The Plot Newsletter

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Hello Reader,

Many new gardeners set out eager to live their cottage core fantasy, but are met with sorrow when their favorite plant dies or they harvest a carrot that could only feed a mouse. In an effort to help new gardeners, I wondered to myself, is there a theme to the common mistakes faced by beginner gardeners? New gardeners can see this list as warning signs, and experienced gardeners can chuckle, steeping their tea, remembering when they committed these gardening crimes in their youth. Below is a short list of mistakes to avoid for the beginner gardener.

1: Gardening Alone

For many gardeners, the practice of tending a garden can be a solo act, but gardening is an act of community. I can’t remember the last time I went to weed a bed in front of my house, and did not end up in conversation with a neighbor. It’s the connections to each other that strengthens our gardens. We share tools, seeds, plant divisions, and gossip about the derelict neighbor that nobody likes. Peaceful as it is to garden alone, new gardeners must find time to garden with company.

Every gardener should join a community garden at some point. It’s a great way to meet people and learn from experienced gardeners. Each community garden is a patchwork quilt of unique gardens, and just walking among the different gardens is an experience in itself. If you don’t have one in your city, then I implore you to build one. 

Joining gardening clubs or botanical societies is another great way to avoid gardening alone. Gardening is localized by nature, meaning that your neighbor who has been growing a garden for 30 years will have a more intimate knowledge of the problems you will face than any book. Botanic gardens also welcome volunteers, and that is a great way to meet other gardeners. Don’t make the mistake of gardening alone, because you’ll deprive yourself of the best part of gardening: the characters.

2: Not Understanding Growing Conditions

Most mistakes made by gardeners are avoidable if we would just read the plant tag that comes with the plant from the nursery. Most tags will say whether a plant is full sun, part sun, or shade. Full sun is more than 6 hours of sunlight a day, part sun is 3-6 hours, and shade is less than 3 hours. You really want to study how the sun moves through your yard and find the sunniest part for any vegetable garden. Meanwhile, an Ostrich Fern can thrive in the dappled light or shaded north side of a house, where sun loving species would perish.

Soil is another thing that trips people up. When you start a garden, the soil typically needs a lot of work–especially in an urban area. You need to learn the difference between sandy soils and clay soils. Most herbs like Lavender prefer a sandy well draining soil, while Asters can thrive in clay soil by building a strong root system. 

Lastly, spacing can lead to a lot of issues. If you don’t pay attention to the spacing on a plant tag, then stuff will either crowd each other out, or look too sparse. The spacing on the tag can be confusing. Let’s say it is listed as 1 foot. This means you should plant the plants one foot center to center. You should be more strict on this with shrubs, but you can crowd more grasses or flowers together if you are going for a really full design. Either way, give your new planting 3 years before you decide if it looks full enough or not, as the plants need time to grow.

3: Not Killing Enough Plants

The first mistake that new gardeners make is that they do not kill enough plants. I’m sure I sound a little nuts for suggesting this, but stick with me. I’m an avid believer that the only real difference between an experienced gardener and a new gardener, is that the former has killed more plants. I’ve killed every orchid I’ve ever owned, and I absolutely adore orchids. Trust me, if killing garden plants was illegal, we would all be put away for war crimes.

You need to bite off more than you can chew every single spring when you start gardening. It’s the fastest and most certain way to learn from your mistakes and join the ranks of experienced gardens worldwide. Most people will tell you to start small, and that makes a lot of sense to the rational mind, but if you feel called to go big, then I say go for it. You will make your mistakes faster and learn from them. 

Some of your plants will die because you water them too much, or not enough. Perhaps they are from a warmer climate and the winter kills them where you live. If you plant species that are native to your area, meaning you are growing them in the area where they evolved over long periods of time, then they will grow without needing too much input from you. What an easy trick to have a successful garden, with the added bones of helping native butterflies.

Gardening as a hobby conflicts with our society, as it is. In our world, dopamine chasing is the status quo. Meanwhile, gardening rewards patience and punishes instant gratification. You need to toil away for a vision you have that won’t come to fruition for many years. It’s a healthy reminder to just enjoy the process and your time in the sun.

These three things are what I have found to cause the most pain for beginner gardeners, but there are many more where these came from. Luckily, the practice of gardening is forgiving and there is a wonderful community eager to give you advice and help.

Field Notes:

I get a lot of my joy from the natural world by noticing new blooms, changing colors, ducklings, etc. The newness fills me with wonder and keeps me happy from spring to autumn, but come winter there is little to notice. I’ve been considering this lately, and I think it is because we need time to look inward. A time to plan, set goals, and restore attention to better notice the first blooms of a Magnolia in spring.

Unrelated: My compost pile has turned into a twiggy mess. All the tree work last year led to a lot of branches getting added to the pile. To fix this I am going to need to take some loppers and break down the sticks to 4” lengths, add some leaves, and keep adding kitchen scraps.

Plotter’s Commons:

If you had to include a fourth option to the list of beginner mistakes, what would it be? Put your answer in the new Facebook group!

Community Board

You now have a way of chatting with each other in between newsletters. Join the new private Facebook group for readers of The Plot. I don’t mince words when I say that you all are a stellar bunch, and I’m excited for you to meet each other.

Written for 484 gardeners who aren’t afraid to make mistakes. 💌
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Until next Thursday,
Ken Welch

About the Author

Ken Welch is a horticulturist by training and research professional in Madison, Wisconsin. He’s drawn to native ecosystems, community gardens, and helping others grow confidence in their craft.