Benedict T. Palen, Jr - Tips For A High-Yield Garden For Vegetables On A Limited Space

Are you planning to harvest nearly half a ton of delicious, beautiful vegetables from a small foot plot? Yields like these are simpler to get than you may think. The secret to super-productive gardening is taking the time now to plan tactics that will work for your garden.

Here are few high-yield tactics gleaned from gardeners who have learned to make the most of their garden space.

• Expert gardeners agree that building up the soil is the single most significant factor in pumping up yields. A deep, organically rich soil motivates the growth of healthy, widespread roots able to reach more water and nutrients. The result: extra-productive, extra-lush, growth above ground. The fastest way to get that profound layer of fertile soil is to make raised beds. Raised beds yield up to four times more than the similar amount of space planted in rows. That is due not only to their movable, fertile soil but also to competent spacing. By using less space for paths, you have more room to develop plants.
• The shape of your beds can make a disparity, as well. Raised beds become more space-efficient by rounding the soil gently to form an arch. A rounded bed that is 5 feet wide across its base, for example, could give you a 6-foot-wide arc above it. That foot may not seem like much, but multiply it by the length of your bed and you will see that it can make a big difference in total planting area.
• To get the maximum yields from each bed, focus on how you arrange your plants. Avoid planting in square patterns or rows. Rather, stagger the plants by planting in triangles. By doing so, you can fit 10 to 14% more plants in each bed.
• You can grow more by going perpendicular. Grow space-hungry vining crops—such as pole beans, tomatoes, squash, peas, cukes, melons, and so on—straight up, supported by trellises, fences, cages, or stakes. Growing vegetables perpendicularly also saves time. Harvest and maintenance go faster as you can see exactly where the fruits are. Fungal diseases are also less likely to have an effect on upward-bound plants s thanks to the enhanced air circulation around the foliage.
• Succession planting enables you to grow more than one crop in a given space over the course of a growing season. That way, several gardeners can harvest three or even four crops from a single area. For example, follow an early crop of leaf lettuce with a fast-growing corn, and then grow more greens or overwintered garlic — all within a single growing season. To get the most from your succession plantings.

Benedict T. Palen, Jr., has thirty years of know-how working in management, operations, and agricultural investments. Right now, Benedict T.Palen, Jr., caters as manager and co-proprietor for Great Plains Farms, LLC, administering all from the assessment of farmland to offering suggestion on operator training and irrigation development.