Vegetable Gardening Myths

Whether you’re planting your first garden, or have been growing your own veggies for years, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by all the advice that you hear. This year, grow your best veggies ever by learning the truth about some common garden myths.
Vegetables do need full sun to grow. But in gardening terms, “Full Sun” means at least 6 hours per day. In fact, many veggies actually prefer some late afternoon shade to prevent sun scald! Some common vegetables that get sun scald on the fruit are peppers and tomatoes. If you live in an area with hot, intense summer sun, try using some shade cloth to cut down on the hot afternoon sun. So if you want to plant a garden but have lots of nearby trees or buildings casting shade, don’t give up! Pick a spot that gets six hours or more of sunlight, preferably in the morning and midday, and you will have happy plants.
Myth - Vegetable gardens need sun all day long

Myth - To get sweeter tomatoes, add sugar to the soil when planting
Sweeter tomatoes do have a higher sugar content, but not because of the amount of sugar in the soil! Plants deposit sugar in their fruit through photosynthesis, which converts sunlight to sugar. Adding sugar to the soil will not help this. Plus, it will mostly dissolve and wash out of your soil as soon as you irrigate your newly planted tomato. Instead of sugar, feed your tomato a balanced fertilizer and top dress with Azomite. In addition to using a good fertilizer, choose a variety that is naturally sweeter. Most cherry tomatoes are sweet and for a slicer, try growing the Big Rainbow. The best way to get a sweet tomato is grow it yourself and pick it at the peak of ripeness!