10 Common New Gardener Mistakes
Here are some of the new gardener mistakes to avoid:
(Disclaimer: I have done all of these!)
1) Buying plants 'in season'. What I mean by this is going to the Garden Centre and adding everything that is flowering to your basket. I absolutely love choosing plants for direct and quick impact, however, it is an extremely expensive way to create a garden. Instead try and sow seeds, or buy plants early in the season when they're smaller, this will mean you can get so much for your money! If you're stuck on what to sow when then sign up for my Monthly Flower Seed Subscription. For the price of one or two fully grown plants from the garden centre, you can get 5 packets of seeds which will allow you to grow hundreds of plants instead.
2) Spending loads of money on new tools! Before you buy anything go and watch my video on what to buy if you're new to gardening here: https://www.therosepressgarden.com/blogs/news/what-to-buy-if-you-are-new-to-gardening
3) Over-watering seedlings. We've all been there... sown seeds, seen them germinate and then we want to care for them so much that we over-water them. Ensure you never leave roots sitting in water. Learn more about how to look after Seedlings here: https://www.therosepressgarden.com/blogs/news/how-to-look-after-seedlings
4) Sowing too many seeds in one pot or tray. 'I'll sow one or two extra in case they fail'- this is a good method. 'I'll throw the whole packet into one pot' might not always be the answer. Seedlings need room to get enough light, air flow and nutrients. Sow thinly and you'll get much stronger plants.
5) Not preparing the soil enough. Whether this be digging in organic matter such as compost, or mulching your borders, it is so important to ensure you have good soil for plants to go into. I made the mistake of planting new plants into my new build garden before preparing the soil. My garden was thick clay that baked rock hard in the summer. I should have added plenty of compost and organic matter before I planted. Again, ensure you have fine well prepared soil before direct sowing seeds, otherwise they won't thrive. A bit of extra work and money spent on making the soil better will make such a difference to results in the long-term.
6) Often we think we can't grow certain varieties because we don't have enough space. Yet there are so many things we can grow in pots. Don't be afraid to try growing veg and flowers in pots. Remember there's no such thing as a failure- only an experiment!
7) Not feeding plants. Feeding plants can seem complicated, but quite simply it is the same as humans. To get the best out of athletes you need to give them the right nutrients- it's exactly the same with plants. I'd recommend buying a Seaweed feed and a Tomato feed. One tip: Follow the instructions of how to dilute, making it more concentrated won't necessarily have any added benefit to the plants.
8) Throwing away plants at the end of the season. Learn the different between Annuals and Perennials here: https://www.therosepressgarden.com/blogs/news/annuals-vs-perennials. Annuals die after one season, but perennials will come bck year after year- so you don't want to throw these away just becuase they look like they're dieing.
9) Designing a garden with straight thin borders. I originally made this mistake, but the bigger the borders the more full the garden will feel. It's tempting to look at your space and draw a thin line around the edge for borders... don't! Watch this video and learn a few tips on how you can create a full looking garden: https://www.therosepressgarden.com/blogs/news/how-i-designed-my-garden
10) Thinking that because you don't have a greenhouse that you can;t grow flowers from seed. This is not the case! You can grow seeds from your windowsill, cold frame or greenhouse. Sign up to my Monthly Flower Seed Subscription for more inspiration of what to sow each month of the year!
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