Planning a garden can be overwhelming, whether you’re plotting out a small vegetable patch or renovating your entire backyard. While you may have a clear vision for what you want your garden to look like, a few simple missteps can sabotage your project. From choosing the wrong plants to not understanding your soil type, the biggest gardening mistakes can happen before your plants even get into the ground. Ahead, we spoke to gardening experts who shared the most common pitfalls first time and experienced gardeners fall into when planning a new garden.
Not Having a Plan
As tempting as it may be to fill your garden with a bunch of plants at random and hope for the best, the key to any successful garden is patience and planning. “Whether you are starting a new landscape or just a vegetable garden, plans help you organize your thought process,” says Linda Langelo, horticulture specialist at Colorado State University. Plotting your plan on paper helps you calculate exactly how many plants you need to fill your garden and how to space them to account for their mature size and bloom time. By skipping this step, you may end up with a garden that looks sparse or overfilled. An overcrowded garden causes plant roots to compete for water and soil nutrients, and in some cases even light, Langelo adds.
Ignoring Your Soil Type
Understanding your soil type before planting is essential. If you have heavy clay soil and choose plants that need well-draining soil, your garden will struggle to thrive. A soil test will tell you what type of soil you have, as well as its pH and any nutrient deficiencies. You can amend your soil to improve its fertility and drainage if it isn’t compatible with the plants you want to grow. “Best practice is to work the organic matter into the soil before you add your new plants,” Langelo notes.
Not Choosing a Diverse Plant Selection
Choosing a diverse plant selection improves your garden’s health by attracting pollinators and enriching the soil, thereby increasing yields of flowers, fruits, and vegetables. “Less diversity means less support for insects, birds, and other wildlife,” says Langelo, adding that it also leads to less resilience to pests and diseases.
Not Keeping a Record of Plant Purchases
Always keep a record of the plants you add to your garden. “I keep the plant tag along with the plant location,” says Langelo. She recommends jotting down these details in a journal, as well as where and when you purchased the plant. Also, add the receipt to your collection of notes, as some plant purchases, such as trees and shrubs, come with a guaranteed replacement if they perish during the season or fail to overwinter, Langelo says.
Not Providing Proper Establishment
One of the main reasons a plant dies is that it did not get the care necessary for proper establishment. “Be sure the planting hole is well amended with compost and that the hole is scored, should there be heavy clay. It is always best to scratch the sides and base of the hole to allow the compost to fill in the gaps,” says Adrienne Roethling, head gardener for a private estate. Also, take time to tease and untangle the roots before planting or they will continue to grow that way, leading to gurgling. “Place the plant in the hole and backfill with amended soil. The plant roots need to be in the ground, while the stem of the plant is above ground,” she says.
Adding Too Much Synthetic Fertilizer
While plants need nutrients to thrive, overfertilizing your garden with synthetic products can do more harm than good. “Synthetic fertilizers are handmade, often containing petroleum and ammonia. This includes ones with high concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium,” says Roethling. “These types of fertilizers are fine to use for annual plants. Perennials, turf, trees, and shrubs benefit from organic fertilizers that improve the soil, which leads to a healthy plant.”
Adding the Wrong Components to Compost
Building your own compost pile and reusing the broken-down material is one of the best ways to improve garden soil. However, it’s important to avoid adding things to your compost that can potentially harm your garden. “Do not add plant debris that is diseased. In some cases, the heat can kill diseases, but not always,” says Roethling. “Do not add large limbs that won’t break down fast. Lastly, do not add meat or dairy, pet waste, or non-organic products as this introduces bugs and other vermin.”
Not Getting Ahead of Weeds
Weed seeds can remain viable in undisturbed soil for a long time. When you dig into the ground to start your garden, the seeds rise to the surface. “Once the sunlight and rain hit, those seeds will germinate,” says Roethling. Allowing weed seeds to germinate and grow could cause them to outcompete desired plants by stealing space, crowding and shading other plants, and robbing nutrients. “If there is time, till the soil and bring seeds to the surface to germinate. Till again to disrupt their root and shoot development and repeat as necessary until most of the seed bank has been eliminated,” Roethling says.
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