Use these vegetable garden ideas to grow a bigger harvest of fresh produce .
Cameron Sadeghpour
A single tomato seed can yield over 15 pounds offresh tomatoes , andjust one pumpkin seedcan produce award - winning pumpkin that librate more than a gross ton . However , to reach those big yields , home growers need to know how to keep their plants healthy and make smart use oftight gardening spaces . From space - saving tips to sow selection , you ’ll find all the best vegetable garden ideas for originate your most handsome harvest yet .
Credit:Cameron Sadeghpour
1. Choose the Right Seeds
Some vegetable kind are more rich than others , andchoosing the right veggie seedsis key to a garden full of unfermented green goods . So , if you require a bounteous harvest , read source catalogs and flora labels cautiously and choose cultivars known to be fertile producer . For example , pole beanscan produce up to double as many noggin as bush beans , and vining cucumbers fruit more prolifically thanbush - character cucumbers .
2. Add Compost
Compost is one of the good and most affordable soil amendments . It supply a steady stream of slow - release food to imbed root as they originate . For best resultant , add an one-year program of compostto gardens in spring or flow and utilise additional compost , as needed , as a side fertilisation , top dressing , or to new planting holes .
3. Grow Vertically
Many gardeners overlookvertical growingspace , but “ spring up up ” is one of the effective ways to get more food out of your garden . Potted plants can be stack on shelves , while vining flora can be trained to originate up bamboo Pole , plant trellises , cattle panel , and net . Do n’t forget that trailing plants , likestrawberries , can be produce in towersand fall baskets .
4. Try Pruning
Not all vegetables need to be pruned , but some plant life , such as tomato and pepper , fruit more prolifically when they’repruned at the right meter . Clipping away extra leaves and suckers redirects the plant ’s energy toward fruit production whileclipping off the top of pepperand tomato plants ( known as topping ) helps the last fruit of the season fledged before winter .
5. Plan for Pests
A speculative infestation of pests weakens plant , slows growth , and reduces crop size . So , if you require a with child harvest , it ’s substantive to stay on top ofpest controlby rotating crops , cleaning up morbid plant in declination , and try out organic pest control measures likefloating words screening .
6. Succession Sow Seeds
white potato and peppers are retentive - season crops that take months to reach adulthood , but somefast - growing vegetablescan be reap in only a month or two . Succession seed these character of vegetable seedsat two- to four - week interval to expand your harvest windowpane and allow you to grow multiple craw in a individual season . Plants that do well with succession planting admit :
7. Fertilize at the Right Time
Most veg need to be fertilized with aliquid or granular fertilizerthroughout the growing season , but some flora need more fertilizer than others . lumbering feeders , like tomato and autumn pumpkin , farm fruit more prolifically if provided with a monthly battery-acid of fertilizer and an app ofphosphorus and potassium - rich fertilizerwhen they are setting yield and flush .
8. Extend Your Growing Season
nurseryman in cold areas often struggle with short growing seasons , limiting the type of plants they can grow and how long those plant can be harvested . However , season extension products , like cloche and grow tunnels , can tot weeks or months to unforesightful growing seasons andprotect crops from damage during frigid conditions .
Marty Ross
Some vegetables can grow all wintertime in orbit where temperatures seldom dip below the 30s . Be familiar with vegetable that tolerate coolheaded weather , andplant a fall garden in summerfeaturing hardy basic such as Brassica oleracea italica , Allium porrum , Daucus carota sativa , and chard .
Credit: Scott Little
9. Harvest Often
Unless you eat their leaves , settle down vegetablescan only be harvested once . Other crops can be pick repeatedly , and manyperennial vegetable plantsare more prolific with frequent harvest home . These crops include write out - and - come - again vegetables like leafage lettuce , kail , beans , pea , tomatoes , and peppers .
10. Experiment with Companion Planting
Plants such as squash and pumpkins must be pollinated by bees and other insects to produce yield . If pollinators are n’t bring down the gardens , theseplants may only originate bloom and never fruit . Planting pollinator - friendlycompanion plants , such as Anethum graveolens , chives , marigold , and Nasturtium , in your vegetable beds lures pollinator and see your industrial plant are pollinated .
11. Include Containers
If your vegetable bed are overflowing with plants , you’re able to extend your growing blank space by keeping a few edible plants in grow bag and pots along garden walkways or on your porch or patio . embed avegetable container gardengives you even more room for develop .
develop spreading or sprawlingplants like mintandpumpkins in containersis an excellent way to foreclose them from taking over a small garden .
12. Prevent Weeds
Weeds take up gardening spaceand vie with vegetables for ground food , water , and light . Hand - pull , mulching , and gage barrierskeep weed downand insure your veg have the resources they need to grow .
13. Explore Square Foot Gardening
Square foot gardeningmakes chic use of tight space , and it ’s one of the best proficiency forboosting harvest yieldsin small gardens . This method acting divides garden beds into 1 - foot squares , and a specific telephone number of veg plants ( free-base on plant size ) are grown in each square . For example , one solid foot of gardening space provides ample room to grow 16carrot industrial plant , nine pole attic flora , or one love apple flora .
Many square metrical foot gardens are develop in humble raised bed that areeasy to buildand maintain . As an lend plus , the ground in a raised bed warms earlier in the year than in - priming garden soil , so you’re able to do out plants sooner in a raised layer .
14. Water Well
Vegetables wo n’t arise as well if they do n’t receive enough water supply . Root vegetables , in peculiar , can originate lank , filamentlike roots when develop in wry soil . Consistent watering helps plants originate more profitably . For even better results , you may want to instal adrip irrigation systemto water the plants for you . Drip irrigation provides a stiff watercourse of wet straight to the root while keeping plant leaves dry , which preventsdiseases like mold .
15. Use the Entire Plant
While it ’s common to only eat a dower of a vegetable works , many vegetables are entirely edible . Finding creative ways to savor the unnoted parts of veggies can boost your crop yields even further . For deterrent example , all percentage ofthe broccoli flora , including its stems and leaves , are edible , and the leave of carrots , beets , sweet potatoes , dark-green beans , and turnip are tasty in salads and sautés .
Credit:Marty Ross
Credit: Carson Downing
