I’ve always been a gardener and want to have my own greenhouse/horticulture business or something in the floral industry. this spring and summer i had my first attempt at starting this buisness and failed miserably. I decided to take this learned information and use it for next year, but i know many of you have gardens so i figured i would share some things i learned:
Do not use straw as a mulch, it will germinate and grow, causing more problems than needed, instead use wood chips as they also promote better soil health, or use cover crops planted in the fall. Daisies make good weed cover and can be planted in the fall. they also look nice as flowers
Use caution using landscape fabric because not only does it leach harmful chemicals into the soils but if you use cheaper stuff, enough light can still get through to cause weeds from underneath to grow
broad forking is a good alternative to tilling to still maintain soil health. I would till only if needed in clay rich soil.
as you can tell by my previous points, I advocate for no-till! my flower bed i did no till on was weedy its first year but now with 2 years past that i’ve had barley any weed problems as im not turning weed seeds into the dirt and only sowing what i want to grow.
put a fan on seedlings when started indoors and provide good sunlight to avoid them getting leggy.
there are 100 uses for cardboard in the garden, my favorite is weed block.
overwatering will not only hurt your plants short term but can cause root rot which will stunt them long term
seed starting trays are great but can stunt plants if done improperly, take them out ASAP, there is no reason to have them in seed starting trays after the last frost.
some plants need the cold to grow, do your research on each plant as some need the cold to harden off while other need the cold for their roots.
never store bulbs in a hard container where temperature fluctuates
small blooms are usually caused from overcrowding
short lasting annuals are better to be planted in 2 week successions
lastly, the biggest one that hurt me the most was the proper use of heat mats. heat mats are used for germination, after which they should be removed, while yes they will make your plants grow faster, the plants won’t grow better. the heat being applied to growing roots will prevent the plant from growing a long stem initially and you will have short plants blooming close to the ground (not ideal for bouquets). This has something to do with the maturing as it hardens off, which it can’t do because it’s too warm and stressed. stems and fruit will be noticeably smaller, thinner, and shorter. instead provide ambient heat to keep from frosting and periods of cold, never freezing but never hot. grow lights will be more helpful than temperature will.
i have information about each individual flower and plant too if interested. i grow most annuals so im sure i can help or try to help if needed.
just growing plants is way different than trying to start plants early and prepare them to be sold. there is more emphasis on producing and producing for longer when running a business than just having a garden. That being said it was a good learning experience and i’m ready for next year.
