If you are struggling to find more space for your plants, there are several different ways for you to improve the conditions your plants are growing in and maximize your harvest. These simple gardening tips will help you achieve that goal.
Extend your growing season
If you want to maximize your harvest, one of the best ways to do so is by extending a growing season. Be prepared for challenges and limits climate can bring, but don’t feel discouraged. It can only limit your plans to a certain extent. You can always opt for building a greenhouse to make the perfect conditions for your plants; but if you can’t get a greenhouse, there are other ways too. For instance, you can start earlier with indoor seedlings or go for using cold frames and cloches. Also, try to use cold frames and row cover longer during the fall.
Try inter-planting
Another great thing you could try is to grow short-season crops such as radishes and lettuce between long season crops like tomatoes, cabbage, and peppers. These short-season crops will be ready for harvesting as soon as the long season crops reach mature size. This way, you will be able to double your harvest and grow more vegetables.
Grow more plants per row with succession planting
You can also choose to start the season with cool-season vegetables such as spinach. Once you harvest them and the temperature goes up, you can replace them with onions and beans. Then, after you harvest them, simply plant a fall crop of radishes and lettuce.
Just remember that if you opt for using these intensive planting techniques, you need to incorporate a low nitrogen slow release fertilizer at the beginning of the season. Make sure you also add a mid-season nutrient boost. This technique is really good because the slow nitrogen release won’t be too intense so it won’t burn anything and it won’t interfere with flowering.
Go vertical
To make more space for your plants and maximize your harvest, you can go vertical. All you need to do is train your vine crops with decorative or functional trellises and support the growth in a certain direction. This will help you save space as well as reduce diseases.
For instance, growing melons and cucumbers can be very helpful since it can increase airflow and light penetration which, as a result, reduces the risk of fungal diseases. Pole beans are also great. They are easy to harvest and they produce additional picking. Just make sure you secure larger fruited vegetables such as melons by tying them to the trellis with cloth strings. Plant your vegetables in containers if your ground space is limited. Veggies such as eggplants and peppers thrive in smaller pots.
Water your plants regularly
Even though you are careful to choose the best place for your plants to thrive in, with the best conditions possible, your plants still need some extra care and love. Taking care of plants is a huge responsibility. You need to be constantly watering them in order to see them grow into healthy mature sizes. Get equipped with the best garden hose reel, make sure you have accessible water source at all times, and get to watering.
Check for disease
You also have to keep track of your plants’ health conditions. Check the leaves and make sure to look for any bad signs such as spots or discolouration. Look for any symptoms of a pest or disease on your plants and be prepared to react immediately if you notice any of them. If you don’t have enough time to check your plants, make it a priority to take a good look at your plants every day when you are outside picking.
Make sure that nothing slips by you. It might seem insignificant but this step will really save your harvest in the long run.
Compost
You also need to give your plants the right nutrients. You can learn how to make compost on your own. All you need to make compost for your plants is the food and yard waste. You will be seeing amazing results. Make sure you use the right nutrients for the soil and soon you will be seeing a significant increase in your yields.
Encourage bees to do their thing
Lastly, let the bees do their part. Your goal should be to have as many bees in your garden as possible since your garden can benefit from pollination. You can include native flowering plants in your garden to attract more bees and you will also minimize pesticide use.
Conclusion
All things considered, there are many ways you can increase your harvest and make your plants thrive. Follow these easy tips and you will be seeing amazing results very soon.
Written by Patrick Adams
About the Author
Patrick Adams is a freelance writer and rock-blues fan. When he is not writing about home improvement, he loves to play chess, watch basketball, and play his guitar. More than anything, he loves to spend his time in his garage, repairing appliances and creating stuff from wood.
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