The Organic Home Garden

FEED TIME!

The last condition of a plants environment that you must deal with is nutrition. The first and most obvious is the need for sunlight. Your leafy veges clearly need lots of sun and will not do well if you restrict them to less than 6 hours a day! Too little sunlight and the plants grow slowly and are more likely to contract diseases and don’t taste quite as nice! Remember sunlight means sugars -

sunlight
Carbon Dioxide + Water ======= Sugar + Oxygen

to produce enough sugar to convert to starch or proteins your plants need a minimum amount each day to do more than just survive! This process is known as photosynthesis. (Here-in ends the biology lesson!)

Pale and Yellowing leaves

Vege leaves that are pale or yellowing may need more sunlight as might plants that grow tall and spindly – they are taller than usual since they are chasing more light and that is their solution – grow up higher!
A similar problem can be seen in fruits that seem to fail to ripen. Many fruits need sunlight to convert starches into sugars and trigger the ripening process so be aware of where you place your fruit bearing plants. I have moved my apple trees around the yard chasing the sun as the season has moved into autumn and they are still growing well as a result.

The second requirement are the minerals that normally are evident in the soil of your garden. This is where the quality of your potting mix comes into question. Good quality mixes will start off with a good balance and will need only a little supplementing as your plants start to take off. Cheap mixes, well you will see the difference in your plants in a very short time after planting them.

Give em a little boost

Powdered or pelleted organic fertilisers are the best place to start and some are made specifically for pots. These can be added at planting time and then a little later on as the plants start to grow. It really depends on the size of your pots and the types of plants as to the frequency.

The next most useful is the liquid fish fertilisers or seaweed mixes. These are gentle and carry more than just fertiliser effects – many trace minerals and growth promoters are found in these products and they are convenient to use as well. These are so gentle that they can be used every two weeks as a boost to the plants and also to improve disease resistance.

HARVESTING

The last consideration is the issue of harvesting your veges. With plants like tomatoes it is obvious when these are ready to go and by all means pick them at the peak of their ripeness and get the taste! With leafy veges, like lettuce, spinach and herbs it may profit you to have several pots for each variety so that you can give them a chance to rest and regrow after picking a few leaves for your meals. Also remember to add a little fertiliser after a heavy harvest of any plants to speed up their regrowth and get them out in the sun.