Tackling my gardening dreams was a challenging mix of accidents and accomplishments. Little did I know, that the path to a magnificent garden would be paved with a few missteps and valuable lessons. In this post, I'll share four common mistakes I made at the start, along with the four things I'm truly grateful for doing. I hope this will not only motivate you but also inspire you to build the garden you have been dreaming of.
Beginner Gardening Mistakes Made
Let me start by saying that just because I feel like these are beginner gardening mistakes that I made, doesn't mean that they are mistakes for you. Sometimes we fall into mistakes, and they can be the greatest thing that could have ever happened. I am just showing you that mistakes in gardening are just experiences that gardeners make to become better gardeners.
Neglecting Soil Health:
I will be completely honest; when I first started a garden, I didn't know anything— and I mean anything— about soil health. I just knew you put a tomato plant in the ground and it gave you tomatoes. I had no idea what NPK was, and to be honest, I didn't really care either. I just thought anyone could grow a garden, and I was no different.
Well, if you have been around here much and know my story, then you know that was a huge mistake on my part and one that could cause more problems than I realized. With me neglecting the soil for so many years, I depleted the nutrients in the soil by constant tilling and never putting back what was lost. When my plants started to struggle, I did what most people do and got a synthetic fertilizer, and the cycle was on. I took from the soil and put fake back in, leaving the ground in worse and worse health.
Then I started researching soil health and what the soil was actually made up of. I was so fascinated by it that I kept learning until now I completely understand the components and the nutrient needs of my soil. I feel confident that I can grow anything in my soil and leave it better than it was before. This is my goal as a gardener: to grow the most nutrient-dense foods and also leave the earth as untethered as possible and align with nature as much as possible.
Planting Too Much
This mistake has a pretty funny story. The first year I started a garden, I wanted to grow all the things. I was going to be a homesteader, grow everything we ate, and never go to the grocery store again. So, I went to the local nursery, bought up as many different plants as I possibly could, spent way too much money, and planted them.
I had so many things that my family didn't even eat, but I was determined. If I planted 15 of them, eventually they would like them. Oh yeah, and I was going to start canning and preserving so I would have enough just in case the apocalypse came.
So, I planted around 50 tomato plants, 13 cucumber plants, probably 10 zucchini (yes, 10), and so on and so on, until I had a spot tilled up that was the size of our house, and I planted. I was so overwhelmed with all the produce that I about lost my mind. I canned pickles until I was blue in the face—over 120 pints, to be exact. To top it off, the pickles were horrible, and I still keep a jar on the shelf to remind me that 13 cucumber plants are just a ridiculous amount for anyone unless you're a market gardener!
I was giving produce away by the baskets, and I was still overwhelmed and not sure what to do with it all. Not only that, but the garden was so big for my first garden that I almost gave up. I didn't know what I was doing, let alone having a garden so large that I needed a whole crew to maintain it. So, I would have definitely started off smaller and planted fewer plants.
Crowding Plants Too Close Together
This mistake that I made kind of goes along with planting too much, but just a bit different because now I understand the fine line between intense planting and just plain planting way too close. So, I am a big fan of small-intensity planting or square-foot gardening. I think it's great for small areas, and you can get a big yield with a smaller footprint. However, there is a fine line.
When I went and bought my 50 tomato plants and 13 cucumber plants, they were small and manageable. But hey, guess what? They grew and grew and grew. I planted the tomato plants in rows because that's how I was gardening at the time — traditional tilling and row planting. But the problem was, I had two rows, about one tomato plant every six inches or so, and the rows were about two feet apart. And remember, I was a new gardener, so I knew nothing about pruning either.
So, the plants grew and kept growing until I had one huge tomato bush. It was great until I went to harvest, and I'll be honest, I am terrified of snakes. So, I was not about to dig too deep into that bush to find the tomatoes because I was afraid of what might be in there.
I was able to harvest tons of tomatoes and canned my little heart out. I had enough juice for the entire year and was sick of them. I let the rest rot on the vine because I was so sick of canning by the end of the season. I didn't need that much, and it was so much to upkeep that if I had been more intentional about growing and growing just enough, I would have had less to maintain and less waste to clean up at the end of the season.
So, my advice is to do your research, hire yourself a coach (like me), and get the information you need to know how many plants you need for your family. Just start there. Gardening cannot be mastered; it can be learned, and each season gives you new lessons.
Inconsistent Watering
Watering can be a tricky lesson and one that is constantly learned. If you go by what it says on the internet, you need to water 1 inch of water per week. Well, let me tell you, that is a lie. But to make it even better, I didn't even know this when I first started. I didn't know how much, when, or how to water. And to be honest, this is different for each person you speak to.
I was either the best gardener or over-loved my plants, drowning them for the first half of the season. By the end of the season, I was so tired of everything that the plants would be lucky if I would water them at all for a week or more. This can lead to so many problems with your plants, from disease to root rot to pest pressure.
