Growing beautiful, hearty vegetables starts with the right soil conditions and proper care while your plants grow. It’s also vital that a gardener know how to tend to those plants and when they’re ready for harvesting. Check out a few quick tips for growing fresh, healthy vegetables on your property.
For hearty asparagus plants, start with plump roots as undersized roots might indicate unhealthy plants. Ensure you have plenty of space between trenches or areas of plantings so your asparagus thrives and roots can spread. Be careful you don’t bury the tips of new spears during planting or when adding fertilizers.
Note that there are many varieties of garlic from which to choose and each needs its own soil conditions to thrive. Check the best time of year to plant various garlic bulbs and how long they last during the harvest season. Choose the best variety according to the taste you prefer but also according to local weather conditions.
Green beans thrive when their vines grow upwards and away from the ground. It’s often recommended that you build a type of teepee, with three stakes erected in a triangle and strings circling this tent-like form. The green bean vines will grow along those strings and up the teepee, off the ground and in the sun.
Unlike other plants in your garden, onions often thrive in cold and wet spring soils. It’s also vital that onions be harvested before hot summer weather sets in, to keep them from wilting and withering. Check the best time of year in your area for planting onions and when it’s best to harvest them, before they harden.
One important point to remember about growing potatoes is that they grow quite quickly and can often be harvested within 100 days of planting! You don’t want to plant your potatoes and then ignore them, thinking they need more time to grow as they might then wither if not harvested properly. While potatoes thrive in cooler climates, they do need lots of direct sunlight throughout the day. It’s also best to water them thoroughly but infrequently, usually no more than once or twice per week.
Herbs are often grown inside as they need lots of direct but filtered sunlight and soil that is water thoroughly but allowed to drain completely. Planting herbs in pots, whether indoors or out, allows you to monitor the draining of the soil and also move the herbs if needed as the sun shifts across the sky and as you get less sun in an area during fall and winter.