Routine Garden Maintenance

Peas, Beans and Potatoes in my garden

I'm sure most of us have had a vibrant spring garden for a couple of weeks now.  Gardens require constant maintenance to insure a quality crop.   Thanks to the abundant rain my garden is looking healthy.  But what do I do now?  How do you make sure it stays productive and provides a healthy crop?  Visiting your garden regularly will help you best determine what action is need to maintain the growth process.


Gardening is not just a past time.  You can't plant it and forget it hoping for the best.  It takes day to day dedication to enjoy the maximum benefits of  your own vegetables.  The first, and one of the most important ways; to help your garden thrive is constant weed control.  An over abundance of weeds in your garden will deprive your vegetation of important nurtients.  I do not recommend using manufactured weed killers.  The chemicals used in these store bought products will not insure that your harvest is as beneficial as you may have hoped.  I prefer to use products from my own kitchen that will eliminate weeds without hindering my efforts.  Visit my article Better Ways to Eliminate Weeds for more information on safer ways to handle invaders.

In addition to weeds uninvited critters must also be monitored.  Some critters are frightfully undetectable except for the signs they show on your hard labor.  If you notice the leaves of the plant have signs of  holes you may have a situation to address.  Insects thrive on grown vegetable's and can harm an entire plant in not time.  Retail insecticides are more harmful than helpful to the nutrients of your crop.  I again turn to safer products found in my own home to keep unwanted guests from my garden.  For more information on stopping troublesome garden meddlers try some tips at Safer Ways to Eliminate Pests and Protecting Your Garden from Unwanted Guests .


Be sure to secure vining vegetables by staking them as soon as possible.  Staking can be a simple, inexpensive procedure such as the one I've demonstrated in my own garden above.  A piece of leftover fencing is bound to the ground using tree branches.  My peas and beans use the fencing to vine upward and grown healthy.  Vegetation that tends to be top heavy should also be staked. The same fencing used for the peas and beans is molded to a cage which can go around the tomato plant and keep the foliage from drooping over and damaging branches.  Search you own yard and garage before purchasing expensive products from home and garden suppliers.  Your likely to find something that will help stableize necessary foliage.

Giving your garden the most appropriate, and right abundance of nutrition is the best defense for proper production.  Instead of purchasing chemical fertilizers to feed your garden consider compost as the best option.  Compost will provide all the subsistence your garden desires by replacing depleated nutritional value.  Starting a compost can be cost free and rewarding.  Find some basic requirements for composting at The Benefits of Compost and see how compost contributes to the betterment of the environment.

Making sure that your garden is given the proper amount of moisture can be tricky.  Those leaves that won't stop turning yellow may be getting too much water.  Do not rely on the presence of your garden to determine if it needs a good drink.  Manually check the soil to decide if it is moist or dry.  If in doubt check beneath the top layer of dirt.  If the gunk beneath is damp your garden is in good shape.  Summer watering can become an expensive task if you have a garden.  To help keep the cost minimal I prefer to harvest and use rainwater during the hottest months.  It is a simple, economical procedure that is an asset to the environment as well.  To get ideas on harvesting your own rainwater visit The Advantages of Rain Barrel Water .

Gardening is an enjoyable, relaxing craft.  To achieve maximum potential your garden will require constant diligence.  You will be greaty rewarded with tastey, healthy offerings that are a benefical addition to any meal.