The Routine Cultivation of Vegetable

Simply this is the day to day care of your plants. This includes.

• Watering
• Weeding
• Mulching
• Feeding
• Pest Control

So let us look at these one at a time.

Watering
Your plants require watering, unless you have adequate regular rainfall.

Young plants and seedlings will require only light watering to help prevent dehydration, but will need watering frequently, whereas larger plants will require watering more heavily but less often.

Light watering at later stages encourages shallow root growth, evaporates more quickly and plants become more vulnerable to drought.

Watering that reaches deep into the ground promotes deeper root systems, and healthier growth.

Manual watering can be completed by using a watering can with a rose attachment but if you have a lot of watering to do then a hose is a must. A seep hose (hose with regular pores /holes at intervals along its length) is effective for watering an area up to around a foot wide from its position and saves a lot of manual work, whilst being easy to install and move around to different areas of the plot.

Critical Watering Periods
All vegetables have a period in their development where watering levels are critical.

For example leafy salad vegetables such as lettuce the critical period is between 10 and 21 days before maturity. Good watering during this period will give a heavier crop.

For other fruiting crops such as cucumbers the critical period is when the flowers and fruit are forming. If they are watered heavily before this it can lead to lots of leafy growth at the expense of the fruit.

Watering can be minimised by mulching the surface and erecting windbreaks to reduce airflow. This reduces evaporation from

the surface. You should also make sure on preparing the plot that the ground is adequately dug encorporating plenty of organic matter, such as farmyard manure or compost to a good depth, as this will increase water retention and promote deeper roots.

Weeding
Weeds are the enemy of gardeners everywhere. But, a well prepared soil should be reasonably easy to maintain weed free.

Weeds compete with the vegetables for light, water, nutrients, and trace elements. They also host diseases and pests.

Perennial weeds should be removed taking care to remove the root system too otherwise it will grow back.

Methods Of Weed Control
Manual removal: Picking out and removing weeds by hand. Tedious but effective.

Hoeing: Effective against annual weeds but can be difficult between your vegetables. Care is needed not to damage them or their roots and weed seeds can be brought to the surface during hoeing.

Weedkiller: An option for those that are not organic.

Mulching: Will help suppress weeds.

Mulching
Basically mulches are a layer of organic or inorganic material applied to the surface of the ground. These help to suppress weeds, aid water retention, supply nutrients (organic ones only) and help warm soil.

Organic mulches include, well rotted farmyard manure, composted straw, compost, dry lawn clippings, spent mushroom compost and seaweed.

Inorganic mulches include plastic, fleece, old carpet.

Mulching is easy to do and can save on watering and cultivation.

Feeding
Plants need nutrients and trace elements, different vegetables require different ratios of these.

The most important of these elements are Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P), and Potassium (K).

Even with a good soil, your vegetables may require supplementary feeding.

Feeds can be applied before planting as a base dressing or added later as a top dressing. Nitrogen (N) rich feeds are best in the springtime before planting, and then can be topped up later. Phosphorous (P) and potassium (k) can be added at any stage but it is most commonly added during the autumn, or if combined with nitrogen added in spring.

Adding compost or manure will aid in maintaining (P) and (K), but there are many artificial fertilisers out there with different ratios of N, P and K as well as other nutrients and elements. These should be used in accordance with the manufacturer`s instructions.

Pest & Disease Control
There are many pests and diseases that can affect vegetables, some will destroy crops. Some of these are restricted to one group of vegetables whereas others can attack a whole range.

Disease and Viral Infection
The key here is to practice good hygiene and have good cultivation and care for your plants. Keep the area clean and tidy, remove any weeds. Diseased or damaged material should be removed from the plot and disposed of, not composted. Keep tools clean and disinfect if they are in contact with diseased material, this will reduce the spread of any infection.

Any disease found should be identified as quickly as possible and any treatment that can be made from sprays, powders, etc should be applied.

Crop rotation as already discussed can help with reduction of soil-borne problems.

Fungal infections can be treated with fungicides whereas bacterial or viral infections may be more difficult to control.

Another way to reduce risk of infection, is to select vegetable varieties that are bred to be disease resistant.

Pests
When it comes to pests, there are many types. A keen eye and regular inspection of your crops will play a vital role in their control. Slugs and snails should be removed and killed. This is best done at night with a torch to help hunt them down when they are most active. Other invaders can be treated with a combination of cultural, biological and chemical controls.

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