Many of us have started growing vegetables with picking visions of ruby red tomatoes and fleshy capsicums in front of the baskets and cucumbers of choice and crunchy carrots straight from the garden in the salad bowl. Growing food is a laudable goal, but disappointments are far too common. Check if your vegetable patch fails because of these common mistakes.
- Going rwithout a plan Many of us start the vegetable garden on a whim. Triggers can be an article on genetically modified foods or the dangers of pesticide laden foods. Eating homemade dishes at a friend’s house or a single tomato plant that has sprouted among your flowers and produced a lot of tomatoes without any attention on your part can encourage you to start planting vegetables. But starting a garden without proper planning and preparation is like building a house without a plan.
Vegetable gardening is quite demanding. Know your limits on how much time, effort, entry, and space you can spend. If you start too big, you may find it difficult to manage. If you grow vegetables that don’t really interest you, you may lose interest in them. Ignoring the preparatory steps, such as reading the cultural needs of different crops, testing and modifying the soil, starting the seeds early, installing protection against the cold, windbreaks, etc., can lead to almost certain failure.
- Selection of inappropriate varieties If you are “shopping catalog” for vegetable seeds, it may be a big mistake you make. Even experienced gardeners love the beautiful pictures and descriptions that are too good to be true of the new hybrids and old varieties offered in the plant catalogs. Although they are likely to exaggerate the benefits, even the most legitimate claims will be of no use to you if the variety or cultivar proves unsuitable for your climate and growing conditions. Exotic ornamental plants can be fun to grow, but exotic vegetables aren’t really worth your time and effort.
There is nothing wrong with experimenting with a few new varieties that look promising, as long as they suit your USDA zone. But stick to your local sources for the bulk of your vegetable seeds. Nurseries and garden centers in your area almost always sell the varieties that grow well, but the same is not true for Home Depot, Lowe’s and other chain stores. Garden fairs and sales organized by local farms are a great way to explore the possibilities and meet other gardeners who can give you valuable information.
- Choosing the wrong place You can probably find ornamental plants that are suitable for any location, whether in the sun or in the shade. But vegetables are more demanding. you must offer them privileged areas in your garden.
Lots of sun is a must. Most fruit vegetables need at least 6 to 8 hours of sun to succeed. Root vegetables can manage with 4-6 hours of full sun and partial shade for the remaining period. If your garden only receives filtered light for most of the day, leafy vegetables are your best choice. Some vegetables can grow in partial shade. They are the best.
The vegetable patch should be located as far away from trees as possible. In addition to the shade they cast, their strong roots will compete for water and nutrients. Leaf rot can also make the soil too acidic. If the soil is filled with roots, rocks, and compacted soil that hampers root development, grow vegetables on raised beds with loamy soil and good quality compost. Vegetables are worse off in very exposed areas like the slope of a hill where the wind can disturb the plants, unless you provide wind screens.
- Not preparing the soil Soil preparation is extremely important because your plants will get their nutrients from the soil. Most vegetables do not do well in extremely acidic or alkaline soils. They also struggle in poor soils. Soil pH and mineral content should be tested and modified appropriately. Sandy soils do not provide enough nutrients, and clay soils are subject to compaction and do not allow good root drainage and good drainage. Both can be standardized to a great extent by adding a lot of organic matter.
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