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Preparing Your Garden for Growing Season
While it may be too early to fertilize your garden, it is never too early to be prepared. Enriching your soil early in the year with compost will support growing strong fruits and vegetables.
Here are some steps and tricks to follow:
- Ensure you have water readily available; review the plant bio prior to planting to determine the best location.
- Organic fertilizer is best to enhance growth; it is less concentrated, less likely to burn and will improve your soil while feeding your plants. Some organic amendments are earthworm castings, glacial dust, compost, coir fibre, seaweed, bone meal and fish meal.
- Make sure your tomato stakes are in place, as doing it early prevents root damage. Tomato cages work for determinate varieties and stakes work better for indeterminate ones, which grow taller. For beans, cucumbers and other trailing plants, any trellis or teepee style structures can be used.
- Managing pests is not only about spraying and dusting with chemicals. Keeping your plants healthy with good soil is key. Space your plants and remove diseased foliage and branches. Keep your garden tools clean, hand picking insects and barriers to stop the pests from getting on the plants. Biological controls like birds, frogs, spiders and lady beetles help with pest control.
The big plus from all this is no chemicals will have been used in your gardening adventure!
Contributed by Carole Spraggett, Brampton Horticultural Society
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