Now, I pay close attention to my plants. Not every plant will need the same amount of water, and not every plant will need to be watered the same way. Do your research and be wary of the places that give you a basic guideline for watering. Always check your soil by inserting your finger into the soil about 1-2 inches. I usually feel all the way to my second knuckle, and if the soil is dry, I will water. Remember, the roots go into the soil, so just because the top of the soil is dry doesn't mean you need to water.
I find ways to help retain moisture by adding mulch and using high-intensity planting. Do your research and be creative. Once you understand the plants you are growing and the needs they require, it will be easy to look at your plants and know what they need.
Lessons Learned
I love this quote "Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes." - Oscar Wilde.
These are some of the lessons I learned and why I am thankful that I did these things from the beginning. There has been many lessons I have learned over the years and I continue to keep learning, because I cherish the experience. If we look at all of our mistakes this way then are they ever truly mistakes of just more experience?
Experimenting with Planting Methods
When I say I experimented, I mean I tried almost every gardening style I could think of until I found the one that fit my needs. I started with the traditional tilling and row planting. I found this to be heavy labor and left my soil depleted and dead.
Then, I moved to the Back to Eden or lasagna gardening. This was just as labor-intensive. I found that it took too long to decompose the mulch since I put it right over where I was tilling. Because of my tilling, I was losing topsoil every time. So, I filled it all with mulch, and for two years, I had problems with nitrogen deficiency in my soil because it was trying to break down 4-6 inches of mulch, I finally kept tilling every so often to help speed up the process and it left me right back where I started.
Next, I tried raised bed gardening, no-till gardening, and vertical gardening. I finally found a combination of all these methods, minus the traditional method, and I have a garden that I feel is aesthetically pleasing and extremely functional. It also replenishes the soil because I am using organic matter to feed the soil microbes. I use mulch in my walk paths which break down into more organic and the raised beds with vertical trellising make it easier to grow my vining plants. This allows me to make the garden smaller to incorporate more square-foot gardening practices.
I do not till or flip my beds anymore because I understand that by doing this it compromises the soil integrity and damages the soil microbes. I just amend each year with organic matter and compost. I have found that my soil health has improved, and I experience less pest and disease pressure than I ever did before.
The moral of the story is, that I tried them all out to see what was best for me. Not all methods will work for everyone, but you should not be afraid to experiment and find what is a fit for you.
Keeping Detailed Records
The old saying "devil in the details" well, that is true as far as your record-keeping, for sure. I started a journal when I first started, and it was the best thing I could have done. I improve on this each year because not only do I write things down, I take pictures and even vlog my gardens too, just to make sure I know what I did from year to year.
This is important so you can see what did work, what didn't work, what pest pressure you may or may not have had, the weather patterns, and the types of plants you grew and don't want to grow again. You can also get a better picture of where you planted things each season so you can rotate your plants to help with soil nutrients and soil diseases that could occur.
Not only that, but it is neat to look back and see all of your accomplishments and your mistakes. If you're not a writer, that's okay. I know you have a phone, so plant your garden bed and take a picture of it. There is your record. It will come in handy for you later on, I promise.
Diving Deep into Learning
If you want to be a good gardener, you have to accept that you are always going to be learning. I am so happy that I dove in headfirst and continue to learn everything that I possibly can about ways to better my garden. I love reading books and articles about gardening, soil health, and anything to do with growing food.
I have taken many courses to become a Master Gardener and continue to learn through my own experiences in the garden. I truly love my garden, and it is something that I want to not just maintain but to improve and consistently make better.
I have dedicated my time to teaching others about the fundamentals of gardening to better their nutrition and wellness. I learn something new about my garden each season, and it just helps me to make it a better place to grow food for my family and also a great place for me to find peace when I am in need of a break.
So, I suggest you learn all you can. I offer great programs either online or even in person to share my experience and knowledge with others so I can help cultivate healthy gardeners. Check out all the programs I offer or reach out to me on the GSL group. I would love to answer any questions about gardening.
Embracing the Lessons from Failure
This is my biggest piece of advice, and it is one of my greatest lessons. I didn't give up, I didn't give in when it wasn't perfect. I killed so many plants and did so many things wrong, and I kept going. Your failures are lessons to make you great at whatever it is that you are doing— in this case, it's gardening.
So, when you bury something too deep, or water a plant too much, or plant your garden too soon, oh well, because those are all lessons you learn. You can share your experiences with the next person. If you give up at the first sign of a mess-up, you will lose out on the experience of planting a seed, nurturing that seed until it is old enough to flower, produce fruit, and then return to the earth.
You see, you are able to see this magnificent process each season. You are the caretaker of the process of life with your garden. So, don't miss out on this amazing experience because you are afraid that you may not be perfect.
Recalling the process
Reflecting on the early days of my gardening journey, I see a landscape including both challenges and victories. The mistakes I made became valuable lessons, exceeding the teachings of any textbook. Meanwhile, the decisions I am grateful for continue to guide my path in gardening.
So if you are beginning your garden or have been tending to plants for years, remember that every withered leaf and every fruitful harvest plays a role in your garden.
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