If you are a novice or even an experienced gardener, it's probably very likely that you have made more than a few gardening mistakes in your past. Sometimes these mistakes may have been very minor and completely unnoticeable. Other times, these mistakes may have cost you a great deal of time, effort, and money. So before you begin gardening this season, let's take a look at some common gardening mistakes some people make and try to learn from them.



When you begin gardening, your first concern should be the soil. Many people overlook the importance of this and skip this step. You must prepare the soil before planting anything. If you skip this step, you have set you plants up to fail. Your soil must be loosened and replenished. You can add topsoil, but this alone is too heavy and must be mixed with peat moss or something similar. You want to start your plants off in a healthy environment.

Planting too early is also a mistake. The first sign of warm weather makes us want to break into our soil and fill it with plants, but if we plant too early our plants can be ruined or weakened from the night's low temperatures. You shouldn't plant until temperatures stay above 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Planting too close together is also a mistake. We try to compensate by crowding our plants to have a fuller look. But what we really need to do is space them properly. So consider a plant's width when putting them in the soil. They need room to spread and grow.

Sometimes we also plant too deep, committing yet another mistake. This may not allow for the sunlight to reach the roots for proper nutrition. The hole we dig should be almost the same size as the root ball. In addition, when removing the plant from the plastic tray you bought them in, you must check the root balls. If they are bound up and twisted, open them up and spread them. This will allow the roots to spread for good growth.

Also it is important to know where your plants should be planted. A plant that does better in shade will not fare well in direct sunlight all day. In addition, consider a plant's height, you don't want your tallest plant in the front row of your garden bed, hiding the plants behind it.

Once planted, you will need to weed. If you don't, it will be yet another mistake. Weeds compete with plants for nutrients, water and light. By weeding you will be promoting strong growth for your plants.

Watering is another area where we make mistakes. Plants should be watered well, when first planted, and frequently thereafter. Frequent daily watering is not any good if you don't water them deeply enough. You need to water the plants sufficiently to create a water reservoir for them under the soil. This will keep the soil around the roots moist in hot weather. Also, never water during the hottest part of the day.

We all make mistakes, no matter what we are doing. In gardening mistakes can have a devastating effect. The more knowledgeable we are about gardening, the fewer mistakes we will make. By caring for out plants and being aware of the plant's conditions, we can avoid many mistakes and have a lush garden to relax in all summer.