Growing Plants: How to Successfully Harvest Fruit & Vegetables
Everything has its season – especially when it comes to sowing, growing, and harvesting. With our plant growing tips, you can turn your garden into a gourmet paradise.
Planting Fruits and Vegetables: Why Timing is Everything
Sowing in spring, ripening in summer, harvesting in fall – so far, so simple. But if you want to get the perfect harvest, you need to be a bit more precise. Every plant has its own rhythm. Four phases are key:
1. Sowing: The seedlings of most plant varieties must not be exposed to frost under any circumstances. However, some species do not mind the cold during sowing. Sowing is Day 0 of a plant's life.
2. Growing: If you want to give your outdoor plants the best possible start, you can grow them in a pot before moving them outside – for example, in a greenhouse or on the windowsill. Sprouts usually appear one to two weeks after sowing. If you want to plant cucumbers or tomatoes, growing them indoors first is absolutely essential. They should only go outside when the weather is ideal and the plant is strong enough.
3. Growth: Whether started indoors or sown directly: the garden bed is where you find out if your green thumb has real power. From watering to fertilizing, from pruning to other care steps, every plant needs the right attention at the perfect time.
4. Harvesting: This is what you've been working toward – now it's time to harvest! But don't rush: a red fruit doesn't mean the plant is fully ripe. The perfect time to harvest determines not only the taste, but often also whether your pantry will be generously filled again next year.
Our tip: Your expert eye is key! Keep an eye on your garden and plants throughout the season. Not every ripening cycle follows the rules perfectly.
Tips for Growing Plants
If you want to grow your plants from scratch, you need to create the ideal conditions for growth. Four factors are especially important:
1. The right soil: Special seed-starting mix relies on fewer nutrients, providing just enough of a boost for germination and root development. This makes it easier for the plant to strengthen its most important parts – the roots.
2. The right watering: After sowing, the soil must be kept constantly moist, but it should not be wet. It is best to use a spray bottle and cover the seedlings with plastic wrap. Regular airing prevents mold.
3. The right light: The more light your plants get, the better. In the still-dark early spring, you can help them along with daylight or UV lamps, but a sunny spot facing south is also a great idea.
4. The right temperature: During the germination phase, you should ensure a warm, constant temperature of over 68 degrees Fahrenheit. After that, it should be slightly (!) cooler. It is best to use a thermometer and find the right spot in your house or greenhouse.
Extra Tip: Keep a written record of your sowing dates and other key details. This makes it much easier to calculate when it is time to transplant, track if your plants are making good progress, or determine if you need to take extra steps to help them grow.
Growing plants in raised beds: What do you need to consider?
Raised beds have a slightly higher soil temperature than their conventional counterparts. That is why the dates in a planting calendar for sowing and transplanting often shift forward by a few weeks. But even here, the same rule applies: make sure to wait until after the last frost!
Planting by the moon: Helpful guide or total humbug?
Planting by the moon is not necessarily about the influence of the Earth's satellite on roots or plant parts. Those who follow the lunar phases garden according to the natural cycle of time—and thus according to the oldest planting calendar in the universe. If you want to try it out for yourself, the rule is: work on above-ground plant parts during a waxing moon, and roots during a waning moon.
