If you found 2019 a bit disappointing, as many of us gardeners did for various reasons, then doing these 3 things will put you in a better postition for the coming season…
- Improve your Soil
Successful growing all starts with the soil. We like to think about it in terms of replicating nature. In nature, trees and plants drop leaves, plants die and decompose and so on, and all this organic matter rots down and improves the soil. To replicate this we always advise adding a good layer of compost or well-rotted organic matter to the top of relatively undisturbed soil. It may take a little while for you to see how the soil is changing, but the change will be there! - Use Companion Plants
Even doing this on a totally informal, unplanned way will greatly help your veg patch. By simply planting lots of nasturtiums, marigolds and other companion flowers and herbs, you will attract more beneficial wildlife to the garden. You can take a more structured route, by carefully pondering which plants will be planted together for maximum results, but as a starting point we would recommend dotting marigolds and violas etc in between rows of veggies wherever you can, or growing them in pots in and around the veg patch. - Keep on top of watering and weeding
During the growing season, the most useful thing you can do is make sure your plants are getting enough water and nutrients, and the best way to do this is to ensure that your plot is well-watered and kept as weed-free as possible. With the soil well-watered, but not water-logged, plants are better able to access the moisture and nutrients that they need from the soil. Eliminating as many weeds was possible also helps as your plants don’t need to compete and so will have better levels of nutrition, water, and sunlight.