The most important plant nutrient: sun
It's easy to get
engrossed in soil improvement and forget how important sun is to
vegetable production. Various lists suggest that some edibles do well in
partial shade, but my experiences have shown that full sun is mandatory
for full production of even supposedly tolerant species like asparagus.
Of course, no one will
tell you to plant tomatoes in partial shade. The photos above show the
huge difference between plants set out in partial shade (photo on the
left, in an area shaded by our wood stove alcove during the morning)
versus what counts for full sun on our farm.
All of the plants pictured (in the foreground at least) are the same
variety, and the ones in partial shade were actually set out five days
before the other. Guess who's going to give us the first tomato of that
variety? The same plant who has fewer fungal problems and will produce
more overall --- the one who enjoys more sun!
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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.
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