My Five Worst Gardening Mistakes

No matter how well qualified, every gardener has made mistakes. How did you think I got so savvy about gardening? Sometimes gardeners even make the same mistakes twice or go against their better judgment. We tend to think the rules don't apply to us. After all, our thumbs are green as newly sprouted grass. What could possibly go wrong? Turns out, gardening experts are not immune to common gardening issues. Who knew?

I once fell victim to late blight. I'm always careful to buy tomato plants from reputable green-houses or grow them from seed. I'm also very generous with my gardening space. Naturally, I invited some friends to share it. As it turns out, they bought their tomatoes from a big box store. I saw the signs of late blight on their tomatoes. I just didn't have the heart to tell them. Late blight spreads pretty quickly. Before I knew it, my whole tomato crop was ruined too. My mistake? I should have spoken up. I could have shared my crop with them.

There's a reason some seeds are started outdoors. Some seedlings just don't do well when transplanted. I know that. Still, I was anxious to get a jump on my watermelon. Plus, the grand-kids were going stir crazy, waiting for spring. So, we started some watermelon indoors. Not only that, we got excited and planted early. Those seedlings lasted about three days. Watermelon should be planted outdoors, after all danger of frost.

One year, I waited and waited for my cucumbers to come up. I should have started them indoors or planted several together. They do better that way. Why is that? Well, garden bugs love cucumber seeds. They were just waiting for me to make the mistake of planting them outdoors. The odds were stacked against me. If I had planted several seeds together, they may not have gotten them all either.

One year I planted hot peppers west of my tomatoes. It was a busy summer. I didn't have a lot of time for the garden. One of my neighbors took over the watering and weeding. I didn't get to see the garden very often. Once I realized my mistake, I had to move the peppers to the front yard. Can you guess why? They weren't getting enough sun. The tomatoes had grown so big they were leaving the peppers in the shade for most of the day. What a rookie mistake! Always plant rows from north to south, shorter plants east, taller plants west. That way, they all get adequate sun.

When I was a child, we got our corn from a neighboring dairy farm. I'd never grown it before. One year, I decided to give it a shot. I read the seed packet and followed directions. My corn was growing tall but had no ears. What the heck? So, I did a little research. Turns out the seed packet was wrong. Corn needs to be spaced closer. Otherwise, the stalks don't rub together. That's how they germinate. Luckily, I'm a champion at making lemonade from lemons. That last gardening mistake yielded some nice stalks for fall decorating.

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