SCOTT: Last week was the last full moon in May, the time when Tomato Tom would plant his veggies.
MIKE: That’s right, and Tomato Tom always had great yields. But, planting after the last killing frost was only part of his success.
SCOTT: Lots of factors are involved, like how deep to plant each veggie, pruning, fertilization, crop rotation.
MIKE: Yes, but there’s more you can do, especially if you can’t rotate your vegetables. This practice of rotating crops isn’t just for large scale farming. The purpose of rotating your crops is to make sure your plants (vegetables) receive the nutrients they need. Certain vegetable plants need certain nutrients in order to strengthen stalks, roots, resist disease, insects, cracking and blossom end rot to ensure the vegetables will grow properly under extreme conditions.
Presently, Mom Nature has been throwing us a curve ball. The spring rains and the Sylvania sandy soil have been leaching necessary nutrients out of what little was left from previous years. So, even if you are able to rotate your vegetable garden this season, it will be necessary to re-incorporate leached out nutrients.
Tomato Tom would incorporate lime and gypsum every other season, returning needed micro nutrients such as calcium, manganese, boron and iron. He would also incorporate cow manure, as horse manure has many more weed seeds. That is due to the cow having four stomachs. They process the weed seed three times more than the horse. If neither cow or horse manure are easily accessible, try compost.
I wouldn’t recommend purchasing bulk compost from outside sources, unless those outside sources list all of the ingredients. Sometimes the unknown ingredients do more harm than help. One can purchase pre-bagged compost from reputable local nurseries/garden centers. One excellent bagged compost is Mastery Nursery’s BUMPER CROP.
SCOTT: I always call Bumper Crop the icing on the cake. It adds some nice amendments (the icing) on top of (the cake), your old non-nutrient rich soil. And, you don’t have to work it in as the rains, watering and even root growth will slowly push the amendments into the soil.
MIKE: I would still recommend distributing lime and gypsum throughout the entire area, a base layer, as Bumper Crop only has a jump-start amount of lime. To have the micro-nutrients work into the garden soil, you need to start now! Figure how many rows you are going to have in order to estimate how much compost you will need. Line each row with compost and let the rains wash everything in. This will ensure that your vegetables will have the necessary micro-nutrients to withstand any unforeseen negative elements and conditions confronting your garden this upcoming season. Hopefully, with cooperation of Mother Nature and “Asking Someone Who Knows” will assist you in having a bountiful harvest. Think that helps get things started in the right direction, Scott?
SCOTT: Tomato Tom would be so proud!
Your Midwest Garden Podcast guys, Mike O’Rourke and Scott Sandstrom, will be sharing gardening advice and information with readers throughout the growing season. O’Rourke, retired from Black Diamond Garden Center and known as the Garden Guy for many years, discusses landscape issues with Sandstrom in a casual conversation designed to educate listeners, and now readers, on a wide variety of topics.