep weeds at bay.
You can create a mulch with wood chips or grass clippings, which not only helps keep weeds at bay, but helps retain moisture and adds nutrients to the soil. I like to use newspaper under my mulch in the garden to help prevent weeds from popping up.
Mulch can be used for paths as well as around your plants for beauty, too!
Use compost to improve the soil.
There are many ways to use compost to improve your soil. First, you want to figure out whether or not your garden soil is deficient in certain nutrients, and if it’s lacking something, what that nutrient is. You can do this by testing the pH of the soil with a cheap kit from your local hardware store. Once you know what you need to add back into the soil, you can start making amendments with composted material.
Adding compost will improve your garden’s ability to hold water, which means that your plants will be able to get more water and have healthier root systems. This can make a big difference, especially if you live in an area where rainfall may be scarce during some parts of the year! Also, adding organic matter like compost improves drainage so excess rainwater doesn’t flood out roots either! Just make sure when planning where things should go that there aren’t low spots where standing water tends accumulate because these areas will stay wetter longer than other places around them which isn’t always good for plants either!
Choose varieties that are well suited to your area’s climate and growing season.
The first and most important step is to choose varieties that are well suited to your area’s climate and growing season. Most vegetable plants need a certain number of days to reach maturity, so if they’re not given enough time, they won’t bear fruit. For example, tomatoes in North Dakota will have a hard time ripening, as the growing season isn’t long enough for them to mature. On the other hand, it’s possible to grow lettuce during all four seasons in New Mexico because there’s plenty of sunlight and heat everywhere besides the mountains. But in Seattle, where summers are hot but winters are cool, you should start planning for when each type of vegetable needs to be planted so that you can get it growing before fall arrives.
Never plant anything in the same place two years in a row (the Three Year Rule).
As you can tell, there’s a lot to consider when it comes to crop rotation—and that’s not even considering the potential benefits of crop rotation. But once you know the rules, you can rotate your crops effectively and reap the rewards.
If you’re looking for more information about how to create healthy soil for growing vegetables, check out my post on composting.
Plant marigolds as a companion plant to repel harmful insects.
- Did you know that marigolds are a great companion plant? They add color and texture to beds and borders while also repelling harmful insects.
- After planting both marigolds and peas in your garden, try eating them together. The flavor combination is delicious!
- Most people don’t realize that marigolds can be used in tea. Simply dry some marigold petals and steep them in boiling water for an aromatic tea with a hint of citrus flavor. This tea improves digestion and helps alleviate indigestion issues like gas, bloating, constipation, etc.
Plant high value crops in visible locations where you will remember to keep an eye on them.
High value crops should be planted in locations where you will remember to check them regularly. This could be a location that you go to often, such as by the back door or near the kitchen window.
Checking your plants regularly will allow you to spot pests and diseases earlier on, when they are easier to manage.
Consider planting peppers, garlic, or chives near the front of the garden where you can see them easily from inside your house. This means that if insects attack one of these plants it is more likely that you will notice before too much damage is done.
It is better to water your plants less frequently but deeply than to splash some water on them every day.
It is better to water your plants less frequently but deeply than to splash some water on them every day. Why? Your soil holds more water if you water it deeply. By watering your garden deeply, you encourage deep root growth, which is stronger and more drought resistant.
If you are looking for a great way to manage the watering of your vegetable garden, try a drip irrigation system that waters deeply without wasting water and without getting your plants or leaves wet, reducing the risk of disease that can occur when they remain wet. Whenever possible, only hand-water those areas that just can’t be reached by the drip irrigation lines.
Compost tea can help fertilize and boost immune systems of your plants.
The liquid produced when you steep compost in water is called compost tea and can be used as a natural fertilizer, a soil amendment, and as a foliar spray that boosts the immune system of your garden plants. Compost tea is good for your plants in all stages of growth. When using compost tea as fertilizer, apply it to the roots and around the base of your plant. When using compost tea as a soil amendment, apply it around the base of your plant and mix it into the soil. The microbes introduced by the tea will help loosen up compressed dirt so that roots are able to absorb more nutrients from the soil. This will encourage healthier plant growth with stronger roots that won’t break easily during harvest or when being handled by gardeners.
Follow these tips to ensure you have a healthy garden.
Just so you know, I’m not a gardening expert. But I am an avid gardener with a ton of experience. I’ve learned these tips over the course of several years, and tested them all myself.
Now, let’s get on with it:
- Keep the garden weed free
- Use compost or compost tea to fertilize the plants (compost tea is easy to make)
- Don’t plant the same thing in the same place 2 years in a row (soil health)
- Water deeply but less frequently (plants’ roots need to grow deep to find nutrients and water)
Keep your vegetable garden well-weeded.
Weeds are a nuisance. They steal water and nutrients from your plants, and can spread quickly if left unchecked. It’s ideal to get rid of weeds when you first see them—they grow faster than healthy plants, so it’s important to stay on top of weeding.
Check in on your garden every day or two when the weather is warm and there has been recent rain. Make sure that any weeds you remove are fully pulled up, including the roots! You don’t want them growing back in a few days, but if you accidentally pull off part of one of your plants while removing a weed, that’s okay! Just replant it right away. You can use herbicide to kill weeds as well, but be careful not to spray too much or it could harm your other plants.
Pick up bugs and slugs by hand.
A great way to get rid of slugs, snails and other small pests is to remove them by hand. This will help you avoid using harmful pesticides, which are dangerous for your family as well as the environment.
