Not every garden trend deserves your attention. In fact, some of the biggest garden trends of 2026 actively make your garden harder to manage.
In this video, we break down the worst 2026 garden trends using soil science, plant physiology, and real-world growing experience — not vibes or marketing claims.
You’ll learn:
• Which popular 2026 garden trends quietly sabotage plants
• Why over-engineered garden gadgets fail
• The problem with compost-only beds and “miracle” soil products
• Why fertilizer shaming hurts plant health
• How aesthetic-first garden design creates disease and burnout
This isn’t trend shaming — it’s trend filtering.
🌱 Watch this alongside The Best Garden Trends for 2026 for the full picture.
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👩🏻🦰 A B O U T M E:
Ashley has had a passion for plants since she was a small child. In the long summers as a child, she would garden alongside her grandmother and it was then that she realized her love for greenery. With years of great studying, Ashley had begun her post-secondary education at the University of Saskatchewan.
At first, her second love, animals, was the career path she chose but while doing her undergrad she realized that her education would take her elsewhere. And with that, four years later she graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a bachelor’s degree in science and a major in Soil Science.
Some of Ashley’s interests are YouTube, in which she posts informative videos about plants and gardening. The focus of Ashley’s YouTube channel is to bring science to gardening in a way that is informative but also helpful to others learning to garden. She also talks about the importance of having your own garden and the joys of gardening indoors. Ashley continues to study plants in her free time and hopes to expand her YouTube channel as well as her reach to up-and-coming gardeners.
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25 Comments
Very wise advise.
Great video! I am on year 5 of gardening in 4 4×8 raised beds. Last year was my worst year. I used garden soil, compost, peat moss and cow manure to set up my beds. I also empty potting soil from pots, ground up grass/leaf debris every fall as well as composted manure and more garden soil because levels go down. Any advice to improve soil health?
I tried no dig for numerous yesrs and saw quality and yield go down no matter what I did to rejuvinate and was ready to replace my soil. Last year I dug it up like I used to years ago and viola, beautiful lush yields.
Thank You!
I am wondering if you could do a video on using ground cover plants instead of mulch for the garden. It seems that they would be the same as overplanting with them competing for resources, but I may be misunderstanding them,
Slight comments that 2025 Ashley would have definitely put a wink in there that 2 and 6 inches are a great deal different.😉
Thank you Ashley!! 😊❤
2026 I'm going to work With nature,,,,I'm going to become a Snail Farmer!!😅
A request to the GIC crew:
I am moving a ten by ten paver patio this Spring, and intend to use the area for vegetable gardening. I actually pulled up a few pavers to plant spinach this Fall (I'm in 'Murica/New York), and they were VERY unhappy.
I intend to dig it all up, add compost, and mulch on top, but I'm wondering about fertilizer. I would like to plant something there this year, but since the soil is most likely "dead," I'm thinking that slow release wouldn't help much. Should I just use an instant fertilizer? Perhaps lead with an instant, and then add a slow release in the late Summer or early Fall?
What else should I add to this severely compacted and deprived soil? I need something to keep the soil from just compacting again, but I don't want to add something that will be a problem in the long run.
I've also considered just adding a layer of branches and organic matter over the top, soil from elsewhere in the yard over that, and mulch over that. Not a raised bed, but something along those lines.
Which plants would be a good start? I've even considered letting some edible weeds run wild there to get it started.
Thanks in advance.
My trend is going like this . Grass clippings.Leaves and triple 17 . Grow beautiful vegetables and flowers every year with this trend. Isn't it amazing how it never changes what plants need?
I struggle with watering…summer is so dry anymore! I plan to use screw top gallon vinegar bottles, holes drilled, placed/buried in our new beds to be flush or slightly above soil level. I can then unscrew the lid, fill the bottle, and deeply water plants even when it’s blisteringly hot and dry. Thoughts? I go through a lot of vinegar since we have hard water…
Thank you for your common sense.
