An expert gardener has revealed the common mistakes many beginners make.
A pro tip helps beginners save money and avoid falling for commercial industry advertising.
Gary Pilarchik (@therustedgarden), a gardening YouTuber and author of The Modern Homestead Garden, shared the tip with The US Sun.
He explained that the problems he often sees among people just starting out are overplanting and undercropping.
He said overzealous gardeners often have no idea they’re getting into trouble until it’s too late.
“Overplanting can lead to plants becoming uneaten and uncared for, becoming a breeding ground for pests and diseases,” Pilarchik said.
“A garden must have a balance between what it produces but also what it eats. Growing six cabbage plants when your home can only eat two or three leaves, three plants (leftover leaves) so that whiteflies can enter and infest the plants “.
Having the right materials and preparation can help avoid overwatering.
“There is a fear that plants are easily overwatered. Containers should have drainage holes and soil beds drain naturally,” he advised.
“Plants need moist soil to move nutrients through their root systems. A garden should be watered at least three times a week and more often in the height of summer,” he added.
“Trying to grow plants in a garden space that receives less than eight hours of direct sun can be a challenge.
“Not choosing the right space on a property that receives more than eight hours of sun is often a mistake new gardeners make.”
For those who have adequate space in their home, Pilarchik recommends prioritizing a compost pen before building a garden.
“A garden needs organic matter to thrive, and nothing beats homemade compost for cost and value to the garden,” he explained.
To add nutrients to the soil, the gardener also opts for water-soluble organic fertilizers, rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, which, according to him, “is excellent for watering transplants and helping struggling plants.”
“Starting a compost pile is important because it’s free. A lot of money is spent purchasing organic fertilizers,” Pilarchik said.
How to control weeds and pests on the cheap
Gary Pilarchik of The Rusted Garden shared his affordable techniques for keeping weeds and pests under control.
“A great way to control weeds on garden paths and flower beds that are being allowed to rest over the winter is to place a layer of cardboard along the path and cover it with mulch,” he said.
“It will keep weeds at bay. The cardboard in a growing bed will rot and break down during the winter.
“Worms like cardboard. You can cover cardboard in flower beds with grass clippings, leaves and other organic matter. It will be used by soil life and improve garden beds.”
While combating pests will be a constant uphill battle, Pilarchik explained that the best form of damage control is constant fumigation.
“The key is to spray routinely, like every 2 weeks, but before you can spray, you have to know what’s coming into your yard,” he said.
“Take notes and learn when pests appear, and begin spraying immediately to control them.
“Next year, use your notes and start spraying 2 to 3 weeks earlier, and you will prevent infestations and problems from appearing in your garden.
“The other thing you can do is plant flowers that attract beneficial insects like ladybugs and predatory wasps. They will help control problem insects by eating them.”
“The commercial industry takes advantage of new gardeners with fancy organic fertilizer packaging and lots of words. Ignore them.
“The basic ingredients are practically the same. Some examples are chicken manure, blood meal, bone meal, feather meal, alfalfa meal and seaweed.
“Different bagged fertilizers do exactly the same thing.”
The expert recommends that gardeners shop smart by reading fertilizer ingredient lists to choose the cheapest per pound fertilizer that contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
“The other thing to keep in mind is that you only need one bag of ‘anything’. You’ll see tomato fertilizer, pepper fertilizer, citrus fertilizer, leafy green fertilizer, flower fertilizer, vegetable fertilizer, and fruit and vegetable fertilizer. berries,” he added.
“It’s true that the amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium vary, but those numbers don’t really matter for home garden use.
“You don’t need specialized fertilizers for your plants. Buy a bag of the cheapest one and use it for all your fruits and vegetables.”
Other DIY projects that are helpful, Pilarchik added, are garden trellises and homemade sprays.
“Old closets, wire shelving, kennels and more can be converted into trellises to grow vertically in gardens. I do most of my spraying,” he said.
“Learning how to make a neem oil spray for chewing insects, a soap water spray for soft-bodied insects, a baking soda spray for fungal problems, and a peppermint oil spray as an insect repellent is not only effective but also saves the gardener a lot of money.
“All of these recipes can be found on my YouTube channel: The Rusted Garden.”
