Vegetable Garden Care

This is part 1 of 2 regarding vegetable garden care. If we don't take care of our vegetables they won't take care of us in a healthy way. This section I will be discussing weeding and watering, the following article, titled Vegetable Gardening Care will be about mulching and a few tips for vegetable garden care.

Weeds. The soil that has been enriched and improved by your careful tending, of plenty of water and sun, will help the vegetables that you have planted thrive even better if the weeds are eliminated. Those weeds are competing with your vegetables for the available nutrients and will grow crazy in your well cultivated soil. If the weeds are allowed to grow undisturbed from the very beginning, you could possibly injure the roots of your vegetables when you pull them up later.

A weeding program needs to be worked out with your hoe with a once or twice a week trip between your garden rows. If the weeds are still small you can just scrape them away. But by digging your hoe more than half an inch into the soil, you can run the risk of cutting or injuring your vegetable roots. The larger weeds and the ones growing within the rows must be pulled by hand. Pulling weeds is much easier if the soil is moist. Try to do some weed pulling after a rainstorm or a day after your watering is scheduled.

Watering. If you have had some hot, dry weather conditions you will probably have to water your garden more often. Watering is particularly vital for young plants that have shallow roots. As your vegetables grow larger, their roots will plunge deeper into the soil, where the moisture remains even if the surface soil is dry. Thorough, deep waterings are much more effective than short, shallow ones. A simple sprinkling encourages the roots to stay on the surface where they will get damaged by hoeing or the dry heat of the sun.

A garden hose is a basic watering implement. Adjust the nozzle for a fine spray, prop it in a garden fence, and let it spray for about an hour. Then you can move it to another portion of your garden. An even better method of watering is to use a soaker hose or a perforated plastic hose placed along each row. A rotating sprinkler is also a great convenience. Whatever method you use, schedule your waterings for the early morning or early afternoon, so that leaves can dry before nightfall. Wet leaves will be more susceptible to fungous diseases. Overcast days are better than sunny days, because the water won't evaporate as quickly.

Plants need approximately between 1 and 1 1/2 inches of water per week. You can keep track of the amount yours gets by simply leaving an open container in your garden with a mark for each half inch, or by placing a rain gauge in your garden. During dry, hot summers or in the middle of summer especially, be sure to water your garden well once a week.