I’m happy people are trying! % these problems are because people are not focusing on their soil. https://twitter.com/alongsidewild/status/1292078742370570241

It’s premature to worry about plants. If they have the right conditions they will take care of themselves.

And that has its own learning curve. But really just having good compost (I have a thread on how to make it) can be enough. Don’t worry about fertilizers just start adding compost to the top and mulching on top of that. Grow a bunch of fast growing cover plants to get materials.

I want people to know this stuff takes practice but you don’t have to get discouraged.

I also think people under plant their gardens so a death means that’s it for that plant. Overplant!

Also people baby their plants too much. If you water too much or feed them too much fertilizer they won’t develop their root system.

We don’t think about it much but 50-80% of a plants photosynthesis is devoted to the root system. Plants ARE their roots and unless they are wetland plants those roots need air. Fertilizers are salts that easily pop the cells of essential bacteria.

Mulch for overall water improvement, let the top of the soil dry out before watering again (different for seed starting), mix in or top with finished compost.

And really just make sure that your garden is in a place that you actually will see daily. It just needs to be visible to you so you remember to be attentive.

Seeing your garden and taking a daily walk. Talking to your plants for focus. Just being there as part of your home. Then you’ll notice problems early etc