Thinning Your Garden

Written by Brooke Tolman (last updated October 19, 2020)

When you decide to thin, you need to keep in mind not only which plants are healthiest but also the spacing of the plants. Closely examine the plants to see which ones look the healthiest while looking at your garden to see how you want it spaced out in the end. Failure to thin your garden properly may result in either a plant that takes over, or one that doesn't grow to its potential. Keep in mind that thinning should be done even before it's readily apparent that your garden needs it. If you wake up one day and notice that your plants are crowded, then you've waited too long. You need to plan ahead before the problem occurs. If you don't thin fast enough, your plants won't grow as large and can be sickly looking.

The best way to thin your garden is to do it in two separate and distinct stages. In the first stage, thin as early as possible, but leave the plants twice as thick as you ultimately want them to grow. While in the second stage, you will want to pull out every other plant. Do this until the garden gets to the growth that you want it to be at.

To make thinning a little bit easier, and so as not to disturb the soil so much when pulling up plants, it's a good idea to water first and dampen the soil. This will not only make it easier to pull the plant out, but it helps to not damage nearby roots as well. After thinning, water the remaining plants to help settle the soil. If you don't want to risk damaging the root systems or disturbing the soil, instead of ripping the plants out of the ground, you can just use your scissors or pruning shears to cut the tops of the plants off. With no tops, the plant will stop growing the nutrients, and will be rerouted to another plant.

If you are looking for a means to greatly increase the productivity of your garden, without needing to resort to chemicals, or other man made additives consider thinning. Thinning is a great natural method for being able to produce award winning fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Try it out today!.

Author Bio

Brooke Tolman

Brooke is a graduate of Brigham Young University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Exercise Science. She currently resides in Seattle where she works as a freelance data analyst and personal trainer. She hopes to spend her life camping and traveling the world. ...

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