image from grinning planet.com
We are having a warm start to our morning. Temperature is at 36 degrees, it is cloudy and windy out so will feel cooler than that. ENJOY this temperature because the rest of the day the temperature will drop. Low tonight will be one degree. High on Saturday will be 12. So another round of cold weather. Hang in there, spring will come I promise.
Garden Planning Mistakes to Avoid
1. Make sure your plants are spaced correctly. 2. Use companion planting to defend against pests. 3. Sow in batches every few weeks so you have backup options are all important.
3 Garden Planning Mistakes to Avoid
1. Overcrowding
It’s human nature to want to grow more in the space we have. After all, many seed packets come with such generous quantities of seed and who wants to waste seed?
When first planted it will seem as if they are growing perfectly well, so you may not notice the issue straight away – it’s only when the plants are approaching full size that the problems start, as each plant’s root system begins to compete with its neighbors for water and nutrients from the soil and the plants fail to mature properly, resulting in a disappointing harvest.
Plants need space to grow and produce the best harvest. If they’re grown too close together each plant’s root system has to compete with its neighbors for water and nutrients from the soil, resulting in a disappointing harvest.
The solution is to only grow your plants at the recommended spacing shown on the seed packet. If you have poor soil it’s a good idea to leave a little extra space too.
2. Ignoring Nature
Do you envisage your garden as a miniature farm, with big areas of beautifully growing crops? Pests are an inevitable part of vegetable gardening, and the routine use of pesticides isn’t the answer.
Mix in several different companion planting flowers to attract beneficial insects such as hoverflies so that, when pests descend, these natural predators will control them without you having to lift a finger.
If pests strike early in your area, remember to include some early flowering companions or leave a few onions, garlic bulbs or carrots in the ground over winter to flower early and provide an excellent first source of nectar to attract nature’s defenders.
Mixing up crop families helps to confuse flying insect pests, but for some crops it’s necessary to use further protective measures. For example, prevent cabbage white butterflies from laying their eggs on your brassicas by covering them with fine netting, or cover carrots with fine netting or garden fleece to eliminate carrot fly attacks.
3. Planting Everything at the Same Time
Planting out all your tender crops at once can be disastrous if there’s an unexpected late frost, or imagine transplanting your whole crop of pea seedlings outdoors only to have birds or slugs eat every last one!
Instead, sow seeds in small batches every two or three weeks. As well as ensuring you have backup options if disaster strikes, this also spreads your harvest out over a longer period which is better for you! No one wants everything to mature at the same time or you’ll have a glut of vegetables that you won’t be able to eat.
If you can avoid these common mistakes you’ll save yourself some hard work and heartache, and get your vegetable garden off to a great start!
There’s much more to successful gardening than just these three tips, but by avoiding these common mistakes you’ll save yourself some hard work and heartache and get your garden off to a great start!
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/video/3-garden-planning-mistakes-avoid
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365
Garden Planning Mistakes to Avoid
1. Make sure your plants are spaced correctly. 2. Use companion planting to defend against pests. 3. Sow in batches every few weeks so you have backup options are all important.
3 Garden Planning Mistakes to Avoid
1. Overcrowding
It’s human nature to want to grow more in the space we have. After all, many seed packets come with such generous quantities of seed and who wants to waste seed?
When first planted it will seem as if they are growing perfectly well, so you may not notice the issue straight away – it’s only when the plants are approaching full size that the problems start, as each plant’s root system begins to compete with its neighbors for water and nutrients from the soil and the plants fail to mature properly, resulting in a disappointing harvest.
Plants need space to grow and produce the best harvest. If they’re grown too close together each plant’s root system has to compete with its neighbors for water and nutrients from the soil, resulting in a disappointing harvest.
The solution is to only grow your plants at the recommended spacing shown on the seed packet. If you have poor soil it’s a good idea to leave a little extra space too.
2. Ignoring Nature
Do you envisage your garden as a miniature farm, with big areas of beautifully growing crops? Pests are an inevitable part of vegetable gardening, and the routine use of pesticides isn’t the answer.
Mix in several different companion planting flowers to attract beneficial insects such as hoverflies so that, when pests descend, these natural predators will control them without you having to lift a finger.
If pests strike early in your area, remember to include some early flowering companions or leave a few onions, garlic bulbs or carrots in the ground over winter to flower early and provide an excellent first source of nectar to attract nature’s defenders.
Mixing up crop families helps to confuse flying insect pests, but for some crops it’s necessary to use further protective measures. For example, prevent cabbage white butterflies from laying their eggs on your brassicas by covering them with fine netting, or cover carrots with fine netting or garden fleece to eliminate carrot fly attacks.
3. Planting Everything at the Same Time
Planting out all your tender crops at once can be disastrous if there’s an unexpected late frost, or imagine transplanting your whole crop of pea seedlings outdoors only to have birds or slugs eat every last one!
Instead, sow seeds in small batches every two or three weeks. As well as ensuring you have backup options if disaster strikes, this also spreads your harvest out over a longer period which is better for you! No one wants everything to mature at the same time or you’ll have a glut of vegetables that you won’t be able to eat.
If you can avoid these common mistakes you’ll save yourself some hard work and heartache, and get your vegetable garden off to a great start!
There’s much more to successful gardening than just these three tips, but by avoiding these common mistakes you’ll save yourself some hard work and heartache and get your garden off to a great start!
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/video/3-garden-planning-mistakes-avoid
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365
