Five of the Worst Gardening Mistakes to Avoid

In every neighborhood, there is a lush garden replete with flowers, fruits and vegetables. The gardener seems to have a green thumb. Everything they plant grows and produces.

Talk to them; most didn’t get there overnight. They’ll tell you about the hundreds or thousands of dollars spent learning from their mistakes over the years. You don’t have to do that.

Here are the five worst gardening mistakes and how to avoid them.

One:

Not paying attention to the soil. Without healthy soil to start with, nothing will grow or grow right.

In a first time garden spot, have the soil tested. Amend it with plenty of compost, sand or other organic nutrients. Add worms to help break down the compost; worm castings are the greatest plant fertilizer in nature.

Two:

Not watering enough. Plants will die without adequate water. Some people follow the wrong advice and only water when the plants are wilting. That’s often a late distress sign; fruit and food plants won’t produce when stressed.

Stick your hand in the soil. If you can feel moisture an inch down, the plants should be okay. If they’re stressed, water. Purchase a garden water meter and test the soil daily. Test more often in hot weather.

Three:

Planting too close together. Read the tags and seed packets for planting information. Planting close together may give the impression of having a larger harvest, but the root systems will have to compete for water and nutrients.

Four:

Not feeding the proper nutrients. Learn about the requirements of each plant and feed it accordingly. What works for one plant may not be enough or too much for the next one. Try grouping plants with similar food/water/sun requirements together so fertilizing is easier. Only fertilize according to the plants’ needs.

Five:

Planting the wrong plants for the growing zone. Everything in plant catalogs looks wonderful. Bright colors, spectacular fruits and vegetables, it seems too good to be true. The write-ups can make it sound as though everything offered will grow anywhere.

The opposite is true. Learn what growing zone you’re in, and select plants for the zone. Grow winter plants in the winter, summer plants in the summer, and so on. If your seasons are short-lived, grow varieties with short growing seasons.

By avoiding these five mistakes, you’ll have a garden to be proud of. Your friends, neighbors, family and passersby will want to know your secrets.

Source: The author of this article has over 40 years of experience in diverse forms of DIY, home improvement and repair, crafting, designing, and building furniture, outdoor projects and more.


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