Backyard gardeners often do not have experienced gardeners around who are willing to answer all of the questions that come up throughout the year. Sure, you can get answers to some common gardening questions at your local nursery, and you may be able to swap tips with friends who also have backyard gardens. But overall, it often feels like you are on your own as you spend hours flipping through gardening guides and scouring online forums to find answers to your basic questions. Gardeners are a lot like cooks. Some follow the ‘recipe’ exactly, they read all the instructions carefully, and never fail to stick to their watering and feeding schedule. Others just like to scatter a few seeds here and there, chuck on a layer of compost, and hope for the best.
The truth is that when it comes to gardening you can never guarantee complete success – so when gardeners stand aghast at their wilting wildflowers their drooping daisies and their failed fruit plants despite having done everything ‘right’ they can feel more than a little hard done by. However, there are some pieces of practical, functional gardening advice that have stood the test of time. Discover some useful answers to some of the most common gardening questions – ones that you won’t find on the back of a seed packet.

Growing seeds indoors is one of the best parts of gardening. You can finally get your hands in the soil after a winter break. A gardener’s shelf full of tiny seedlings is a sure sign that’s spring is on its way! It is also a budget-friendly option to start seeds indoors, especially when the seedlings grow into robust plants. While it is much easier to start with a grown plant, there’s a certain satisfaction that can only come from starting from a seed. However, growing seeds indoors might be challenging. And in order to significantly increase your chances of success, I’d like to share with you the most common seed-starting mistakes. Read on and learn the common mistakes gardeners make, and how you can avoid making them yourself. Enjoy!