Getting Your Ducks in a Row to Garden
By Jos Van Hage
Saturday, March 12, 2011 03:46 AM
Although we all know it is far too early to be planting outside, this is a good time to get the tools and information ready so that when it comes time to plant the garden , you can be one step ahead.
The following are some tips that can be done to help minimize any problems before you get started:
Crop rotation is important in growing healthy plants. Do not plant the same thing in the same place two years in a row, especially if there was a problem last year. Certain insects will attack certain crops and so by alternating crops you can interrupt the life cycle of the insect and cause it to die out.
If you had an ongoing problem with a certain vegetable and the garden is small and you are unable to rotate, then perhaps it is better not to plant that vegetable for one or two seasons.
It is always a good idea to draw a diagram of the garden so that next year you will know where things were planted, because if your memory is like mine, it is easy to forget.
Always use pest/disease free seed plants, compost and containers. The last thing want to do is plan an unhealthy plant in a healthy garden.. If in doubt, throw it out as this can save you in the long run. Potatoes can be a real problem.. Gardeners will save their potatoes from last year and plant them in the garden the following spring. Any disease such as scab on the potato will be planted right along with the potato and so the scab will become a problem again, It is best to use certified seed which is disease free. When planting bedding plants, only use health disease free plants. Check them before buying them.
Strong healthy plants are better able to fight off pests and disease, so to grow healthy plants, you need good soil as this is the foundation for the plants roots. It is easy to do a basic soil test in the spring to see if the soil’s PH is around 6.5 and to check the levels of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium It is always easier to amend the soil before you start planting as you can work the needed elements into the soil while tilling/ digging.
Nutrition is importation to a plants health and so should be added early either by chemical fertilizer or organic. In our garden at home we have been adding only one application of blood and bone meal every spring for the past couple of years which has been very successful.
Too much or too little moisture can also have an impact on a plants’ health. Make sure that the soil drains well and in times of drought, that are to give the plants water. Sun and light are also very important, make sure that, over years, surrounding trees and buildings have not encroached on the garden’s light.
In the fall the vegetable garden should be completely cleaned of all debris especially if there was a problem with pests or disease. Any diseased or pest infected plants should be thrown away and not put in the compost. You do not want the problem to carry on next year. A clean garden will provide fewer hiding places for over-wintering pests. Dig up the garden which will expose insects, eggs and seeds to the elements.
These are some tips that should help you get ready for planting, if the snow ever disappears! Next tie, look for more tips on what to do when the garden is going in, and growing!
-Jos
Jos Van Hage owns and operates two Art Knapp Home and Garden Centres in Prince George,
- Highway 16 west at Kimball Road,
- Highway 97 North at Northwood Pulpmill Road
Previous Story - Next Story
Email
Print
Facebook
Twitter
Digg
Del.icio.usReturn to Home
Has anyone else had a white powder all over their cucumber plants? I planted in pots along the sunny side of the house, got few dills and this white powdery substance on the leaves which dried the plant right out and killed it.
Green peppers in the same pots right next to them were unaffected.