One mistake you can make as a gardener is believing you are in charge.
Learn to go with the flow in gardening, you'll be a lot happier! Even expert gardeners lose plants or crops, so don't give up!
Weather, insects, and diseases are often going to present problems in your garden, so plant a wide variety of veggies for the best success. Every year will be different, and it's important to remember you can't control everything! :)
Some tips for success:
• Plant several varieties of peppers, tomatoes and other veggies, every year some varieties will do great while the next year they may not do as well! If you plant a large variety of vegetables, you'll almost always have success!
• Plant companion plants - especially flowering plants that will attract beneficial insects to help you with controlling vegetable pests.
• Put out a bird bath and bird houses to attract birds to help with cabbage loopers, grasshoppers and other insects that like to munch on your vegetable plants
• Make your own compost and add it to your garden soil often to feed your plants with plants!
• If you live in a short season, consider growing the fastest growing vegetables to increase your harvests before the winter arrives.
• Don't overwater your peppers and other vegetables! Peppers really hate soggy feet, so make sure you have well-draining soil and you let the soil dry out slightly between watering!
• Use Hail Protection for Gardens if you live in a hail-prone area
• Start pepper and tomato seeds indoors to get them growing well before transplanting outside.
• Direct sow seeds for cucumbers, squash, pumpkins and zucchini - they don't really like being transplanted, so it's easier to direct seed them in the garden!
• Grow the Easiest Vegetable Seeds for the most success!
• Sow seeds often for cilantro, radishes, lettuce, and beets so you can keep harvesting all season long.
• Use potting soil for containers, don't use garden soil or top soil which will not drain well and will be problematic for your plants!
• If you start seeds indoors, make sure to harden off seedlings before transplanting them outside so they don't experience transplant shock.
• Peppers like it WARM, so wait until it's warmed up to at least 50-60˚ F or higher at night consistently to keep them from getting stunted from cold weather.
• Provide air circulation and movement for your indoor-grown seedlings so they don't get leggy and weak or die from damping off.
• Space your plants so they have room to grow, a tiny tomato plant will need at least 18-24 inches from their neighbor so they don't compete for sunlight or nutrients as they grow to their mature size.
Remember, there really are no mistakes in gardening, just experiments!
Happy growing!
