5 Things Not to do in the Garden ...

Farmers are more than willing to let you come and shovel some fresh cow manure from their barns, but this isn’t the best thing for your garden. There are seeds just waiting for the proper time to start sprouting again and these are seeds for some of the most irritating weeds ever. Another thing is that fresh cow dung is actually too harsh on plants when it is dumped straight onto them. It will cause the ground to heat up too much and kill your plants.

Sure, grass clippings can benefit the soil, but too many of them add an excessive amount of nitrogen to the soil. Some plants go crazy in nitrogen-rich soil, while others will simply keel over.

Mixing pesticides isn’t anything like baking your favorite dessert. You can’t simply wing-it and hope that the ratio to bug killer is adequate. Follow the direction on the package to make sure that you are mixing correctly. Making the solution too week will just be a waste, while too strong can damage your plants too.

Pulling weeds up by the root is best, since then you won’t have to worry about them growing back so quickly. If you wait too long and end up with a forest of weeds, then you’ll need to take a hoe or a tiller to them. I know the easiest thing would be to mow them down, but this is only making more work for you later.

Toxic pesticides will definitely get the bugs off, but they aren’t the best for families who eat their vegetables right out of the garden without washing them. There are plenty of pesticides that use natural ingredients and that are safe for humans and animals.

I hope these tips are helpful and that you can pass them on to those who might also benefit from them. Did you already know any of these garden “don’ts”? Can you think of any others that new gardeners need to know?

Top Photo Credit: Cuba Gallery