Gardening is fun. Everyone would love to see blooming flowers, thick trees, and butterflies outside their homes. The presence of plants, whether they are vegetables, flowers, shrubs, or anything green, just gives a refreshing feel. Although most of us think the garden is just for aesthetic purposes, it actually helps in so many different ways. For one, it keeps your surroundings clean and fresh and the plants keep seem to have that cooling effect.
But just like most DIY projects, there are mistakes you will want to avoid to be successful at it. This article gives you the information you need to know about those gardening mistakes.
Even plants don’t need too much water, or it’ll kill them. (image credit: PowerHouseGrowers.com)
In SouthernLiving.com’s article “15 Really Dumb Gardening Mistakes,” our attention was caught by two very common mistakes that beginners are prone to committing. These are overwatering the plants and planting too deeply.
Overwatering Your Plant
Result: The plant turns yellow, drops leaves, rots, or simply croaks.
Giving a plant too much water kills it faster than giving it too little. Although most plants prefer moist soil, they don’t like soggy, poorly drained soil. Waterlogged soil keeps roots from functioning properly. Because of this, overwatered plants may wilt on a sunny day from too much water, not too little.
To lessen your chances of overwatering, keep track of what you water, so you don’t water the same plant 3 times a day. Separate plants that need lots of water from those that need just a little. Before you water, stick your finger about an inch deep into the soil near the base of the base to see if the soil is moist or dry. there are several mistakes a beginner like you will likely commit in trying to build your garden for the very first time.
Planting Too Deeply
Result: The plant’s roots smother and the plant slowly dies.
Roots need air to breathe. They can’t get it when they’re buried 6 feet under. So when you plant a tree or shrub, make sure that the top of the root ball is slightly higher than the surrounding soil. To keep air from drying out the root ball, cover the top with and inch or so of mulch.
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Overwatering your plant is a result of you getting too excited about your plant growing fast. Yes, although it really sounds stupid, a lot of homeowners make this mistake thinking that a lot of water is good for plants. The same thing goes for planting too deeply. As mentioned above, the plants’ roots need to breathe and that wouldn’t be possible if they’re way down there entirely covered in soil.
Here is some more information you should be interested in when it comes to overwatering your plants:
Meanwhile, the article “10 Beginning Gardener Mistakes to Avoid” from HobbyFarms.com also has a list of the other possible mistakes you may make in gardening for the first time and how to avoid them.
Gardening Mistake No. 1: Starting Out Too Big
It’s difficult to resist those tempting photos of perfectly ripe vegetables and fruits in seed and nursery catalogs. It’s all too easy to order more vegetable varieties than your garden space and time will permit. Planting too large a garden is a mistake that can place too heavy a workload on a gardener and lead to frustration and burnout.
A better gardening strategy is to start small in the first year and plant only a few of your favorite veggies. This will allow you more gardening success and a greater feeling of accomplishment. In succeeding years, as practice builds your gardening skills, you can increase the size of your garden each planting season.
Gardening Mistake No. 2: Not Properly Preparing the Soil
Without good soil, no vegetable garden can thrive. Any preparation that the soil needs must be done before planting. Once those seeds begin to establish a root system, the soil cannot be disturbed without endangering the tender, young plants.
Prepare the soil as early in spring as you can work it without creating mud pies. Let the soil rest until the weather is warm enough to sprout seeds and support the growth of young plants. Then you can plant your vegetable garden and watch it spring to life.
Gardening Mistake No. 3: Ignoring Light Requirements
Vegetable plants need sunlight to grow properly and process soil and water nutrients. When choosing your garden spot, make sure that the area gets enough sun to grow the plants you want to put there. Some plants require more sun than others, and those light requirements must be honored when planting your garden.
Check planting recommendations on seed packets before you decide where to plant each seed variety. Some plants need full sun; other plants do well in partial shade. The directions on seed packets will tell you. Plan your vegetable garden before you plant, giving full-sun spots to veggies with the greatest sunlight requirements.
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Even though there are so many possible errors you may encounter in your gardening project, do not think of it as something that’s impossible to do. As a matter of fact, gardening becomes a lot simpler and more fun once you get over those mistakes and learn from them. If you come to a point that you get disappointed, just think of the benefits of having a garden at home and you’ll be motivated enough to push through with the DIY home improvement project.
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