Six Gardening Missteps And How You Can Avoid Them

June 29th, 2012 Garden

When it comes to gardening, there’s a lot that can go wrong. Just a few mistakes can leave your garden looking devastated. However, a beautiful, thriving garden is far from impossible. In this article, you’ll find tips that will help you avoid the most common pitfalls of gardening.

1. Before you plant a single thing, map out your garden. When people plant as they go, they often forget to take into account how the plants will change as they grow. This can leave your plants crowded together in a space that’s not big enough for them to thrive. Estimate the amount of space that a plant will need at maturity, and be sure to give it all the room it needs.

2. Ensure that your soil is in good condition. It’s easy to assume that your soil will be able to provide your plants with the nutrients they need, but that won’t always be the case. If possible, take a soil sample and have it analyzed. If your soil is nutrient deficient, your plants won’t be able to grow like they should. You should figure out what your soil is missing, and make sure it gets those nutrients.

3. Make sure your plants will get watered no matter what happens in your life. A hectic day at work or a distracting morning may mean you forget to give your plants their precious water. Instead of assuming you’ll always remember, set up a sprinkling system that works on a timer. Even on the days that everything goes crazy, your plants will get all the water they need.

4. Take steps to protect against pests. Even if your plants are in healthy soil and getting plenty of water, hungry insects can eat your plants until there’s nothing left. Fight back against the bugs with bugs of your own. Bring in creatures that will eat plant-eating insects. You can purchase boxes of ladybugs or praying mantises from your local nursery, or you can work to attract more birds to your garden. Any creature that eats harmful pests should be welcome in your garden.

5. Don’t just pull weeds, prevent them. Weeds can easily overtake your garden, especially if you can’t spend all day getting rid of them. Take additional steps to keep weeds from growing in your garden. Purchase some corn meal from your local feed store, and spread it across your soil. This will make it much harder for weeds to sprout up.

6. Make sure your plants don’t wind up getting too much shade. While your plants may have plenty of sun when you first plant them, as they grow, larger plants may leave the other plants in the garden in their shade. Take care to prune shade blocking leaves as soon as possible. You want every plant in your garden to thrive, not just the big ones.

Nipping problems in the bud will keep a little issue from growing into a big one. A little bit of prep-work can save you a great deal of time in the long run. Utilize this advice, and ensure you’re protected from gardening mishaps.