Gardening is a great way to stay active, lower your risks of heart disease, enjoy time outdoors, and reap delicious fresh produce. But gardeners sometimes make blunders that can derail their efforts. To help make time spent in the soil profitable this year, avoid making these common gardening mistakes.

Are You Making These 7 Gardening Mistakes?

With these tips, you can enjoy gardening success so you’ll be sure to return again next year!

  • Your vegetable garden needs to receive at least eight hours of sunlight a day.

  • It needs good drainage, ideally with a slight slope.

  • It needs protection from direct, cold wind.

  • Don’t garden near trees to prevent established roots from absorbing nutrients in the garden soil.

  • Choose a site as close to your house and kitchen as possible. The closer the garden bed is to your house, the easier it is to access daily and keep a watchful eye on its progress.

  • Always plant vegetable seeds the same day you till after you’ve removed weeds, roots, rocks, etc., and raked the garden soil. If you leave the site unplanted for several days after tilling, and then plant vegetable seeds, tiny weed seeds just beneath the surface of the soil will sprout in abundance, and quickly overtake your vegetables. If you’re unable to plant right after tilling, cover the bed with black plastic sheeting, or heavy mulch until you’re ready to plant.

  • If you planted seeds using stakes and string, you can easily, yet carefully unearth the tender, shallow weeds that will pop up along your plantings after a few days with a garden rake, without disturbing your vegetable seedlings.

  • Weed after a rain or watering when new weed sprouts are most likely to appear in abundance. But wait until the plant foliage dries off to avoid the possibility of spreading disease.

  • Mulching not only helps reduce the loss of moisture and nutrients in the soil but also reduces the time spent pulling weeds. Spread mulch thickly for sufficient weed control. Weed after harvesting too, to reduce weed repopulation in subsequent seasons.

Check out our Planting Guides to get tips on planting your favorite vegetables.

  • Deborah Tukua
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