Whatever you are growing a key to having a successful garden is the yield you are getting from your vegetables and fruit plants.
To increase the yield here are some critical ways to accomplish this.
Location, Location, Location
when you plant your garden be sure to plant the garden in a location that receives the most sun. Most vegetables need 6-8 hours of direct sunlight to provide you with the most yield.
Be sure to match the vegetable or fruit to the sun needed in the location of the garden.
You do not want to plant a sun-loving plant in partial shade nor do you want to plant a shade-loving plant in an area that receives sun all day.
Fertile Soil
In order to get the most production from your plants you need to provide them with soil that matches their needs.
Understand what each plant needs from the soil to know how to amend the soil to provide each plant with the proper nutrients.
Use organic fertilizers to provide the plant with the proper nutrients.
Water
Provide the plants with the proper water to support their needs. Be sure you plant together the plants that need similar watering needs to allow you to use a common watering system to meet their needs.
Water consistently most plants prefer to be watered in the morning so that the roots can absorb the water before the heat of the day.
Most plants need 1 inch per week under normal temperatures but it is good to understand each of your plant’s needs, also adjust during extreme conditions.
Do not water overhead, this can cause diseases. It is best to water using a drip system that delivers water directly to the plant’s roots where it can be absorbed easily and less is lost to the effects of the sun and the wind.
Composting
It is critical to compost around your plants for several reasons. The first is to keep water from being lost to the sun or wind effects, the second is to prevent weeds from growing which compete with the plant’s absorption of water and nutrients from the soil.
You can use many materials for composting such as wood chips, rocks, and mint compost.
Support System
Some plants need a trellis, cage, or fence system to support the plant and its fruit to allow for the best production and harvest. If left to lay on the ground the vegetable or fruit can rot or be eaten by pests. This is known as verticle gardening which can not only increase each plant’s yield but also allow more plants per square foot.
Here are some of the typical ways to support your plants growing vertically providing you with a larger yield from your garden.
Trellis
Teepee
Cages
Fencing
Harvesting
Did you know that when you harvest your plant’s production you are also assisting the plant to put on more vegetables or fruit on the plant?
A plant will not continue to set on fruit if you do not harvest the fruit that is ripe, it can only support so much production.
It is also best to harvest in the morning when it is cooler which reduces the stress on the plant.
Now that you know how you can increase the yield of your vegetable and fruit plants for this next year’s garden you can get started by planning out your garden.
Happy growing from the Urban Gardener.
