10 Garden Mistakes to Avoid for Success | Beginner Gardeners | Flower Patch

10 garden mistakes that beginner gardeners make and what to consider to avoid them. Just a few helpful hints for better success.

Hi, I am Pamela and I garden in the mountains of Northern California. Though I am in Zone 8, I have a short growing season and many challenges that I overcome. I love to talk gardening and share my small, compact, and jam-packed gardens with everyone!
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[rosemarythyme]

I would love to learn what weeds tell you about the soil they are growing in.

[dustyflats]

I’ve never had the soil tested—😂too cheap. I did look up what soil has that wood and sheep sorrel likes and it was magnesium.
I need to rework the irrigation as I think the 1/4” line is meant to be shorter and will go to 1/2”. Problem is Rainbird only offers 17” spacing on 1/2” in our store so I may stagger those or switch to a drip tape at 12”. It’s difficult and will need to add more on/off valves. I haven’t installed it in the flower beds yet as some don’t like that much water.
Nasturtiums and cosmos can be picky here. If I let them alone they seem to be fine. They sometimes need water but I can see at times they don’t like it as the fern like leaves turn brown. Nasturtiums I think the old original yellow and orange variety does best. The new ones are spindly and small. I’ve noticed this with new flowers I’m trying like the brown eyed Susan vine 😂😂I’ve never seen a vine that preferred to crawl on the ground vs up a trellis. It was a weak growth plant to start and as we are close to frost—It decides to grow!🙄. Big whoop. That’s the downside of trying new flowers here, we just don’t have a long enough season. This vine should have took off as we have a hot microclimate and apparently this vine can be invasive in hot climates so I thought it would work, it just takes too long to get its feet.
Nice info Pam! Enjoyed it.

[gracefulgrowing]

What wonderful information that you provided all of us, not just new beginners, but all of us. I really am interested in knowing what my weeds are telling me about my soil, I just find that completely interesting, so good to see one of your videos and I am glad that you had a great time while you were gone.❤❤

[MindysPlace]

Great advice. I often wish I could recoup all the money I have spent on plants that didn't make it, but then again, I would just spend that money on more plants. 😂

[daiseegray]

Great advice for newbies along with reminders for is experienced gardeners 🌼🐝

[TruthSeekerHuman-jepd]

Drought in Ohio, WV and KY ravished our flower and veggie gardens this season. Argh! This is more rare so many of us do not have drip systems. And paying for extra water can be expensive. And sewer bill is same as amount of water you use--even if water goes into ground and not into the sewer. So sewer companies make lots of money off of a drought.

[Sazza]

Thank you for pointing out the zone information. So many gardening YouTubers promote zones as gospel. I feel like it’s got something to do with the proven winners brand, I always see it pushed by those that promote their stuff. Turns me off quite honestly. Your approach is very level headed which I like.

[cysmith]

I am so glad that someone has said something about the zones. Thank you. I am in 9V just north of San Francisco and I can grow anything almost here. I have more than 100 Hydrangeas yet when you look up Hydrangeas specific ones that I have it will tell you they only grow to 8b. wrong!.! Many of the big companies that sell plants make that mistake. So I need to look very carefully at the plant and at my conditions and then go ahead and buy it.

[grizoswald]

Pam, very good tips in this video. I completely agree, relying only on USDA zone info can be a big mistake. You have to account for sunlight levels, water levels, soil type, and many other things. Zone info can be very helpful but as you said it's only one part of the picture.

[katethegardener]

Hi there Pam, I have missed you!!! I went back into your channel and unsubscribed to resubscribe and hopefully your videos will show up in my feed again. I hope you are well and just busy working in your garden. I have been busy digging up my favourite plants and potting them because I am moving in Spring and won't be able to dig them or perhaps even find them if they are slow starters. I have so many new ideas for my blank slate new build. I am taking only the roses and pink have always wanted a pink garden....so this is the perfect opportunity to create a new garden.

[whiterose]

I finally grew some cosmos from seed. Have them in several spots with different light and still non bloomed. I’m going to try a different variety next year.

[hetty]

Dear flower patch lady, im not sure how i missed this video, i feel as though i had watched but not remembering it all.hmmm, , ! I have been topsy turvy more than usual but thats no excuse. I do love your content, also just love thst you do take note and tell us about the delightful little visitors to your garden, little finch.i do this all the time, if you don't thst particularly second of visit can be gone. I sometimes rarely but recently had a woodpecker on my feeder, was on the telephone to my sis, shouted out whow sis ect .but then i had forgotten what we were saying, thankfully sis remembered. I have to say when it comes to doing a chore then starting something different without thinking 🤔. Thst happens daily i just have always been that way.😅.im very guilty of not repotting a few indoor plants that i ad put outside this summer, they desperately need to be dealt with and brought back in.aloe vera and peace lillys..the weather has been horrible and bet so they are going to ruin. Well after i visit mum today i hope to start them.pam i hope you're chickens are well they sound happy. I hope in spring to add a few to my tiny flock..oh! Im still waiting for my tomatoes to ripen, its like waiting for Christmas. So pleased you will have more sunshine next year, after the trees come down.thankyou for great advice xxtake care, from me and my garden girls 🐔. Xx

[teinahenderson]

Good morning Pam! 😊
So many great tips! I agree: don’t give up too soon ❤ also on zoning! Technically, here in Jamestown, I’m a 9a…. Nope lol 😂 I garden like I’m 8b and it does make a difference.
Growing up and living in the Bay Area, I was spoiled! I could grow anything with very little effort 😅 not gonna lie… I miss that! Haha
But I don’t miss the lifestyle, so there ya go.

Btw, I just love your metal arbor/bench in the mid portion of your video. It’s unique and lovely! 🥰 have a great day!

[TruthSeekerHuman-jepd]

I've been fighting voles for 3 yrs. I have to put pea gravel around plants up to stems/stalk to keep voles from eating them or put baskets over small plants and now I have to put every plant in wire mesh bag. I use less mulch now because voles can hide in mulch, leafs, pine needles. Ugh! I'm trying a new poison in small containers to unalive voles.

[Póg-mo-thóin-repeat]

great info as always. However, I need top 20 mistakes for all my issues LOL

[jennyfisher]

I made these mistakes and still do. I think one of the biggest mistakes I’ve made is not being brave enough to divide my perennials or move a plant to a better location. Once I started to do this I can’t believe the difference. I was too worried I would accidentally kill the plant by dividing or moving. It took me way too long to figure out that I was harming the plant by not doing it.

[lisalulueaston]

😂 at cosmos I started some in April on the window ledge they grew slow then just took off there above my head I'm 5foot 2 so not so hard but all I'm seeing is foliage so I pulled them all out they are thugs ! I'm in England btw ❤

[DLynne]

Don't give up on Lantana. They've recently come out with many "annual" Lantanas in wonderful colors, but there are perennials, when planted in the ground, which will come back. We had an "Arctic freeze" a few years ago, when the temps got down into the negative numbers for a few days, which just doesn't happen here, first time here in more than 70 years, and the perennial Lantana still came back! Just look for the perennial type. Otherwise, consider the Lantanas, which I love, as another annual.

[lillylane]

Great video! I have been growing roses for years and now all of a sudden I have someone (insect) drilling holes into my canes wherever I prune. They took out my New Dawn and are now trying to claim Zephirine Drouhin. I've never had to seal canes after pruning and tried using craft glue (that's all I had) this spring. It was a fail. Any helpful ideas?? Thanks.

[ShirleyJDavis]

I have had no luck with Cosmos. They would come up and get to a certain height and just stop.