Gardening is arguably one of the best ways to spend your time. So the last thing you want to do is make any of the biggest gardening mistakes gardeners make. But to prevent your garden from self-sabotage, you have to know what those mistakes are. Whether you’re a newbie or a long-time home gardener, you might be making one of these mistakes without realizing it. Up your gardening game this year by being more educated about the biggest gardening mistakes gardeners make. What have you got to lose? Nothing but bad habits!

The Biggest Gardening Mistakes

Gardening mistakes are just that–mistakes. Meaning that you are probably innocently and unknowingly holding your garden back from being the best it could be. Any one of these common mistakes could be costing you a bountiful harvest.

1. Choosing a bad location

Yep, location really matters when you plant a garden! One of the biggest mistakes gardeners make is to choose a spot that doesn’t get enough sun. You might think you’ve chosen the sunniest spot in your yard, but if it doesn’t get at least six full hours of sun, it isn’t enough. For help with this, see my post on how to pick your garden location.

2. Leaving the soil as is

You should never just assume your soil is the right blend of acid and alkaline for growing a garden. Do a soil test each spring to see if the soil needs to be amended. And always add a few inches of compost to increase the nutrition for your garden plants.

3. Planting too close together

Most vegetable plants, with the exception of salad greens, don’t love being planted too closely to their neighbors. Plants like tomatoes, corn and potatoes really benefit from good air circulation.

4. Weeding too little {or not at all!}

Don’t ever let weeds take over your garden–not even around the perimeter. Weeds take the same nutrients that your vegetable plants need, but they’re especially greedy about it. That means your vegetable plants will not get what they need if any weeds are around. Make weeding a weekly habit!

5. Watering wrong

You might be watering, but if you’re watering too much or too little, that’s one of the biggest gardening mistakes gardeners make. Watering wrong also includes watering at the wrong time of day, or watering the wrong part of the plants. For example, strawberry plants need water deposited right at the roots, because the stems and leaves are susceptible to mildew when wet. Don’t ever water your garden in the middle of day, especially during the heat of the summer. Most of the water will be lost to evaporation!

6. Not providing support

Some plants need actual physical support to grow their best. This includes something for cucumbers and melons to grow up and over to keep the fruit off the ground. Tomatoes also do better when they grow inside a tomato cage. A support cage or trellis allows better air circulation throughout your plants, keeping them much healthier and happier.

Now that you know the biggest gardening mistakes gardeners make, it’s time to get back out in the garden. Make it your best garden yet!