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Proper fruit set leads to bountiful harvests.
Photo by L.A. Jackson
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It’s time to plant pretties such as this “Sunny Keys” Oriental lily.
Photo by L.A. Jackson
While spring is a season of giddy optimism for gardeners planting warm-season vegetables, summertime reality lurks in the form of meager harvests due to poor fruit set. This occurs for several reasons, but many can be cut off at the pass with proper gardening techniques. Below are four of the more common causes:
Shady situation. Sun-loving summer vegetables will not properly produce in areas that receive less than six hours of Ol’ Sol a day. Why? Too much shade can cause veggie plants to back off making flowers. And then, it’s simple botany: Fewer blooms equal fewer vegetables.
Feeding frenzy. A sin many gardeners commit: too much fertilizer. Fertilizer is, of course, necessary for healthy plants—that is, in moderation. Slinging loads of fertilizer willy-nilly—especially ones with high nitrogen content—can yield large plants with lush foliage. But the extra leaves are often produced at the expense of fewer flowers. Tilling in gobs of compost (either homemade or store-bought) at planting time is a good way to fertilize vegetables organically. Granular fertilizers can also do the job, starting with sprinkling a small handful of 10-10-10 or 8-8-8 around each veggie (not in the prepared hole) at planting time and adding another round as they begin to set fruit.
Pesticides gone wild. Many flowering vegetables rely on bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects for crop production. But bad bugs also visit the veggie patch. If you have to resort to pesticides to dispatch problem-causing insects, try a contact killer to minimize harming beneficial six-leggers. I use such bug boppers only when absolutely necessary, but when I do, my usual preference is well-aimed squirts of pyrethrin spray because it breaks down (meaning becomes safe) quickly after drying. Also, I only go pest hunting early in the morning or late in the day when beneficial insect activity is at a minimum.
Water woes. Giving maturing vegetables a quick splish here or a fast splash there will encourage shallow root formation, which, during dry times, makes plants more susceptible to stress—and typically fewer flowers. Water thoroughly for deeper saturation into the ground, and the roots will follow. Also, maintaining about 3 inches of mulch will help stabilize soil moisture through the long growing season.
April in the garden
• Take time to visit local arboretums, botanical gardens and nurseries with display gardens to enjoy their versions of early spring beauty. And who knows? You might find some interesting plants or landscape design ideas to try in your garden!
• Welcome your feathered friends back by giving birdbaths a good cleaning and restocking bird feeders with fresh seed weekly. If adding birdhouses in the garden is on your to-do list, opt for wooden models because they will provide better insulation for nesting birds as the summer heat begins to rise.
Tip of the month
The colorful parade of fall-planted, spring-blooming bulbs is becoming a memory now, but fret not, intrepid gardeners. Rising soil temperatures mean plantings of dazzling warm-season bulbs such as dahlias, gladioli, amaryllis and caladiums can begin. Want even more summertime visual sizzle? Consider planting “false” lilies, such as calla lilies (Zantedeschia sp.), glory lilies (Gloriosa superba), lilies-of-the-Nile (Agapanthus sp.), crinum lilies (Crinum sp.) and rain lilies (Zephyranthes sp.), as well as “true” lilies (Lilium sp.), with Easter lilies, Asiatic lilies, Oriental lilies and tiger lilies being common finds.
L.A. JACKSON is the former editor of Carolina Gardener magazine. Contact him at lajackson1@gmail.com.