Part of gardening is learning to garden, and much of that learning comes from experience. Everyone makes mistakes, from expert gardeners to beginners. The key is learning from thosegardening mistakes and avoiding them in the future.
Part of gardening is learning to garden, and much of that learning comes from experience. Everyone makes mistakes, from expert gardeners to beginners. The key is learning from those gardening mistakes and avoiding them in the future.
Watering Mistakes: Some gardeners give their plants too much water and others don’t provide quite enough. Either mistake can be harmful to plants. Too much water makes them susceptible to diseases and too little water can weaken plants, leading to their death. Container plants may need to be watered once or more daily, especially in warm weather, but in-ground plants do not. In general, sandy soil requires more water than dense soil. No matter how much you water, water the soil–not the leaves–to prevent spread of disease.
Crowding Plants: In small gardens, it can be difficult to follow directions and space plants 1 foot or more apart. After all, the transplants look small and lonely planted so far apart… Always consider the plant’s mature size when spacing plants. When garden plants are too close together they don’t get adequate air circulation and are more likely to suffer from disease and pest problems.
Poor Planning: Almost every gardener is guilty of this one. When plants become available in spring, it’s so easy to buy a bunch without giving much thought to where and how you’ll plant them. Resist the urge to impulse shop and draw up notes or a sketch before heading to the nursery. This can also save you money because you’ll only be buying plants you actually need.
Mistakes are part of the learning process, but if you know what gardening mistakes are common, you’ll be able to recognize your follies before it’s too late.
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