To help you create a flourishing urban garden, I have put together a list of common gardening mistakes that many newbies make.

10 common gardening mistakes

1. Watering the plants too much or too little

This is one of commonest gardening mistakes urban gardeners make — they simply don’t know how much to water their plants. For plants that are set in the ground, water them well so that the soil is completely wet. For container grown plants, water them till you see some water draining from the drainage holes provided in the container. The containers must have a drainage hole in order to ensure proper drainage. Water should not stagnate near the roots as that can deprive the roots of oxygen and cause them to rot.

Another common gardening mistake beginners make is not ensuring that the plants will be watered when you are away for many days. During your absence, plants can be watered using automated drip irrigation systems. One can even improvise a slow drip system out of a pet bottle with a hole made in the bottom.

2. Over crowding the plants

Overcrowding usually happens when budding gardeners start growing plants from seeds. When sowing seeds, one should consider the space that a plant will need when it is fully grown. If too many seeds are sown in a container, they should be reduced to just one or two depending on the size of the container. This process of removing excess seeds is called “thinning”. Allowing all the plants to grow in a cramped pot will cause deficiencies in the plants and none of them will grow to their fullest potential.

3. Too much or too little light

For those living in cities, finding a place to have a garden can be quite a challenge. We often end up buying plants that look beautiful in the nursery, but they start fading and eventually die out. This could be due to faulty sunlight exposure.

While different plants have different light requirements, one can easily choose the location for planting if we remember few basic rules.

Most of the flowering annual plants need full sun or at least 4 – 6 hours of direct light. Observe the plants when you buy them in the nursery as to where they have been kept. If they were in a sunny spot, place them in a sunny spot. If you found those plants in a shaded area, place them in a shaded area in your garden.

South facing balconies receive the maximum light in terms of length and intensity. Next come east and west facing balconies. North facing balconies receive the least light for most part of the year. If you are growing vegetables, the best option is to grow them in south, east or west facing balconies.

4. Letting weeds take over

Sometimes we get uninvited guests in our garden in the form of weeds. It is important to know which one is the plant from the seed you have sown and which one is a weed. Before sowing the seed, it is good to read about it a little bit to know about the plant and how the seedling will look like.

Removing of the weeds has to be done as early as possible. Leaving the weed to grow in the container will result in the nutrients being eaten away by them, and your plant to suffer.

5. Not protecting from pests

We love healthy plants but so do pests. Pests are every gardener’s nightmare. By carefully inspecting the plants every morning, we can detect the pests early enough and get rid of them. Bugs, insects and caterpillars can be easily controlled when they are identified during their early stages.

Spraying the plants with organic pesticides such as neem oil will ensure that pests don’t attack the plants in future.

6. Planting out-of-season plants

This belong to the top of the list of common gardening mistakes newbies make. If you will pot plants that are out of season and then expect flowers or fruits, you are bound to be disappointed. This applies to plants that are non-native as well. All of us get excited when we see exotic vegetables and we immediately want to try growing them. Reading about the plant before planting will help set our expectations right.

7. Not feeding the plants

Most of us have the notion that, to grow and bloom, plants need only water and nothing else. Plants do need water but they also need about 16 different nutrients from the soil. Plants absorb nutrients that are dissolved in water. So what should you feed your plants and how often?

There are different types of plant fertilizers available. The easiest to find is compost. Compost is decomposed cow manure; it is organic and safe to the environment. Adding a handful of compost to every pot once every 15 days will ensure that your plant stays healthy and adds value to your garden.

There are water soluble synthetic fertilizers available as well. They result in faster growth. A popular choice is NPK 19-19-19 in water soluble form. A teaspoon of this dissolved in a litre of water can be applied to the plant roots once every 15 days. The results can be seen in less than a week’s time.

Remember, moderation is the key when it comes to fertilizer. Applying more will not result in a better plant. Indeed, many plants die due to the usage of excessive fertilizer.

8. Not choosing the right container size

Often new gardeners pot a big plant in a small container that is quickly outgrown. This is where regular repotting comes into the picture. Inspect the pot every month or so, to see if there are roots showing up on the soil surface or via the drainage holes in the bottom. If you see roots peeping, then it is time to move the plant to a bigger pot. If not done on time, your plant will outgrow the pot breaking it or it won’t grow well. Ask for the right size of the container in the nursery from where you buy the plant.

9. Sowing seeds too deep or too shallow

Sowing of seeds can make many new gardeners nervous. They worry about how deep or far apart the seeds have to be sown. The thumb rule is that the seeds should be sown twice as deep as they are thick. So, if the seeds are 5mm thick, sow them 10mm deep. If the seeds are too tiny, simply sprinkle them on the top.

10. Emotional meltdowns when our plants suffer

Last but not the least, sometimes, we get too attached to our plants and if they suffer we tend to take it too seriously. We may whistle in delight when our zinnia flowers and then be in tears when the orchid plant doesn’t flower for ages. No matter what, your garden will keep changing and you need not get too emotional about every pest attack or failed flowering.

