Over the forty or so years that I have been gardening, I have read countless books and articles on what to do in landscaping and gardening. I have watched dozens of programs on TV showing what to do in your yard. However, I don't remember ever reading or watching "What Not to Do in Gardening."
In retrospect, it seems that I have managed to do everything wrong at least once in my flower and vegetable gardens. Therefore, I have some tips to help you avoid some of the same mistakes that I have made.
- Mistake #1: Don't plant before the bed or garden is fully prepared. "I'll do it later or next year" does not work. Beds need all grass removed, lots of organic matter, and to be deeply dug or tilled so that they are ready before one seed or one plant ever goes into the ground. The old adage is right: if you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?
- Mistake #2: Buying plants before I have a place to put them. I've killed a number of plants because I had no place ready to plant them and they stayed in the pot too long. (I don't know that I will ever stop doing this because plants in nurseries just beg me to take them home and make them happy.)
- Mistake #3: Not mulching every square inch I could. Not mulching has caused me many hours of extra work in weeding plus extra expense of having to water more often. Mulch makes gardening chores much easier. Plants are healthier, and the mulch looks good as well.
- Mistake #4: Not immediately picking up all empty pots, flats, bags, or packaging as I finish planting an area. The hope that I'll do it later doesn't work. Later, I'm tired, so my recommendation is to completely tidy up one area before moving on to another area or starting something else. Also, I have learned that before going inside for the day, I should put all tools and equipment back in their specific spots so I don't waste valuable time trying to find them the next time I need them.
- Mistake #5: Not putting some sort of barrier between the lawn grass and the flower bed or garden. Landscape border, bricks, flagstone, or landscape timbers are just a few of the barriers you could put down. I have spent years getting rid of grass that had crept into the bed during rainy weather or while I was out of town.
- Mistake #6: Planting aggressive, invasive plants in my beds. I have planted pass-along plants that literally spread throughout the entire bed in one growing season. If your neighbor described the plant as a "vigorous grower and multiplies rapidly," what he meant was, "This plant will swallow your house by next year."
- And my final mistake: NEVER, NEVER, EVER PLANT MINT IN YOUR FLOWER BED!
These are just a few of the things that I have learned in my "What Not To Do" Category.
Texanita (Texie) Cole, Smith County Master Gardener
Texas Cooperative Extension
Landscape Index
Gardening Tips For NorthEast Texas Index
East Texas Piney Woods Gardening Home Page