Best thing I did for slugs and snails is to have ducks. Even 3 ducks will take care of an acre of land. Muscovies are a bit dodgy with softer-stemmed woody plants, they can strip small fruit trees and berry shrubs of bark. Mallards are excellent hunters, especially my runners. When there's no snails present, they also eat insects, aerate the soil by hunting for earthworms, plus they're cute and lay delicious eggs.
I am not sure whether these trend are just bad in general. I am no way no digging, but I used pure compost from my locals, and planted them in high density, with depth varying from 30 to 70 cm with high bed has arborist’s wood chips and leaves. Currently they are doing very well that people who are worrying about the way I plant stopped nagging me about it. I think it worked here because I have abundance of sunlight, it penetrated through the high density and also somehow protected tomatoes from burning. And the dry weather, it’s just really hard for my soil to be moisturized enough to cause diseases, I have non of the common diseases at the moment after 4 months of gardening. I also observed less root system developed in plants growing in pure compost (cow manure and green wastes), that’s why I dared to grow them in high density as the nutrients is enough for them not to fight for root spaces
Is it just me, or is the audio only going out of the left side?
On the topic of cramming plants together, I’m curious about your thoughts on the topic of square foot gardening (obviously one can still not cram in square foot gardening, if careful).
Thanks dudette
Another great, informative video!!! Thanks for spreading the knowledge!!! As usual, liked and shared in my group!!!
please fix your mic. the audio is skewed way to the left! 🙏
when i was doing the whole organic thing, i didnt realize just how much wasted time and effort on the wrong things takes away from it. like polishing a car daily, but the engine is gone.
How about that earth sensor?
Love your videos. I have a science background too so really enjoy your explanations.
I enjoy most of your videos & I live in the PNW, so I also enjoy watching other gardeners who live in similar or mostly similar climates as I do & living up here is very unique! As our days are very short in the winter & as spring comes our days get longer & summer daylight is 10-11 hours. Our weather can vary & bring challenge’s as well, where I’m located our winters are MOSTLY mild but not always, every couple years we tend to get a good ice storm or heavy snow (I’m talking a few feet, thankfully we rarely see snow that sticks). Our rainy season starts in the fall & lasts through late spring but occasionally has gone through June, we always have BEAUTIFUL springs, summers & falls regardless of rain or sunshine because of our climate.
I say all this this because our climate is very unique, so I always appreciate those who live in the North & the PNW because they have a better understanding of gardening in this environment
I’ve also found following gardeners who live in England, and some parts of Europe that have similar weather conditions helpful. Also I want to add I love watching & following gardeners from all over & from all levels of experience, I have learned from so many, including my grandmother & great grandmother, aunt & mom – who live & have lived in very different areas & climates than I do now.
What trends in 2026 work for me and maybe not for others I believe can vary greatly. For example I use the no dig method in a few different places in my garden with great success & have for years, I don’t use it every where, nor do I think it’s appropriate to. But to say it’s on its way out should be for the actual gardener to decide. I have areas in my yard that are very difficult to dig & till yet they get the amount of light or shade I need. I have used a few methods 1) building up organic matter using materials from the forest around me on the ground, compost & adding in garden soil & amendments & adding in cover crops & planting- I have now have a very successful garden bed there, I continue to rotate my crops, companion plants & use cover crops & add in whatever nutrients.
Finally I love chaos gardening in some areas- AGAIN I don’t use this method every where, but for some annuals, wildflowers & even lettuces, mustards & greens & I just like to go & throw my seeds! I have LARGE FLOWERS & greens & it’s FUN!
I used to stick to a rigid garden plan, now I just do me, and what works for me & our family & most importantly I HAVE FUN! Gardening is relaxing, it’s my passion, it’s my healing place. I no longer care about trends or what looks proper- I just want to go out and find my happy place!
Thank you for your videos, I do truly enjoy & appreciate your content! Happy New Year
I have trouble understanding the difference between the “black gold” I’m trying to make in my compost bins vs buying decent garden soil? Should I always use a mix of other stuff with it? Like perlite, coir etc…
Curious what your opinion is on when. to use synthetic fertilizer over organic fertilizer?