Common beginner mistakes
Making mistakes is a great tool for learning and everyone makes mistakes when they first start their own veggie patch. We wouldn’t want you to lose hope after an unsuccessful first season of growing, so we’ll tackle some of the most common beginner mistakes in this article. That way you don’t have to make them anymore.
SOWING TOO MUCH
You’ve bought all kinds of seeds and can’t wait to get started. Eagerly you start sowing the seeds but you forget to take your harvest yield into account. Imagine entering your garden with a big bowl to harvest some spinach, only to go back into the house half an hour later to get some laundry baskets to fit everything in! This happened to our partner in green, Danielle from OERMOES, when she was just starting out.
STARTING TOO EARLY
The first rays of sunshine are hitting the ground and the temperature starts rising.
Your green heart starts pounding with enthusiasm and after two weeks of waiting
you decide to start sowing some seeds. Before you know it your window sills are full
of plants that only grow bigger and bigger, but they can’t go outside yet..
NOT GIVING PLANTS ENOUGH SPACE
The second year you timed the seed germination just right! It’s time to plant your seedlings in the ground, but uhh.. how big do those zucchini plants get again? Two months later it devoured half of your veggie patch, jeopardizing your green beans! Lesson learned..
STARTING TOO BIG
You decided to grow your own and start a veggie patch, yeah! Starting on the left there’s some green beans, followed by some tomatoes. A little further you plant your leeks, your kale, and don’t forget your zucchini and pumpkin plants! Oh, and salad! And Beets! Naturally you’ll want to try out a few different varieties. You clear a big part of your garden, and you start planting. Chances are that, before long, you’ll be drowning in work. Weeding, watering, harvesting, preserving excess harvest, freezing: it can feel like an enormous responsibility! An easy way to keep it fun is to start small rather than starting too big.
HARVESTING TOO LATE
Ohh, those kohlrabis look nice! But if I wait for another week they’ll be even bigger! Although you may harvest them with a higher weight veggies usually taste better when they’re a bit smaller, so harvest your crops when they look ready!
PICKING DIFFICULT CROPS TO GROW
What should you plant when you’re just starting out? Artichoke or celery? Chicory or asparagus? These are not the easiest veggies to grow yourself. It would be wise to start out with some easier to grow plants. It’s hard to keep enjoying the gardening when your first harvest spoils.
Does all of this ring any bells? Maybe you’re just starting out and the panic is slowly creeping up on you, or you tried growing some veggies a while back without much success? Don’t panic and don’t give up, mistakes happen to everyone! Just keep trying and learning from your mistakes, it’s all part of the game. And remember, perseverance pays off!