THE BEST WAYS TO PREVENT COMMON VEGGIE DISEASES
Having a veggie garden is fun in the summer months, and you can finally make recipes to serve the whole family! However, sometimes your veggies can get sick with disease, which puts a damper on the harvest! Fortunately, there are plenty of low-maintenance ways to prevent diseases from corrupting your veggies so they will grow as ripe and delicious as you expect them to be!
In this article, we'll cover the basics of disease prevention in veggie gardens, including blossom end rot prevention, crop rotation, and catching the signs of disease early.
Watch Your Watering
Despite how necessary it is for plant growth, water in the wrong places on your plant can do more damage than good! In general, avoid watering foliage and stems so that the leaves don't get fungus or mold on them. Watering can spread ongoing to other crops, as well. The best way to avoid infecting other plants is to water your veggies in the morning so they can dry up before the evening.
Blossom-End Rot Prevention
Blossom end rot occurs when there is a calcium deficiency and happens in tomatoes, peppers, watermelon, squash, and eggplant. If the end of your fruit is brown and soggy, it's likely blossom end rot. We recommend cutting off the rotting fruit and throwing it away, and then get to work saving the rest of your plant!
Amending your soil to a balanced pH with enough calcium is an excellent first step. There are products you can use to help your plant's uptake and improve its chances of survival. Your tomato plants should recover after the roots start to grow and absorb calcium.
Practice Crop Rotation
If feasible, rotate your crops every two to three years by planting different crops in new garden beds. Crop rotation stops the accumulation of disease-causing organisms in the soil and helps refresh the soil with nutrients.
Tiny garden? No problem! You can divide the number of beds you have into veggie sections and rotate them every few years within your space. Be aware that it might be trickier to stop diseases from transferring from one area to the next, so pay close attention to your plants and soil to keep your crops healthy.
Keep Your Weeds to a Minimum
Weeding veggies early in the season can help prevent the spread of diseases to other crops in the veggie garden. A great way to control weeds is to lay down a thick layer of mulch between vegetable rows to suppress seeds.
You can also hoe your weeds to prevent them from spreading if you don't want to pick each one out of the soil tediously. Remember that using a hoe is easier in dry soil, whereas pulling weeds by hand is easier in wet soil. Hold the hoe like how you would sweep the floor with a broom. Angle the hoe so the blade tip will pierce the soil below the surface. Slice the weeds' tops off with a broad, smooth sweeping stroke.
Catch Signs of Fungus and Disease
The best way to prevent fungus and disease is to ensure that your plants have plenty of space between them and make sure you're not overwatering and leaving them in soggy conditions. If you do have some diseases appear, you may notice:
Molding
Wilting
Scabbing
Rusting
Rotting
White spots
White spots are usually fungi, which leave brown or gray patches on the veggies' leaves. The leaves will turn yellow and drop off within a few days. You can use insecticidal soap or a mixture of baking soda and water to spray on your plants and kill the fungus so they can recover.
If you are looking for new veggies in your area for your garden, or if you need help preventing veggie diseases, visit us at Dammann's Garden Company! We are happy to help with any inquiries you may have.