We all encounter these problems with Vegetable Gardening. Sometimes they are serious and sometimes we just have a few too many. Let’s handle the more common vegetable gardening problems.
You just can’t grow anything without knowing if it’s a fungus, bacteria, or virus. These things can infect and even contaminate your garden. There are some things you can do to prevent any of these troubles.
Always ensure that your soil is moist or have a tarp underneath your plants when you are growing vegetables. Plants that do not have as much water will wilt and die quicker. Also be sure to mulch your plants so that any moisture cannot evaporate. These are easy to do and not costly. Also you can micro-organisms present in the soil. Don’t worry, you won’t need a tarp for that.
Drip irrigation is the best way to water. This way you can water very small amounts of plants at any time. This way you can save time and water, and still guarantee that you are supplying the roots of your plants with water. Mulching will help to conserve moisture. Soil on the other hand will make it easier to work and keep the weeds out.
Sometimes simply because you haven’t been able to water your plants as often as you should have, and you end up poisoning them. This isn’t fun. You put on a lot of effort into your vegetable garden, keeping weeds out and watering your plants. To avoid this, do as much watering as you can when you have a hold of the water hose. This ends up soaking into the dirt, and surrounding ground. This also prevents countless of bacteria and pest problems. If you do end up getting a bad case of root rot, as the garden soil may be infected, simply dig up the infected area, mist some water, and use some plastic tarp to wrap the area. This helps to slow down the spores of the problem, and provide a suitable environment for the plants to grow again.
If you are unsure of what soil type you have, simply dig up a sample. You can do this easily with a garden fork or trowel. Clay, sand, and silt are the three basic types of soil. The ideal garden soil ranges between those three, with a noticeable difference between clay, sandy, and loamy. Clay soils hold water better than sandy soils, but at the same time tend to dry out quickly. Loamy soils provide ample moisture, but still dry out quickly. The perfect garden soil is somewhere in the middle.
For vegetable gardeners, too much clay is not ideal. Most vegetables love to be well drained. Moving too much sand can be disastrous for the plants. Most vegetables fail if they are 90% sand. Loamy soils also provide plenty of nutrients for plants.
Too much sand is a concern also. Sand prevents the roots of the plants from getting enough air. The two primary reasons for a vegetable garden failure are under-watering and over-watering. A vegetable garden should never be too sandy. And if you have too much sand, you won’t be able to grow vegetables.
The best way to find out how much loam to add to your soil is to have a soil test done. You can get soil testing kits at your local garden store. They range in price from $5 to $100 depending on how advance you would like to get. If you are determined to have a vegetable garden and are not going to till, having the soil tested can save you a ton of money.
Have open, flat, direct soil cuts tested to determine the amount of organic matter present. Loamy soilills should have at least 20% organic matter. Depending upon the types of garden plants you are going to grow, you could use manure, peat moss, sphagnum peat moss, or vermiculite.itions to 5% or higher.
After determining the level of your soil, you will need to know what types of soil you have. You will accept the results of your soil test, and figure out what amendments are necessary depending upon the results. You can have opinions of landscape fabric, clay, sand, silt, and loam. Most plants prefer a loamy, sandy loam soil for vegetable gardening.
You are now ready to choose plants and landscape designs that are appropriate for your area. Have fun!