To pick up a slug or snail, bring along a bucket of soapy water, with 3 tablespoons of salt added. You can also try adding some lemon juice to the water. Line the bottom of the bucket with newspaper or mulch. Then, use tongs or gloves to grab the slugs and put them in the bucket of water or on top of the newspaper/mulch. They will die quickly this way and you can then throw them away in a trash bag or bury them in your garden soil.
If you have trouble picking up any bugs that are loose on your plants, you may want to cut down branches that are infested with these pests until they’re gone so that they won’t spread to other plants as easily. If they’re too large/heavy for hand removal (like caterpillars), prune off infected leaves before spraying an organic spray like neem oil on them once every three days until it works!
When trying out this technique keep an eye out for stray pests! Check your plants regularly (every day if possible) during peak hours when there are more bugs flying around outside than inside like at dawn or dusk — especially after watering because it brings many insects into hiding spots nearby like under leaves and rocks where they may hide from predators (and us!).
Use mulch to keep weeds at bay.
You can create a mulch with wood chips or grass clippings, which not only helps keep weeds at bay, but helps retain moisture and adds nutrients to the soil. I like to use newspaper under my mulch in the garden to help prevent weeds from popping up.
Mulch can be used for paths as well as around your plants for beauty, too!
Use compost to improve the soil.
There are many ways to use compost to improve your soil. First, you want to figure out whether or not your garden soil is deficient in certain nutrients, and if it’s lacking something, what that nutrient is. You can do this by testing the pH of the soil with a cheap kit from your local hardware store. Once you know what you need to add back into the soil, you can start making amendments with composted material.
Adding compost will improve your garden’s ability to hold water, which means that your plants will be able to get more water and have healthier root systems. This can make a big difference, especially if you live in an area where rainfall may be scarce during some parts of the year! Also, adding organic matter like compost improves drainage so excess rainwater doesn’t flood out roots either! Just make sure when planning where things should go that there aren’t low spots where standing water tends accumulate because these areas will stay wetter longer than other places around them which isn’t always good for plants either!
Choose varieties that are well suited to your area’s climate and growing season.
The first and most important step is to choose varieties that are well suited to your area’s climate and growing season. Most vegetable plants need a certain number of days to reach maturity, so if they’re not given enough time, they won’t bear fruit. For example, tomatoes in North Dakota will have a hard time ripening, as the growing season isn’t long enough for them to mature. On the other hand, it’s possible to grow lettuce during all four seasons in New Mexico because there’s plenty of sunlight and heat everywhere besides the mountains. But in Seattle, where summers are hot but winters are cool, you should start planning for when each type of vegetable needs to be planted so that you can get it growing before fall arrives.
Never plant anything in the same place two years in a row (the Three Year Rule).
As you can tell, there’s a lot to consider when it comes to crop rotation—and that’s not even considering the potential benefits of crop rotation. But once you know the rules, you can rotate your crops effectively and reap the rewards.
If you’re looking for more information about how to create healthy soil for growing vegetables, check out my post on composting.
Plant marigolds as a companion plant to repel harmful insects.
Did you know that marigolds are a great companion plant? They add color and texture to beds and borders while also repelling harmful insects.
After planting both marigolds and peas in your garden, try eating them together. The flavor combination is delicious!
Most people don’t realize that marigolds can be used in tea. Simply dry some marigold petals and steep them in boiling water for an aromatic tea with a hint of citrus flavor. This tea improves digestion and helps alleviate indigestion issues like gas, bloating, constipation, etc.
Plant high value crops in visible locations where you will remember to keep an eye on them.
High value crops should be planted in locations where you will remember to check them regularly. This could be a location that you go to often, such as by the back door or near the kitchen window.
Checking your plants regularly will allow you to spot pests and diseases earlier on, when they are easier to manage.
Consider planting peppers, garlic, or chives near the front of the garden where you can see them easily from inside your house. This means that if insects attack one of these plants it is more likely that you will notice before too much damage is done.
It is better to water your plants less frequently but deeply than to splash some water on them every day.
It is better to water your plants less frequently but deeply than to splash some water on them every day. Why? Your soil holds more water if you water it deeply. By watering your garden deeply, you encourage deep root growth, which is stronger and more drought resistant.
If you are looking for a great way to manage the watering of your vegetable garden, try a drip irrigation system that waters deeply without wasting water and without getting your plants or leaves wet, reducing the risk of disease that can occur when they remain wet. Whenever possible, only hand-water those areas that just can’t be reached by the drip irrigation lines.
Compost tea can help fertilize and boost immune systems of your plants.
The liquid produced when you steep compost in water is called compost tea and can be used as a natural fertilizer, a soil amendment, and as a foliar spray that boosts the immune system of your garden plants. Compost tea is good for your plants in all stages of growth. When using compost tea as fertilizer, apply it to the roots and around the base of your plant. When using compost tea as a soil amendment, apply it around the base of your plant and mix it into the soil. The microbes introduced by the tea will help loosen up compressed dirt so that roots are able to absorb more nutrients from the soil. This will encourage healthier plant growth with stronger roots that won’t break easily during harvest or when being handled by gardeners.
Follow these tips to ensure you have a healthy garden.
Just so you know, I’m not a gardening expert. But I am an avid gardener with a ton of experience. I’ve learned these tips over the course of several years, and tested them all myself.
Now, let’s get on with it:
Keep the garden weed free
Use compost or compost tea to fertilize the plants (compost tea is easy to make)
Don’t plant the same thing in the same place 2 years in a row (soil health)
Water deeply but less frequently (plants’ roots need to grow deep to find nutrients and water)