Water your garden regularly

Before watering, check the soil with your finger if it is still moist, or dry. Use a soft watering method, like a watering can (e.g. a small container with holes in the bottom).

Water early in the morning and/or late afternoon when the sun is going down and not that hot anymore. In Winter, only water in the morning after the sun has gone up but NOT in the evening.

Do not overwater your garden.

Add mature compost or manure to your garden every now and then to keep your soil fertile and healthy

Apply it on top of your soil.

Take out weeds

Make sure to take out weeds every time you water or work in your garden. Weeds compete with your vegetables for nutrients and water.

Mulch regularly

Make sure that you add lots of new mulch again and again. Your old mulch will continue to de-compost and becomes part of your fertile garden soil. Use organic matter like dry grass or even cardboard boxes and newspapers (not the glossy ones with too much colour) to cover the soil between plants to protect the soil from drying out and from becoming too hot. Once your seeds have become plants, you can mulch the ground as thick as possible, upt to 15-20cm thick.

Pest Control

You can limit a lot of damage by observing your garden and taking out any pests as soon as they appear among your plants (e.g. flies). Only use organic or home-made insecticides and only if you must. Find an organic recipe for fungal diseases and insects here.

DO NOT USE CHEMICAL PESTICIDES: They are bad for the health of your soil and your health since your vetables take in all these chemicals.

Trellising and Cleaning-up

Your vertical plants like tomatoes, beans and cucumbers should grow on the sticks and trellises that you build for them. Such their fruits don’t lie on the ground and pests cannot eat them. This will protect that they will not get rotten so easily. Also make sure to regularly remove old plants that are not productive anymore.

Harvesting

Enjoy reaping the fruits of your work and dedication…yet don’t harvest too late, otherwise your vegetables will not taste that nice and will not be as nutrious anymore. Rember to ALWAYS wash your veg with water before eating them.

Succession planting

Keep planting out new seeds and seedlings into the spaces that are free, after you have harvested or removed old plants. Do this continuously, and you can grow more and will not waste water where there is nothing growing.

Involve family and neighbours

Get members of your household to join you in gardening, especially children. You can also help your neighbour with their garden and work together with them, so that you can look after each other’s gardens when one of you is not home.