9 Common Beginning Gardener Mistakes


Normally we all start making the same mistakes when we want to grow our own organic food in a garden (either in the country or in the city). We wanted to collect some examples of these most common mistakes so that you can avoid making them and move forward much faster in your gardening adventure.

Common Beginning Gardener Mistakes

Use hybrid seeds instead of organic seeds

You have bought some seeds, you sow them, the plants grow, bear fruit and you remove the seeds to be able to grow them next season. Forget. Hybrid seeds do not allow you to obtain fertile seeds from plants, that is, they will never germinate and every year you will have to buy seeds again.

Always make sure that you use organic and native seeds so that you will be able to create your seed bank in which to store them to sow in other seasons and thus you do not need to buy more seeds. This will allow you to exchange seeds with other gardeners and grow other varieties of plants and thus you can increase the biodiversity of your garden.

Not improving the cultivation soil

We cannot forget that the earth is a living organism and is constantly changing. Rainwater, excessive watering, etc. they can cause soil conditions to fluctuate because they can wash away nutrients and erode the soil. Some of the vegetables we grow need more nutrients than others

It is important to check the pH of the soil before sowing, but it should also be checked during the main sowing season and as time passes because it can change. Compost and worm castings have a regulating effect on the soil and keep it stable.

Plant plants that need full sun in the shade

Many times due to ignorance we place the plants in the wrong and clear place, then problems arise during their growth. If we plant a tomato plant in a shady area, we will be greatly limiting its growth and the quantity and quality of the fruits that it will give us.

Most plants, both horticultural and ornamental, need sun during their growth and this is how we can get the most out of them. If in your case you only have space with semi-shade to create your organic garden, don’t worry, there are plants that we can grow in semi-shade .

Watering superficially

Shallow waterings are the other extreme of overwatering. Many times the aerial part is watered, but nevertheless the roots obtain very little water, and let us remember that plants “drink” water through their roots. One way to see if the plants need more water is that in the afternoons (especially during hot months) the leaves are slightly bent down, that’s when we should water.

In addition, insufficient watering causes a lack of development in the roots and they cannot grow deeper in the earth. To carry out good watering, you don’t have to increase the frequency with which you water, you just have to increase the amount of irrigation water. Drip irrigation is a good option because it helps us to use water sustainably while favoring deep irrigation.

Water too much

Many times the enthusiasm of starting a garden leads us to be very generous with water, too generous. The seedbeds or plants need constant irrigation but little in terms of the amount of water that we provide in each irrigation. But once the seeds have germinated and the seedling has grown, it has already developed the roots, so we must spread the waterings.

The roots of the plants are sensitive to excess water and if we water a lot and the soil does not have good drainage, they will be in water for a large part of the time and this can cause the roots to rot, they drown and cannot be carried out. the breathing.

Plants that are continually overwatered tend to be softer, more sensitive, and wilt more easily in the sun.

Sow out of season

Many times at a given moment we get excited, we start to set up our garden and we do not realize that plants have their life cycle depending on the seasons, that is, we cannot plant any horticultural plant at any time of the year.

Surely, on many occasions, seeds are sown and only a few (or none) germinate, or cuttings are cut and they barely take root and die when we plant them. This happens many times because it is not the best time of year to do it.

So that you are always very clear about what to plant or sow in your organic garden, check the sowing calendar to obtain the best results.

Do not prepare seedbeds

It is very typical that, either due to sheer ignorance or vaguerity, we do not prepare the seedbeds and sow directly into the ground or the pot. If the weather conditions are optimal for the seed to germinate, nothing happens, but this is difficult. In the seedbeds the seeds are more likely to germinate because we can control much better the temperature and humidity they need. In addition, sometimes the soil can be too hard and this makes it difficult for the small roots of the seedling to develop.

Preparing seedbeds or seedlings is simple and a good way to start your garden, don’t forget them!

Plant the same plants in the same sites every year

Growing the same plants at the same point where we did it before is very common. Doing this is a big mistake because we will be favoring the proliferation of pests and diseases at the same time that we impoverish the soil and we are not able to take advantage of the macro and micronutrients it has.

To break the cycle of pest insects we must implement crop rotation because in this way they are not capable of proliferating, since they only do so in certain specific plants and if we plant different ones they will not be able to multiply.

Join other gardeners who are already enjoying their organic gardens with the help of our book “Urban gardens and flower beds”  in which you will find a lot of useful information on urban organic gardening, get it now!

Using synthetic products

Since we began to create our garden, we may begin to prepare our own natural fertilizers , organic compost , pest and disease repellants , improvers and other ecological remedies that help us improve the conditions of the farmland and plants.

Resorting to artificial products created from synthetic chemicals harms the cultivation soil and therefore the plants in the medium and long term. There is no need to resort to them when we have so many options to use, and many of these options can be free or very low cost.

In addition, the use of artificial products can have some very detrimental effects on animals as important to maintaining horticultural biodiversity as pollinators, including bees.

To improve the quality and fertility of the soil for strong plants and good crops: go natural, which has been used “all our lives” before the ironically called  green revolution .

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