Tia knows her stuff! Tia Pinney is a Naturalist teacher and Adult Program Coordinator at Massachusetts Audubon Society. In this video for Expert Village she gives some vegetable gardening tips about some common gardening mistakes.
Here’s what she suggests:
Don’t overwater.
Watering is the biggest gardening mistake. The best deal for the garden is to water consistently. When checking the soil moisture, don’t check the soil surface. Check about 3-4 inches deep. Tia points out that if you have added organic material to your soil, most likely the soil remains moist. If not, water.
Don’t crowd plants.
In the video, Tia shows pumpkin plants that have taken over a raised bed. Because the pumpkin plants were crowded, they won’t grow big.
Leave fall crops outside.
Tia advises for fall crops, like pumpkins and winter squash, to stay outside on the plant or vine to harden. Only pick and bring inside if there is a warning of frost. She suggests leaving them out unless the temperature is supposed to fall below 35 degrees Fahrenheit.
It’s a quick video to watch (under 2 minutes) and worth it. The overwatering point she makes at the beginning is the most important segment of this video.
