Have a look at these farming tips and tricks for your garden
The gardening bug hit me a couple of years back when I moved into a standalone home with a huge backyard. I loved the open space but couldn’t figure out what I would be doing with it.
The few options I had were to use it as a patio with chairs to read, sip coffee, and relax, or cover it and use it as a storage space. But a conversation with a friend of mine changed the course and I decided to use this space as a garden.
Now I knew what I was going to do with my spacious backyard. But the challenge now was to pick plants and vegetables that were easy to grow and maintain. I had seen farming closely and had a fair idea of what steps could help in having a healthy garden. But farming from scratch was something I had never done.
The choices I had were to purchase saplings and plant them or sow seeds – I chose a mix of both. It's been a couple of years that I have been farming, and I keep improving every now and then.
I can efficiently now grow plants from seeds, use very less water, and use no insecticides or pesticides at all.
Here are a few things I have learned during my journey from being a novice to an expert garden owner:
1. Sunlight is Important
In fact, sunlight is very important. Plants need sunlight to thrive, hence, they must be positioned such that all of them get maximum exposure to it.
Sunlight not only nourishes plants but eliminates pests and bugs. You must pay attention to how sunlight plays through your yard before finalizing the spot for your garden.
To ensure more sun exposure to all your plants, place the tallest plants such as corn, tomatoes, or other vine plants a little away from shrubs so they do not shade them.
2. Soil Health is Important
All boils down to the quality of the soil. The best soil suitable for fruits and vegetables or other flowering plants includes lots of organic matter and compost such as leaves and aged shredded bark and so on.
Whatever you plan to include, the thumb rule is to incorporate enough organic material to make sure that the enriched soil is neither sandy nor stiff.
When the soil blend is right, it will bind when you squeeze it in your palm but withers easily when disturbed.
Compost added soil will be full of living microorganisms that help nourish the plants. And water will be sufficiently retained but wouldn’t saturate the soil.
This is a lesson I have self-learned, hence, can vouch for it. I blend kitchen waste like peels of fruits and vegetables, eggshells, unbleached paper, waste grain, etc. make a puree and pour it into the soil.
The trick here is to do half the work i.e. breaking down the waste and adding to the soil. The soil absorbs the liquid or paste and gets nourished almost immediately.
In fact, there is a plant that nourishes the soil. And by just planting the crop, the quality of soil can improve amazingly.
Not many know and those who know talk in hushed tones about the hemp – the super crop that not only replenishes the soil but cleans the environment as well.
Hemp is a misunderstood plant because of its lineage. It belongs to the Cannabis Sativa family that marijuana belongs to as well.
Industrial hemp farming has been decriminalized in Uttarakhand, and because I work closely with farmers here, I am impressed with hemp’s low maintenance and what it offers to humans and the environment.
Here are some not commonly known facts about this plant:
● Prevents soil erosion, and water pollution caused by soil runoff as the roots of this plant runs deep inside the soil.
● Needs very little water and can thrive on only rainwater.
● It is a quick-growing crop and can be harvested several times in a single year.
● It kills weeds and improves the quality of the soil.
● After harvesting farmers return the leaves and the roots into the soil. This adds nutrients to it without the need to add insecticides, pesticides, or fertilizers.
● Above all this super crop purifies the air by absorbing carbon from the environment.
Hemp is an important plant and has no psychotic effect, and if decriminalized all over the world, the world can heal itself better.
3. Companion Planting
This tip is quite easy, doable, and successful – choose a combination of plants that have healthy and mutual symbiosis. Companion planting is the best way to have a healthy garden.
Certain plants replenish nutrients lost by another one, and some combinations effectively repel pests sway.
You need to take some time out to research and then make good decisions about planting saplings or sowing seeds that enable a good growth system.
4. Choose The Right Plants
Select plants for your garden according to the growing conditions. Pick varieties that will grow well where you live and in the space that you have.
5. Examine Saplings Before Buying
A healthy plant will bear healthy flowers, fruits, and vegetables. If you are starting your farming journey by planting saplings first, buy healthy ones.
The best way to restrict disease in your garden is to prevent introducing it in the first place. Getting infected saplings is not the kind of bonus that any of us wants.
Plants with dead spots, rotten stems, or insects must not be purchased. These problems can easily spread to your healthy plants and are difficult to get rid of once dispersed.
Check the tops of the saplings, and always examine the root quality. You can do this by gently inverting the pot and shaking the plant loose. The roots must be firm, usually white, and spaced all over the root ball.
Dark or mushy rooted plants must not be purchased.
6. Water in Close Vicinity
This is to ensure that you work smart and add the hard work to gardening instead of getting water to your garden.
Plan your garden near a water source. Ensure you can run a hose to your garden, so you do not have to carry water each time the plants are thirsty. Watering your garden must not become a task, instead must give you joy.
A soaker hose is the most efficient way to keep your garden soil moist and healthy. These transfer water slowly and on target allowing roots time to absorb the moisture and helps keep the foliage dry.
Dry foliage is important as moisture on plants for extended periods can stimulate diseases. Therefore, overhead sprinklers are not too great for home gardens.
And if you have to choose overhead sprinklers for your garden, water the plants at a time when the leaves will dry quickly.
Also, remember not to water plants with excess water as waterlogged soil promote root rotting fungi and can suffocate roots.
How to know if your plants need water? Easy, push a finger down into the soil, if it’s dry, it’s time to water.
7. Don’t Crowd Your Garden
This is important as an overcrowded garden can result in plants creating their own moisture, which can result in diseases like powdery mildew, rust, and much more to thrive.
Spacing the plants appropriately will improve airflow around them and reduces the chances of high humidity allowing ample time to foliage to dry.
Also, crowded plants tend to grow poorly due to competition for light, water, and nutrients. Weak plants are more vulnerable and get infected or can die.
Crowded plants also increase the chances of spreading diseases when an infected leaf comes in contact with a healthy one.
To reduce the chances of the disease spreading, trim out the crowded, damaged, or infected leaves and stalks on plants.
8. Sow the Seeds At the Right Time
Sowing the seed or sapling too early or too late in the season can be a disastrous decision.
You must research about the right time to plant the right seed or sapling so that your plants don’t wither in the cold.
Being aware of the timing can help you harvest the plants or move indoors before the cold damages them.
9. High Yield Plants Can Keep You Busy
Growing high yield plants can help you make the most of your time and enjoy the fruits of your hard work sooner.
Vegetables like tomatoes, lettuce, zucchini, potatoes, and much more require less space and time but give the most valuable yields in return. On the other hand, pumpkins, squash, etc. take more space and produce very little.
High-yield plants help keep up your spirits and keep low water consumption, space, and time as well. You can try combining both high and low yield to enjoy the fruits of your labor effectively.
Gardening is a therapeutic task and it must not give you stress. Once you understand the nitty-gritty it will become a cakewalk for you. The best incentive for farming is access to organic fruits and vegetables which is a reward in itself.
Author Bio: Vishal Vivek is the CEO and Co-Founder at Hemp Foundation.
Hemp Foundation’s mission is to fight Global warming, plastic pollution, deforestation, wild species extinction through promotion of Hemp in fashion industry and at the same time provide jobs to marginalized communities of artisans and farmers in rural Himalayan villages and give them global reach.