Advanced Vegetable Gardening
A successful vegetable garden is not an accident.
(Click to open a printable PDF version of the information below.)
Scouting
- Check your garden for pests and issues.
- Make it a habit, at least a few times per week.
- Early mornings are best for spotting active insects.
- Watch leaf color and shape to help diagnose nutrition issues.
- Look for signs of insects like holes in leaves, curled leaves, or chewed edges of leaves.
- Look for signs of disease like brown or black spots, grey or silver leaf color, or areas of rot.
- Finding problems early allows for easier treatment and better results.
- Watch for beneficial insects and allow them to do their work.
Common Garden Pests
Beneficial Insects
- Aphids
- Assassin Bugs
- Whitefly
- Ladybugs
- Leafminer
- Lacewings
- Tomato Hornworm
- Ground Beetles
- Armyworm
- Praying Mantis
- Mealybug
- Spiders
- Cabbage Loopers
- Bees
A Little Bit About Tomatoes
- Indeterminate or vining tomatoes harvest over a long period.
- Determinate or bushing tomatoes harvest at one time.
- VFN – These letters indicate resistance to disease and nematodes.
- Suckering – remove suckers from plants so that there are 2 – 3 stems.
- Water 1 – 2 inches per week. Deep soakings are better than frequent light irrigation. Always water in the morning. Water more frequently when hot and when plants are new.
- Plant deeper than the soil level (this is one of the only times we will say this!).
- Tomato pollen loses its vitality above 93 degrees.
- Blossom-end rot – Add lime before planting, spray with a calcium spray if needed.
- Blossom drop – night temperatures too high or too low, too much shade or water.
- Fruit Split – too much water, usually after a dry period.
Anybody can sell you plants, we make sure you succeed.