Head Off Problems In The Garden Before They Start

A little precaution can save a lot of trouble in the garden.

Mary Beth Musgrove, Extension horticulture associate with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, offers a few helpful tips.

• Know vegetable family members and rotate families within in your garden. For example, onions and garlic are in the amaryllis family. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and Irish potatoes are in the nightshade family.
• Don't plant vegetables from the same family in the same garden soil for two or more consecutive years. This practice can strip the soil of needed nutrients and build up pest problems in the soil.
• Remove all old crop debris and weeds in and around the garden. Some insects and diseases may survive the winter and infest your garden.
• Use a variety of different plants within their proper growing season. Be sure to choose disease-resistant varieties.
• Use pesticides wisely. Always use bio-sensitive insecticides for specific pests. Bio-sensitive insecticides won't kill helpful insects. Be sure to get good coverage above and beneath the leaves when using an insecticide.
• Pay close attention to your garden, and catch any problems that arise early.