We all want to get the most vegetables and fruit on our plants as possible to eat and enjoy. To do this there are several things you can do to promote a plant’s production and in this article, we will provide you with details to increase your harvest.
Planting
You can do particular things when planting your vegetables to kickstart them into growing and developing a strong root system. For example, tomatoes need lower branches removed and the plant needs to be planted up to the lowest branches to have all of the hair-like growth develop into roots.
Peppers on the other hand do not like to be planted deep they need to be planted to the same depth that the seedling has grown.
A great organic additive to put in the holes when planting the seedling in the garden that will develop a strong root system is rock phosphate.
To ease the plant from the greenhouse to being planted in the garden you can muck in the plant to prevent the roots from drying out if the weather is warm and dry.
Blossom Removal
Yes, I said remove blossoms to provide more fruit and vegetables. When a plant is just starting to grow it will produce blossoms that can produce fruit if left on the plant, but it will slow the growth of the plant and slow the development of a strong root system.
The plant’s energy is diverted to the fruit and not to the plant, removing the blossoms early on it will allow the plant to send its energy to root development and plant growth.
Removing the first blossoms on your vegetables will produce more vegetables later when the plant is strong and able to support the development of fruit.
Pruning
There are several ways to promote growth in the parts of the plant that will develop the fruit.
Tomatoes should have lower branches removed as we stated above to develop a strong root system before planting the tomato.
Tomatoes can have the suckers removed on indeterminate tomatoes to get more fruit or limit the plants to 2-3 main stems by letting 2 suckers to develop the main stem.
Peppers can have the main stem trimmed when there are at least 8-10 leaves to enhance the plants growth of new stems and more fruit on stronger stems.
Watering
It is critical to water consistently 1-2 times a week deeply providing 1 inch of water per week. When watering this way it reduces stress on the plant and diseases that can drastically reduce your plant’s production of good fruit.
Feeding your Plants
It is critical to feed your plant when you first plant them by providing the best soil for their growth and by adding organic fertilizers.
The plants also need to be fed throughout the growing season every 2-4 weeks by side-dressing with granular organic fertilizers or organic liquid fertilizers. When feeding plants be sure to do this in the morning and water them to reduce stressing the plants.
By following these steps you will enjoy a huge harvest of vegetables throughout the season.
