{"id":12339,"date":"2015-07-24T13:48:11","date_gmt":"2015-07-24T13:48:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.realbeautyspot.com\/?p=12339"},"modified":"2015-11-06T17:07:58","modified_gmt":"2015-11-06T17:07:58","slug":"tips-for-growing-great-vegetables","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theindianspot.com\/tips-for-growing-great-vegetables\/","title":{"rendered":"TIPS FOR GROWING GREAT VEGETABLES"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"TIPS<\/a>Imagine harvesting nearly half a ton of tasty, beautiful, organically grown vegetables from a 15-by-20-foot plot, 100 pounds of tomatoes from just 100 square feet (a 4-by-25-foot bed), or 20 pounds of carrots from just 24 square feet. Yields like these are easier to achieve than you may think. Noting can be better than eating self-harvested organic vegetables! You know what fertilizers you have used and under what conditions you have grown your veggies.<\/p>\n

You can vegetable garden in a pot on the patio or a half-acre vegetable patch. Either way the rewards are great. Here are some tips for coaxing the best out of your vegetable plants.<\/p>\n

SOIL:<\/strong>
\nGood soil is the key to successful vegetable gardening and that if one takes the time to nurture their soil; he or she will be rewarded with healthy crops and a beautiful garden environment. One thing that will destroy soil is using chemical substances that aren\u2019t organic.\u00a0 They will destroy the soil food web. This food web consists of earthworms, mites, bacteria, fungi and other organisms that release mineral nutrients and create the loose soil structure crops need to thrive.\u00a0 Some microorganisms prevent diseases and help fend off insect invasions.\u00a0 Nurture the soil, and the soil will produce healthy, tasty, beautiful crops. Buy an easy-to-use soil test kit at the local garden center or online or send a soil sample to a laboratory. The soil should have good tilth — loose and crumbly and rich with organic matter. It should be fertile and well-drained. Improve your soil by adding organic matter — compost, composted manure, chopped up leaves, weed-free straw. In pots, use half soil-less potting mix and half compost, which increases fertility and water-holding capacity of the mix.<\/p>\n

PLANTING:<\/strong>
\nPlant cool-season vegetables in early spring once the soil begins to warm (lettuce, spinach, collard greens, mustard greens, Swiss chard, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli etc.). Warm-season vegetables, which can be planted outside after the last spring frost date, include tomatoes, basil, eggplant, peppers, beans, corn, cucumbers, melons, okra, pumpkins and squash. A soil thermometer can help determine when to plant.<\/p>\n

SPACE SMARTLY:<\/strong>
\nTo get the maximum yields from each bed, pay attention to how you arrange your plants. Avoid planting in square patterns or rows. Instead, stagger the plants by planting in triangles. By doing so, you can fit 10 to 14 percent more plants in each bed. Just be careful not to space your plants too<\/em> tightly. Some plants won\u2019t reach their full size or yield when crowded. Overly tight spacing can also stress plants, making them more susceptible to diseases and insect attack.<\/p>\n

SUCCESSION PLANTING:<\/strong>
\nSuccessive sowings or plantings through late spring and summer will provide a fresh supply of vegetables over a long period of time. Succession planting allows you to grow more than one crop in a given space over the course of a growing season. That way, many gardeners are able to harvest three or even four crops from a single area.
\nTo get the most from your succession plantings:<\/p>\n