# Home gardeners – tips for a bright and juicy Christmas harvest - Link: https://rd2.co.nz/bright-and-juicy-organic-christmas-harvest/ - Published: 2020-11-30T03:01:36+00:00 - Author: RSF Admin In the lead-up to Christmas, you may be keeping a closer eye on your garden – Christmas day lunch is a big affair, and you want to plate up the freshest fruit and vegetables from your backyard! As we head into summer and continue to experience a mixed bag of weather, it’s important to pay close attention to your plants. The excess rain in many parts of the country has had an impact on our plants, in more ways than one! You may be noticing nutrient deficiencies which can cause stunted growth and delayed maturation, so perhaps your crops haven’t produced fruit on time as you expected. Wherever your plants are in their growing stages, you can apply various mineral nutrients to improve taste, mineral density and colour. Here is a list of summer crops and tips to keep them healthy in preparation for harvest. [⌊organic-citrus⌉⌊organic-citrus⌉[ **Citrus – lemons, limes, mandarins and oranges** If you have citrus trees, you are likely to be in the final stages of picking. If you’re yet to harvest your fruit trees, it’s a good idea to add Potassium. Potassium is required by all plants and has specifically notable effects on fruit crops. When applied as a fertiliser, it accelerates the ripening process, increasing flavour and sweetness, so you get your juicy produce faster. Potassium increases the level of sugars within a fruit, making it sweeter – delicious!  Potassium is also required for flowering and many citrus are harvesting and flowering at the same time, so this element is crucial. [Humax](https://www.rd2.co.nz/product/humax/) is Roots, Shoots & Fruits Potassium- rich fertiliser. It is certified organic with Biogro and easily absorbed by the plant, due to the high Humic acid content. If you’ve missed out on applying [Humax](https://www.rd2.co.nz/product/humax/) this year, begin preparing your soil for the next round of planting by adding [Humax](https://www.rd2.co.nz/product/humax/)– Humic acid now will assist soils to hold minerals and moisture for tastier mineral- dense fruit. [⌊organic-strawberries⌉⌊organic-strawberries⌉[ **Berries – strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries** Berries are a sure sign that summer is here! They will need an extra dose of [Calcium](https://www.rd2.co.nz/product/biomin-calcium-2/) and Potassium to make sure they are juicy and flavourful when harvested. [Calcium](https://www.rd2.co.nz/product/biomin-calcium-2/) deficiencies can result in small fruit, deformation, a lack of taste and rotten spoilt fruit. We recommend applying [Biomin Calcium](https://www.rd2.co.nz/product/biomin-calcium-2/) at fruit set and repeating every month. This will help to increase colour, flavour and ripening.   [⌊vegetables-organic⌉⌊vegetables-organic⌉[ **Vegetables** Roast veggies or a summer salad is a staple menu item at Christmas time. Due to the varied weather patterns, vegetable plants might be experiencing some stress. Rather than looking toward seaweed-based products to combat this, consider adding a plant electrolyte as found in [Mobilizer Fulvic Acid, ](https://www.rd2.co.nz/product/mobilizer-2/) as it is designed by nature to assist plants during times of stress, assisting with the uptake of minerals and detoxifying the soil.   In addition, if the summer does turn out to be long and dry, Fulvic acid, such as found in [Mobilizer](https://www.rd2.co.nz/product/mobilizer-2/), will also help plants to withstand wilting and periods of extreme heat by increasing pressure in the cell membrane. Most vegetable crops will also benefit from Calcium application after flowering to boost flavour, appearance and taste. **A little bit of everything to boost your garden** Lastly, if you’re unsure of what your plants need or it all seems too complicated… There is a one-stop solution for all the trace minerals. A [multi-mineral booster](https://www.rd2.co.nz/product/biomin-booster/) will supply your plants with a top-up of balanced nutrients necessary to produce a bountiful harvest. Our easy to apply product [Biomin Booster](https://www.rd2.co.nz/product/biomin-booster/) is a multi-mineral combination featuring Magnesium, Zinc, Iron, Manganese, Copper, Boron, Molybdenum and Amino Acid (organic) Nitrogen that can be applied at any stage of growth. Your garden will thank you for feeding it some extra goodness. Enjoy celebrating the holiday season with your homegrown crops!