Kimas Tejas Nursery
Simple Three-Step Program for Growing Great Vegetables
There are many good and some bad things about getting older. Some of these things
depend entirely upon their perspective. Take, for instance, the fact that as
we age time tends to speed up. Many decry this aspect of aging, but looking
on the bright side, the spring garden season sure does roll around quicker these
days! It’s a much shorter time span now between picking those fresh, homegrown
tomatoes than even five years ago. Which means it’s time, once again,
for the soil preparation to grow those taste bud tantalizing, eye catching beauties.
Oh, and don’t forget the peppers, cucumbers, beans,,,um, um, it’s
going to be a great spring!
In my vegetable garden, I use a three-step approach to growing my plants. I
build the health of the soil with good organic soil builders, fertilize, and
through the season I foliar feed. Building the health of the soil is creating
the right conditions for the microbial herd to thrive. It is the healthy life
in the soil that grows a healthy plant. Fertilizing the plants gives them the
extra nutrients to perform at their top potential. Foliar feeding takes the
place of top-dressing by providing the extra nutrients many plants require to
do their best.
Soil amending is done when turning the soil, loosening it and readying it for
planting time. You may turn the soil any way you see fit, but after breaking
virgin ground with a rototiller, I prefer the spade fork for all soil turning.
After this first mechanical loosening of the soil, the tiller is never really
needed again to turn the soil and is actually detrimental to the life in the
soil that we’re working to maintain. Once nurtured, the microbes in the
soil work like Nature’s little rototillers, keeping the soil loose and
friable. I turn the soil one time and then add one inch of compost (2-3 inches
if new bed), humate, greensand, dry molasses, kelp, sulfur, and cornmeal and
turn again (see sidebar for description of these amendments). Now it’s
time to plant!
When planting veggie starts, I like to mix some Garden-Ville Rocket Fuel in
the bottom of the hole, throw a handful of wormcastings in the backfill around
the little root ball, and then water in with dilute liquid seaweed. The Rocket
Fuel is phosphorus rich, providing the roots the phosphorus they need to get
a good start. The wormcastings inoculate the roots with the microbes that will
help them access the nutrients in the soil. The seaweed has sixty trace minerals
and is rich in Vitamin B1, a rooting hormone. This mixture really helps them
to jump out of the ground! Once planted, I fertilize with a good organic N-P-K
fertilizer at the recommended rate across the top of the soil. There are many
good ones on the market, use the one you like. Mix this fertilizer into the
top 1-2 inches of soil, mulch, and you’re ready to grow!
Many gardening books will tell you to top dress your plants as they go through
the growing season. Instead of having to pull back the mulch to mix this fertilizer
into the soil, I foliar feed once every week or two, spraying heavily enough
so that runoff drips into the soil. It’s much easier and works just as
well as a monthly soil application of fertilizer. My foliar feed of choice is
Neptune’s Harvest Fish and Seaweed, but any good organic liquid fertilizer
will work. Every second or third foliar feeding, I’ll switch to an Aerobically
Active Compost Tea. This newest tool in the organic toolbox works wonders for
keeping the plants healthy and productive. This tea is alive with the microbes
that inoculate the soil and provide a healthy coating of microbes on the leaves
that will keep disease and some insects at bay. You can now purchase this tea
at some nurseries or you can learn to make it at home. If you prefer, you can
even use this tea every time you foliar feed, just add the fish/seaweed just
before you spray.
The soil building part of this program is done just once a year, in spring.
For all subsequent plantings, say in the fall, I don’t soil amend again,
I just go straight to the planting and fertilizing procedures, all the while
foliar feeding everything in the garden every week or two. This method has worked
really well for me over the years. The soil building feeds the microbes, the
fertilizing feeds the plants, the foliar feeding nourishes through the season,
and then the veggies feed me! Give this program a try and I think you’ll
be amazed at the production of your garden. If you have any questions, please
give me a call or email.
Steve Bridges
512-303-4769 Kimas Tejas Nursery
steve@texasgrown.com