Common Gardening Mistakes and How To Avoid Them

Gardening is the perfect summer activity. You can get some sun and even grow your own vegetables for healthy meals. Yet, no one should be fooled—gardening is harder than it looks. You can’t simply roll up your sleeves and plant the perfect garden. Instead, you need to take precautions. Read this guide on common gardening mistakes and how to avoid them. Soon, you’ll have a garden that the neighbors will be jealous of, if you know what mistakes to avoid.

Location

You may be thinking to yourself, “I want to plant my first garden this summer. I’ll just pick a spot in my yard and get to work.” Sadly, things aren’t that easy. You need to seriously think about the location of your garden before you start planting. For example, you should place the plants in areas that get a lot of sunlight. Don’t place plants underneath a shaded area because then they won’t grow as they should.

Also, consider planting your garden in an area you can easily see. You may forget to water your plants on the regular if your garden is out of your sight. Make sure it’s in an area that you can see, so you can be reminded to give it a sprinkle.

The Wrong Spacing

Once you find the perfect spot for your plants, it’s time to think about spacing. Many seed packets have instructions on them that tell you how far apart each plant should be—don’t ignore these instructions. Plants need room to grow above the ground and underneath it. The roots need enough room to spread out fully and blossom into the plants they’re supposed to be.

Don’t Ignore Soil

Don’t get ahead of yourselves, ladies and gentlemen; it’s not time to garden yet. Before you put the plants down, think about your soil’s health. The soil is the foundation of your garden. So, if that’s not healthy, the rest of your garden will look poor, too. Consider putting organic materials in the soil to help your garden grow. Perhaps start a compost to strengthen the ground even further. You should check the soil every year before planting a new garden to ensure that it’s healthy and ready to go.

Control Your Weeds

We’re almost ready to start talking about planting and the plants themselves. Before we get there, though, it’s essential to get your weeds under control. Now, you’re probably thinking, “no one wants weeds in their yard.” You’re correct! However, weeds are especially bad for gardeners because they can damage the plants in the garden. Therefore, you should have a plan in place for how to deal with your weeds so they don’t take over your garden.

Choosing the Right Plants

Yay! We can finally start talking about planting and the plants themselves. Believe it or not, you can choose the wrong plants for your garden. You need to do some research before you decide to plant willy-nilly. For example, you may want to grow giant cucumbers for everyone in the neighborhood. Yet, the region where you live may not be suitable for that type of planting. See, this is where research comes in handy, people.

It’s also not a good idea to plant the same plants over and over again. You need to mix up where you plant things every year because nutrients can be stripped when you plant something somewhere. So, if you want your plants to get all the nutrients and minerals they need, then you need to switch up where you place the plants every year.

Over or Underwatering

Of course, everyone knows that a garden requires water. Yet, there’s such a thing as over or underwatering your plants. For starters, you should pay extra attention to the weather patterns in your region. For example, don’t water your plants if rain is due in the near future. If a plant gets too much water, it could drown. In addition, you must ensure that your plants have enough water to survive the summer sun. The key is to find the exact amount of water a plant needs to keep them healthy. Now, it isn’t as tough as it sounds. You can look up some gardening tips and take advice from other gardeners in your area on how much water you should give your plants.

Using the Wrong Equipment

Another rookie mistake that some gardeners make is using the wrong equipment. Contrary to popular belief, you need more than a shovel and a pair of gloves to plant the perfect garden. For example, you’ll likely need a gardening hoe to get rid of pesky weeds that grow near your plants. You’ll also need pruning shears to help get some plants back under control when they grow wild. Perhaps one of the most important tools you’ll need is a hose with an adjustable nozzle. Adjustable nozzles allow you to control how much water you put on your plants.

Going Too Big Too Soon

Finally, you never want to bite off more than you can chew. Keep things small until you know what you’re doing. Perhaps start with a small vegetable garden in the backyard and grow it from there. Don’t start a garden that’s too big if you’re unable to rotate the plans as needed. Remember, you shouldn’t plant one crop in the same spot year after year.

These are common gardening mistakes and how to avoid them. Gardening can be a relaxing and fun activity if you know what you’re doing. However, things can become headache-inducing quickly if you’re going in blind. Another pro tip to keep in mind is to have a trusted gardening equipment supplier by your side. For example, you should get all of your agricultural plumbing supplies from Rural Water Direct. We know what it takes to build a luscious garden, and we’ll never steer you in the wrong direction. We’ll supply you with the equipment you need, and we’ll be as transparent as possible while doing so. So, check out our products today so you can build the perfect garden before summer ends. Before you know it, you’ll be looking into how to grow pumpkins.