Whether you are a new vegetable gardener or an experienced one, we are all bound to make mistakes in the vegetable garden. Growing vegetables is not that difficult overall, but there are some techniques that require some practice, and sometimes a bit of good fortune.
If you are new to vegetable gardening it is easy to become frustrated when something goes wrong, especially if you aren’t sure what or how it went wrong. So we prepared a list of some common mistakes that are typically made in the vegetable garden and how you can avoid them.
1. Starting too big
A standout amongst the most useful recommendations for new vegetable gardeners is to begin with a little garden.
Numerous new gardeners will endeavor to take on beyond what they can deal with when beginning their first garden.
It’s easy to become very excited about having your own vegetable garden and not be realistic about the time and effort it takes to properly maintain a vegetable garden.
It is much better to have a small, healthy garden than it is to have a large vegetable garden with wilting or dying plants.
Think about how much time you need to give to your vegetable garden and plan appropriately.
2. Planting in shady areas
The area of your vegetable garden one of the most important conditions for good production. Before planting your vegetable garden ensure it gets about six hours of full sunlight daily.
Planting a vegetable garden in a place that gets not as much as this amount of sunlight can mean lower crop yields and hindered plant development. Track the sunlight in the proposed vegetable garden spot for the duration of the day for about seven days to get a good perspective.
This will give you an incredible insight of how well the area gets sunlight for the duration of the day. If you monitor sunlight in the early spring, make sure to watch for possible shady areas from nearby trees that have not fully leafed out.
The zone may get great sunlight when the trees are uncovered, however when they completely create their leaves you could find that your garden is covered in shade in the summer.
If you don’t have the time to check the sunlight in your yard, a Sunlight Calculator will help you monitor sunlight levels.
3. Not preparing the garden soil
properly
A typical mistake for new gardeners is to not give any regard for the garden soil. The garden soil is the thing that feeds your vegetable plants, so you should have healthy soil so as to have healthy plants. The soil where you intend to find your new vegetable garden should be completely tested before planting the first vegetable.
To start with, expel the grass, rocks and different debris from the proposed garden space. Dig out a few spots of the soil and scoop some out into your hand. Give the soil a decent squeeze.
If it clusters up effectively, appears to be sticky, and is difficult to break separated you may have a high convergence of clay. Clay soils can prompt poor air and water flow.
If the soil breaks apart too easily and appears to be grainy, you may have a sandy soil. Large amounts of sand can make water drain too quick leading to dried out plants. Sandy soils usually need a significant number of the supplements for healthy vegetable plants.
Both of these circumstances can be helped by including bounteous amounts of organic materials such as compost.
Sandy soils require a higher level of organic matter due to the lack of nutrients, while clay soils need a clay-to-organic matter ratio of about 1:1.
Adding organic matter adds nutrients, improves soil texture, improves drainage, and adds beneficial microorganisms. A soil test should be performed on the garden soil by your local extension office.
4. Over fertilizing
It can turn out to be easy to imagine that including additional manure will profit the plants, however really it may be just the opposite.
Avoiding over fertilizing require a balanced diet of nutrients. At the point when plants are over fed it can lead to sick or dead plants. Plants can only intake so much nutrients before they become overdosed.
The best remedy is to follow the fertilizer instructions carefully. It is best to use organic fertilizers such as fish emulsion, seaweed fertilizer, or compost.
Organic, natural fertilizers add sufficient nutrients, supply beneficial microorganisms and will not burn plants.
5. Over watering
Many first time vegetable gardeners, eager for a productive garden, tend to over water their vegetable plants which can frequently lead to root rot and other problems.
Generally, vegetable plants require about an inch of water a week depending on rainfall amounts. Over watering can also promote diseases such as blights and powdery mildew.
To test soil moisture, simply stick your finger about two knuckles deep into the soil. If it feels dry, it’s a good idea to go ahead and give the plants a drink. If it feels moist, wait a day or so and check it again. Try to water plants at soil level. This will ensure water goes directly to the roots and reduces water waste.
Just allow a steady trickle of water to be absorbed into the soil. Don’t use a heavy stream as this can cause some soil erosion and could expose roots. Keeping a consistent watering schedule is also important for disease resistance and good root development.
