Following general guidelines for the establishment and routine care of your Tried & True Edibles plants will ensure you will have an abundant harvest and gratification of growing your own food. Careful soil preparation and regular watering and fertilizing will help you grow healthy, vigorous plants that are more resistant to pests and diseases, and more importantly, you will have delicious and full flavoured vegetables.
Soil Improvement
Understanding the importance of good quality soil is critical. This will help you decide what is needed to be done: what must be amended to your soil to improve it; and whether it needs lime or additional fertilizers. But, what if you don’t know the quality or the nutrient status of the soil? A basic soil testing kit should be purchased from your local garden center. Carry out a few simple tests to discover if your soil is acid, neutral or alkaline and if there are any deficiencies in major nutrients. Try to test different parts of your garden for the best results.
Soil acidity is measured on a pH scale: a pH between 1.0 and 6.9 is acid; pH 7.1 to 14.0 is alkaline and pH 7.0 is neutral. Generally, most vegetables grow best in soil that is neutral or slightly acid. However, certain crops like those of the cabbage family need alkaline conditions. To reduce the acidity, add lime or ground limestone to the soil at planting time. Lowering the pH of an alkaline soil is not practical, but knowing the soil is alkaline may indicate an application of fertilizer containing micronutrients is needed.
Nutrients
Plants make their own food using energy from the sunlight and mineral nutrients. Sixteen chemical elements are essential to a plant’s growth and survival. The sixteen chemical elements are divided into two groups: non-mineral and mineral.
The non-mineral nutrients are hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), and carbon (C). These nutrients come from the air and water and are important in photosynthesis, the process where plants convert sunlight into their food in the form of starches and sugars.
The thirteen mineral nutrients, which come from the soil, are dissolved in soil moisture and absorbed through a plant’s roots. Different soils vary in the quantity and quality of these nutrients. If there is insufficient nutrients present in the soil, they can be added in the form of manure, compost, or various manufactured fertilizers. The three primary nutrients are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). Nitrogen helps with rapid growth, increasing fruit production and improving leafy growth. Phosphorus provides root development. Potassium encourages flowers and fruit.
Other mineral nutrients needed in smaller quantities are calcium (Ca), sulphur (S), and magnesium (Mg). Calcium and magnesium can be added when lime is applied to acidic soils. Sulphur and micronutrients can be found in the decomposition of soil organic matter such as grass clippings and leaves. Micronutrients or trace elements are essential for plant growth, but only in very small amounts. They include iron (Fe), boron (B), copper (Cu), chloride (Cl), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo) and zinc (Zn).
Use a general or balanced fertilizer, containing all the necessary nutrients to ensure plants maintain healthy growth. For example, a high-potassium fertilizer like tomato fertilizer will promote colour and flavour, while a high-nitrogen fertilizer will promote leaf growth and stimulate transplants to grow fast. The limited supply of nutrients in potting soils is usually exhausted about six weeks after planting, and regular liquid fertilizing every one to two weeks then becomes very important in container-grown plants. A slow release fertilizer is an excellent alternative to liquid feeding.
Watering
Consistently moist soil promotes the fastest growth. Plants must be watered after transplanting. Because of restricted root space, containers should be checked regularly, daily in hot weather. Plants grown in open ground or soil borders survive longer before wilting, especially if mulched or grown in soil with plenty of compost. As a rough guide, light soils need watering weekly in dry weather, heavier soils every 10-14 days. Remember to water carefully because water splashes may carry disease spores from one plant to another. Overhead watering, particularly in cool conditions where moisture stays on the leaves, is much more likely to promote disease than applying water directly to the soil.
See the individual Tried & True Edibles varieties for more concise watering guidelines.
Pests and Diseases
Pests and diseases are present in all gardens. By creating a well-tended healthy garden and maintaining the fertility of the soil, you will be less susceptible to problems. Strong, healthy plants may be no less likely to be attacked by pests, but they are able to manage the attack better. A garden with neglected or overcrowded plants in poorly drained, infertile, or dry soils is more likely to develop pests and diseases. Keeping your vegetable garden free of weeds, leaf litter and plant debris will remove hiding and breeding grounds for pests, particularly slugs and snails. Removing a weak or diseased plant will often prevent further spread of infection. Inspect your plants regularly for early symptoms (yellow and wilting leaves, few small holes in the foliage, etc) and take action promptly to limit the damage. Sometimes, all you need to do is pick off a leaf or pinch out a growing tip. An early aphid influx can be knocked off plants with a good strong spray of water. Remember, not all insects are signs of destruction; ladybugs are our allies as they feed on unwanted pests like aphids.
If you have a problem with pests and diseases, go to your local garden center where they can assist you in diagnosing the problem and help with recommending a solution.
Tried & True Edibles are proven Market Garden varieties with great physical appearance, excellent yields and delicious flavours.