Growing your own herbs and vegetables can be a rewarding and fun way to feed your family. However, there is always the chance that something will go wrong. Like all gardening, growing vegetables, especially great ones, takes experience and work. It may not be particularly difficult, but with plants being uncooperative and unpredictable, it can make the experience a little more challenging. To have a successful vegetable garden, here are five big mistakes you should avoid.
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1. Planting Way Too Much
Most gardeners tend to plant a lot more than they can possibly eat, but excited beginners are especially guilty of this mistake. In the very beginning, it’s impossible to imagine just how difficult tending to large crops can be. Vegetables don’t wait until you’re ready to care for them, which means that, they will either ripen and rot or simply won’t grow at all. Instead of overdoing it, you should start simple, with only a few different plants in a relatively small space.
2. Neglecting The Soil Quality
Starting your vegetable gardening venture with poor soil will leave you fighting against it for the rest of the season. Vegetables are incredibly heavy feeders, so if you don’t take the time to improve your soil, your crop is sure to suffer. You can do this by adding several inches of rotted manure, shredded leaves, and compost on top. The best time of year to do this is in the early spring, just after the soil starts to dry out.
3. Choosing The Wrong Spot
Before you start to dig or plant, you must ensure that the spot you pick works for you and the vegetables you have chosen to grow. These plants require plenty of sunlight, or they’ll struggle all season, producing a much smaller crop. It’s also helpful to be close to a water source. If this isn’t possible, you may want to consider a vehicle, like a John Deere Gator, to transport your water. This is much easier than lugging around large hoses and watering cans yourself.
4. Putting Off Important Maintenance
Feeding, weeding, and especially watering, need to be completed on a regular schedule. Plants hate competing for nutrients and water, but, if your crop is left to do so, chances are, the yield will suffer as a result. Without enough food and water, your plants will go into self-preservation mode, completely shutting down and refusing to set fruits. Because of this, you can afford to put this crucial maintenance off, even for just a few days.
5. Not Harvesting When Required
Although the whole point of vegetable gardening is to produce food, many first-time gardeners are reluctant to harvest when yields are ready. The main reasons for this are that they worry that they’ll damage the plants in some way or will have to wait too long until the next harvest. However, not harvesting is the biggest problem here, as it will naturally cause your garden to slow down. To enjoy your garden fully, you need to be prepared to accept the fruits of your labor.
We all make mistakes now and then., but, hopefully, with the advice above, you can avoid some of the biggest ones with your vegetable garden.