How to boost veg yields
MY veg plot is on sandy soil which means that nutrients can readily wash out of it – the consequence is that i’m regularly feeding! A good, thick mulch of well-rotted manure will deliver a range of valuable nutrients (especially nitrogen) and it also helps to lock in valuable soil moisture during these warmer, drier summer months.
What’s my feeding regime? Well, any ‘fruiting’ veg (e.g. tomatoes, peppers, chillies, aubergines) get regular liquid feeds of tomato fertiliser. this feed is high in potash, which is great for ripening up sun-loving crops. My leafy and root crops on the other hand (e.g. spinach, chard, salad leaves, beetroot) get a good dosing of nitrogen, in the form of sulphate of ammonia, but you could also use well-rotted animal manure or pelleted chicken manure.
it’s as important for veg to be well watered as it is to be fed. Focus on when seedlings or transplants are establishing so that they can grow a strong root system, and then just as the pods/cobs/fruits are swelling. this takes a lot of nutritional energy and moisture, but tending to these needs will produce a trug full of green veg!