Observe the above points, avoid making these common gardening mistakes that most budding gardeners make and soon you will be on your way to becoming a pro.

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There are beautiful spring flowers all around the countryside where I live. It’s almost as if one moment there was no sign of them and then all of a sudden they appeared in their uplifting glory. My eyes are blessed with a swathe of bright yellow, cream and purple petals. Some are wild flowers, some have been purposefully planted but they are all beautiful.

And this got me thinking. We can learn so much from nature and flowers are no exception. Inspired by Voltaire’s philosophy and enlivened by this leap forward in nature, what lessons can we garner from flowers about living a happier, more positive life?

1. Be part of a network

Many studies suggest that interpersonal relationships can have a multitude of benefits. From reducing our susceptibility to minor ailments such as colds to extending our longevity, social contact is considered to be extremely powerful.

In our busy lives, it’s easy to be drawn into working hard for long hours and for social or family time to fall to the bottom of the list.

Flowers are part of a vital network which keeps the world of nature turning. They attract bees and other animals to them who aid the pollination process that in turn ensures the spread of a new generation of seeds and seedlings. Moreover, flowers provide sustenance for a whole host of creatures including bats, primates, ants, butterflies and beetles.

We may not always feel like it, but we too each have something special and unique to offer the world. It might be tempting to shut ourselves away on darker days but we cannot exist in isolation forever.

Although others may seem different to us [for example, we may not share the same values] we are all still part of the same ecosystem and we depend upon one another for our wellbeing and survival.

Pick up the phone, speak to your neighbour, or arrange to meet a friend or family member for dinner, and volunteer in your community. The ‘to do’ pile will always be there but those who are special to us may not. Find a way to connect with someone today.

2. Don’t give up

Think of a seed or a bulb planted in late autumn or early spring. From this moment, the seed’s goal is to grow into a flower which is rooted and alive. Often, seeds will have to endure changes in soil temperature, fluctuations in the amount of moisture they receive and animals trying to dig them up as food. But they persevere and they emerge.

It can be very tempting to think that if we aren’t presented with the exact conditions we believe we need to succeed at something that we simply won’t succeed. This doesn’t have to be the case.

Whatever you’re trying to do in life, you have already begun to be successful by starting step one: trying.

From here on, think of yourself as an emerging seedling. Don’t give up and, like an emerging flower, be willing to adapt to your changing circumstances.

Think of a seedling growing on the tiniest patch of soil emerging from a crack in concrete. Although not an ‘ideal’ environment, the seed makes what it can of it nonetheless.

3. Enjoy the sunshine

All too often, we rush about in life [myself included] and are too preoccupied to appreciate the glory of days.

Flowers open their petals when the sun is shining and bask in the sun’s warmth. All things need energy to grow. Plants use the sun’s light to photosynthesise and produce food.

Whilst we eat food to physically sustain our energy levels, we also need to ensure that our emotional health is taken care of. Pausing to enjoy the sunshine, whether it’s sunny outside or not, is a step in living life rather than just surviving it.

When I was walking earlier, although I had set myself a ‘time limit’, I allowed myself to stop and observe a few things as I trundled down the lanes. Because this was a change in the pace of my day, it felt good. In those moments, I was really present and engaged with myself and my surroundings.

Every day is a gift – try to look at what you can appreciate in each one.

4. Take time to rest

Have you ever noticed that some flowers close their petals at night? There seem to be a number of theories for this. It isn’t thought that these flowers are sleeping but that they may be conserving energy and protecting their pollen until the day time. This way, they can benefit from pollination during daylight hours when most insects are active.

Whilst we are caught up in our daily lives, we may not allow ourselves time for a good night’s sleep let alone take a five-minute break during the day. Our bodies need time to heal and repair physically which they do when we are sleeping. Plus, our mind and emotions need a break too.

Even a minute’s repose can be beneficial. I’ve recently begun to train to teach Tai Chi Movements for Well-being and, as part of this, undertake daily practise. Sometimes I manage twenty minutes and sometimes I manage one.

When you think about it, one minute (or even five) out of your day is nothing. Don’t know where to begin? Try sitting on a chair and closing your eyes – set a timer if you think you might keep checking the clock. Breathe slowly and deeply and focus on the in and out breath, keeping your body as relaxed as possible.

A short walk, a few minutes listening to music, stretching, taking a nap, playing your favourite musical instrument, writing a journal or singing are just some of the ways to take a break. Do whatever you enjoy and what works for you.

5. Be graceful as your blooms change

To paraphrase an ancient Greek Philosopher, Herakleitos is believed to have said that the only constant in life is change.

I find that this is a useful philosophy because change seems to be one of the hardest concepts for us as humans to accept. Like us, flowers pass through phases of change, from seedling to plant. There are times when they move outward to bloom and times when they move inward to rest and rejuvenate. Their lives may be temporary but they can still be meaningful and full of life in those moments.

Try not to get caught up in attempting to hold onto the past. Each moment is a moment of your life, your existence. Live your life now.

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