3 Vegetable Gardening No-Nos

Sound advice for both gardening gurus and novices.

Growing a vegetable garden is great. That is, until it withers and dies. 

Not to be pessimistic, but if you're not properly caring for your veggies, they will not survive. There are some common mistakes both gardening gurus and first-timers make, and by removing these no-nos from your routine, your garden will finally flourish. 

Avoid these gardening mistakes to ensure your veggie garden continues growing.

The Problem:

Over-fertilizing

There's a common untruth going around that the more fertilizer you add, the bigger and better your crops will grow. Unfortunately, this is just not true. In fact, if you add too much fertilizer to your plants, your yields will greatly reduce. This is because fertilizer is not plant food like most people believe. Instead, it just gives plants the building blocks to create their own nutrients. If you overdo it, too much salt and nitrogen will accumulate in the soil.

The Solution:

Stick to the recommended ratios for fertilization and don't get too carried away with it.

The Problem:

Over-watering

Much like the over-fertilizing issue, gardeners also often do too much when it comes to watering their plants. It can be a general knee-jerk reaction to "do more" like adding more fertilizer or more water when your plants show bad signs, but over-watering can suffocate your plants' roots and kill them even quicker.

The Solution:

Remind yourself that the soil should be moist, not soggy. Stick your finger in the soil to measure how much of it is moist; if one to two inches is moist, you don't need to water. Check again the next day. You can also add mulch around your plants to preserve moisture and keep weeds away.

The Problem:

Not preparing the soil

It can be exciting to start a vegetable garden, but if you start too soon without properly preparing your soil, your plants will suffer. In order to thrive, plants need three things: sunlight, water, and nutrients. Without all three, your plants will show unhealthy signs. Many gardeners do not prepare the soil with enough nutrients before starting, leading to malnourished plants.

The Solution:

Start prepping the soil up to four to six months in advance with organic compost. Keep adding organic matter every two months to ensure the soil builds up proper nourishment to provide your plants with the foundation they need to flourish. If you choose to use organic fertilizer instead of compost, you still need to use this timeframe because organic matter takes up to four months to break down for your plants to use it. If you are using synthetic fertilizer, the nutrients are immediately available to your plants.