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The original was posted on /r/gardening by /u/agedmanofwar on 2024-12-10 16:02:12+00:00.
The New Year is coming up, many people’s New Year’s Resolution is to start gardening. I have about 5 years’ experience gardening, I am by no means an expert or authority. But because of that I’d like to share some of the common mistakes I’ve made in hopes this can help others. Feel free to throw in your own tips, for reference I live in the South-East USA Hardiness zone 8b.
#1 Expect failures and have backup plans. Many things can fail when growing plants. Late winter frosts, insect swarms, pests eating your seedlings, seeds failing to germinate, hurricanes. Try to have a contingency plan to restart your garden or certain crops if things go sideways. I tend to save a few of my seeds in reserve, or buy more seeds than I need, that way I can start over. You might not have success immediately even if you do everything right. It took me 3 growing seasons to have a watermelon that I was proud of. I have never successfully sprouted Chive seeds (I vow 2025 will be the year!). Don’t give up on your journey because you aren’t a master gardener in a year. It’s okay to cheat, if you want to start with a pre-started plant you bought at the store that’s already potted, I won’t look down on you. Last year none of my tomato seeds sprouted properly, I paid $2 a piece for some tomato seedlings a guy was selling on marketplace. Everyone starts somewhere.
#2 Don’t rush for failure, research each individual plant that you’re growing and learn it’s lifecycle and needs. “Plants are simple right? You just throw them in soil, water, and give sunlight and they’re good?” if only it were that simple, and for some plants they are (potatoes). But many plants have specific needs, especially if grown by seed. Some plants need cold stratification, being exposed to cold temperatures to simulate winter in order to germinate. Some plants mature in the winter or early spring cold months (cauliflower, broccoli) while other crops do better in hot sun mid-summer like corn. So don’t just start all your seeds at once, using the same conditions. Make sure you have the right soil, right amount of water/moisture, right types of fertilizer, right amount of sun.
#3 Rules are meant to be broken, and it’s not dead till its dead. In general you want to go by the suggested recommendations for your plant, but this shouldn’t stop you from trying different things and seeing what works for you. I planted two Meyer Lemon Trees last year, one in full sun, and one in partial shade, the one in full sun withered and died despite it being the more ideal conditions, the other lived and I got enough lemons to make a pitcher of lemonade this year. Another instance I planted some loofah seeds early one spring, a cold snap came and they were all flopped over in the dirt, I left them for dead as I was moving into an apartment. I go back 9 months later and discovered one loofah had survived and even produced gourds! No human intervention. I have had weepy pepper plants that just needed watering. I have saved many plants that seemed withered and dead. Don’t give up until it’s over.
#4 Buy once cry once, get the right tools for the job. Some gardening equipment can be expensive such as a motorized tiller, wheel-barrow, mini-green house. If you go too cheap on some things you’ll be throwing money away. I bought a mini greenhouse with a plastic cover that lasted all of 1 year, I wish I would have built one from scratch that would be a lot sturdier. Look on second hand-forums and used markets for items of good quality that might be cheaper than buying new. The main tools I use for vegetable gardening are an electric tiller, small hand shovel, large shove, pitch fork, oscillating sprinkler, automatic sprinkler timer. Some of these have saved me so much time and energy they are well-worth the money.
#5 Gardening is a lot of work, try not to get lazy. I am the worst offender at this, especially later in the season. I will let weeds and grass take over my raised beds and then it is an absolute mess to clean up. Make sure you set aside the appropriate time and effort for the project you’re taking on. A window sill mint plant is gonna take a lot less time and attention than trying to grow enough food to feed yourself through winter. Do the dirty work of pulling weeds, thinning plants, mowing the grass nearby. The effort will be worth it eventually I promise.