Gardening Mistakes I Made So You Don’t Have To

When we moved into our house in late 2019, I had almost no gardening experience or knowledge. Despite my mom’s love of gardening, the only tasks I knew how to do were watering and cleaning up at the end of the season. Looking back, it was probably a good thing that I didn’t know what I was getting myself into with our yard. It’s also a good thing that I inherited a messy yard that allowed me to learn from all the gardening mistakes I have made in the past few years. Today I’m sharing some of those gardening mistakes I made in hopes that someone can learn from them!

Mistake #1 Planting without a plan

In the Spring of 2020 I excitedly went out to work in the yard (because there was no where else to go) without a real plan of action. I knew I had to clean up all the leaves and dried debris, but beyond that I just started popping plants in the ground. Luckily most of the plants were from my mom and extremely hardy, so there was no issue when I eventually moved them to more appropriate areas. This could have been a very expensive mistake had I bought plants from the garden center and planted them in the wrong spot. Before putting anything in the ground, study your yard for light and moisture conditions, then plant the correct plants.

Mistake #2 Ignoring the soil composition

Illinois tends to have heavy clay soil and my yard is no exception. When I started growing my garden, I did not pay any attention to the soil composition and then got frustrated when some plants didn’t make it. By year two, I learned to amend my soil for better growing conditions. If you have heavy soil, I highly recommend taking the time and money to amend it. You can do that a number of ways, but I have had luck with compost and mulch. Every Spring I mix some compost into my garden beds prior to spreading a heavy layer of mulch. The compost is full of nutrients for your plants to get going in the Spring and the mulch breaks down throughout the year and mixes into the heavy soil. I’m entering my 4th gardening season and my soil gets better every year!

Mistake #3 Planting too close together

I’m still learning how not to plant things too close together. When you have a new garden, it is so tempting to fill it with plants. I understand the appeal of a full and lush garden, but never underestimate how quickly the new plants will fill in! Don’t be like me and spend hours moving plants because you decided to ignore the space requirements. This is especially true for shrubs, as some can grow 12 or more inches in a single season. Most plants love some room to breathe and grow, so give them the space to do so! I promise everything will fill in and look gorgeous by the end of summer or within the next couple years.

Mistake #4 Not asking for advice

Gardeners love to talk about gardening, so I implore you to listen. Whether that means talking with a neighbor, listening to a podcast, reading a gardening magazine, or reaching out to garden center employees, ask for advice! There is a whole world of gardening knowledge and you will miss so much if you don’t reach out to others. My favorite resources are the Let’s Argue About Plants Podcast, UIUC Garden Extension (check out your local college if you live in a different zone), my local garden centers, and of course, my mom! Beyond gardening tips, I also encourage you to hire help for larger projects. While we have done most of the gardening work ourselves, I have zero regrets about hiring landscapers to remove the enormous hedge of barberries that lined our backyard.

These four mistakes are just a sample of all the gardening mistakes I made in the last three years. I’m sure I’ll make more as the years go on, but I hope someone can learn from this. Gardening brings so much happiness and joy, even when mistakes are made, so don’t be afraid to just get started! What gardening mistakes have you made? Come share with me on Instagram where I post about the garden each week!