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Temperature, moisture and soil key to a healthy vegetable garden

Vegetables can be attractive but they are usually grown for the food they produce.So it can be frustrating to grow lush, healthy plants and find that there is nothing to eat.
RichardsHarleyMugMay23jer
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Vegetables can be attractive but they are usually grown for the food they produce.

So it can be frustrating to grow lush, healthy plants and find that there is nothing to eat.

Reasons for poor production are usually: temperature, the amount of moisture, soil, sunlight or insects.

Crops are often classified as cool or hot crops.

Cool crops such as radishes and spinach grow best in the spring and fall. They react to hot temperatures by bolting or going to seed.

Tomatoes are a hot crop that grows best in a hot area of the garden in Central Alberta. They like warm daytime temperatures and set fruit best if the night temperatures range between 16C and 21C. Cooler temperatures mean less fruit.

Scientists have discovered that tomato plants pollinate best between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. As tomato flowers contain both the stamen and pistil, they are easily pollinated by insects, a slight breeze or people shaking the plant gently.

To grow tender produce, plants should have a consistent supply of moisture. Plant growth will slow down and plants will become tough and stringy due to lack of moisture. A dry then wet cycle will cause root crops to crack. Potatoes will become rough and scabby. The fruit of the tomato will often rot from the blossom inwards, causing blossom end rot.

The amount of sunlight the garden receives relates directly to how plants grow. A vegetable garden needs six hours of direct sunlight a day to thrive.

Spinach, kale, lettuce, swiss char and parsley will tolerate more shade than other vegetables. But a shady garden will not be lush. The plants will take longer to mature and given the short season, might not mature before the season ends.

A deep, soft, rich, well-drained soil is the backbone of the vegetable garden. A deep soil allows the tap root crops like carrots to grow downwards unimpeded. Likewise, a soft loose soil allows all roots to grow in all directions with little or no resistance.

Soils that are rich in nutrients and humus will contain a ready supply of nutrients, which increase the plants’ productivity.

A well-drained soil allows excess moisture to run through the soil while retraining some moisture for the plants’ needs. Soil that is too wet has little if any air, which is needed for plant roots to absorb moisture.

Cucumber, melon and pumpkin plants have both male and female flowers. If there is an abundance of pollinating insects, they will take care of the pollination. If not, it needs to be done by hand.

Male flowers will be born on a stems. Female flowers will appear on what looks like tiny produce. Male flowers tend to start blooming a week or two before the females and are always more plentiful. For fruit to develop, the pollen from the male flower must be moved to the female flower. This can be done by rubbing a Q-tip in the male flower, then the female, or by picking male flowers and rubbing the stamen in the female flower.

Pollination can take place anytime during the day but best results are attained in the early morning when the flowers begin to bloom.

Linda Tomlinson is a local horticulturalist who can be reached at www.igardencanada.com or your_garden@hotmail.com.