A well-maintained garden is a healthy garden. Only a garden that is maintained produces edible fruits and vegetables as well as beautiful flowers. Maintaining the garden also improves the desirability of the property. A neglected garden produces weeds and fat garden pests.
Feed the soil before you feed the plants. Better soil means healthier, stronger plants. Dig up the soil with a shovel and break up the dirt clods. Spread a 2- to 4-inch layer of organic material like compost or well-rotted manure over the planting area. Mix this amendment into the top 12 inches of soil.
Plant the plants only as deep as the seedlings were growing. When sowing seeds, follow the directions on the back of the package. Match the growing requirements to the garden's microclimates. Melons, tomatoes and peppers need hot areas, while peas and carrots thrive in the cool sections of the garden.
Inspect the plants for garden pests like aphids and cucumber beetles. Pick the large bugs off the plants and toss them in a jar of soapy water to drown them. Spray the smaller pests with a strong stream of water from the hose or a blast of insecticidal soap.
Remove all the weeds and grass before planting the garden. This reduces competition for soil nutrients and moisture. Once the garden is planted and growing, apply organic mulch up to 4 inches deep. Mulching is a form of long-term weed control. When a weed seedling is located in the mulch, knock it down with a garden hoe.
Harvest your edibles as they ripen. Remove and destroy any diseased plants. Pull up dying plants that are done producing and pile them on the compost pile. Remove all debris from the garden where pests can hide during the winter. In some climates, cool-season crops are planted for winter harvesting.
Things You Will Need
- Soapy water
- Insecticidal soap
- Organic mulch
- Garden hoe
- The New Sunset Western Garden Book; Kathleen Norris Brenzel
- Sunset: Good Earth
- University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources: Weed Management in Landscapes
- The California Backyard Orchard: Pests & Diseases
- George Doyle/Stockbyte/Getty Images