Common Mistakes Of Novice Gardeners

By: Ron Cusano           Mar. 18, 2010                             Vol. 2  Article 1015

   It is a beautiful March day, temps, in the upper 60’s, and I have been out planting early crops in the garden.  I started thinking about some of the most common mistakes novice gardeners, and sometimes, even us seasoned veterans!! Here are a few of them with some comments . . .

#1: Planting The Wrong Things! There are three consideration when deciding what vegetables to plant in your garden.
   A: What grows well in my area! Do a little research and ask some questions. If you try to
       grow peanuts or most watermelons on Long island, you will be very disappointed!  Select
       crops that do well in your climate, growing season and zone.
   B: Have I enough room to grow it! If you have limited space, skip crops that take a lot of space
       or are not adaptable to close cropping.
   C: What does my family like to eat! If your family does not like radishes or spinach!  Don’t plant         them!  If you family loves tomatoes, plant a lot.  Don’t waste space and effort planting things          because they are easy to grow, if you are not going to eat them!

#2: Space Properly! Even using close planting techniques in rich organic soil, plants need room       to grow. Tomatoes seedlings, for instance,  are tiny when transplanted, but soon grow into          large spreading vines. Planted too closely will inhibit growth, limit production and promote            disease.

#3: Don’t Over Water! It is tempting to over water, because we know plants need enough                moisture! But too much of a good thing, becomes a bad thing, and causes fungal diseases,
     root rot, can reduce production, and slugs and many insects love wet conditions!  Under proper      moisture conditions, plants will send roots deep into the soil to obtain the moisture and                 nutrients they need.  This is necessary to thrive during the hot dog days of Summer. Don’t            provide supplemental watering unless the top 1/2” to 1” of your soil is dry.

#4: Don’t Over Fertilize! As with watering, too much of a good thing is a bad thing!  Get a soil
     test and know your soils nutrient content and pH BEFORE adding amendments. Add too              much nitrogen to tomatoes, and you will get huge, lush vines, with few tomatoes. Raise
     the soils pH too much with lime or wood ashes, and it will inhibit the plants ability to absorb
     essential nutrients.

#5: Easy On Insect Controls! Yes, even safe organic controls!  Most insect controls will kill
     beneficial insects that eat the bad bugs, just as easily as killing the problem bugs. The ideal
     garden will have a healthy balance of both kinds, where the beneficial insects keeps the bad          guys in check.  Do not use insect controls unless you are seeing unacceptable crop damage!

     Just to “fess-up”, as a well seasoned organic gardener and small scall farmer for over 50 years, I sometimes have to remind myself of these basic fundamentals, so please keep them in mind as you plant this years victory garden!

Blessings,

Ron
“The Garden Guy”