Use these vegetable garden ideas to grow a bigger harvest of fresh produce.
Add Compost
Compost is one of the best and most affordable soil amendments.
It provides a steady stream of slow-release nutrients to plant roots as they grow.
Credit:Cameron Sadeghpour
Dont forget that trailing plants, likestrawberries, can be grown in towersand hanging baskets.
Plan for Pests
A bad infestation of pests weakens plants, slows growth, and reduces harvest size.
Plants that do well with succession planting include:
7.
Credit: Scott Little
Marty Ross
Some vegetables can grow all winter in areas where temperatures rarely dip below the 30s.
Harvest Often
Unless you eat their leaves,root vegetablescan only be harvested once.
Other crops can be picked repeatedly, and manyperennial vegetable plantsare more prolific with frequent harvesting.
Credit:Marty Ross
These crops include cut-and-come-again vegetables like leaf lettuce, kale, beans, peas, tomatoes, and peppers.
If pollinators arent visiting the gardens, theseplants may only grow flowers and never fruit.
Planting avegetable container gardengives you even more room for growing.
Credit: Carson Downing
Prevent Weeds
Weeds take up gardening spaceand compete with vegetables for soil nutrients, water, and light.
Hand-pulling, mulching, and weed barrierskeep weeds downand ensure your vegetables have the resources they need to grow.
Many square foot gardens are grown in small raised beds that areeasy to buildand maintain.
Water Well
Vegetables wont grow as well if they dont receive enough water.
Root vegetables, in particular, can develop spindly, threadlike roots when grown in dry soil.
Consistent watering helps plants grow more productively.
For even better results, you may want to install adrip irrigation systemto water the plants for you.
Finding creative ways to enjoy the overlooked parts of veggies can boost your harvest yields even further.
