How is it some gardeners end up with massive amounts of beautiful blooms and an overabundance of produce while other gardeners just gather in minimal amounts of flowers and vegetables? Some might say that the growers just have a green thumb. But I don’t think so. I think that anyone can become a prolific gardener with the right gardening mindset. Here are 5 habits of a highly productive gardener that you can cultivate for a better garden.

5 Habits Of A Highly Productive Gardener…

Habit #1: Plan Your Garden

The first beneficial habit is to plan for the season. Planning does not just involve creating a list of what you are going to grow. While that is certainly part of planning, it is so much more. The productive gardener plans for success. Here are some of the things that need to be planned in order to grow a vigorous garden.

• Good Soil- You don’t want to just stick your seeds or your plants into the ground without first making sure that your soil is prepared. Begin by turning over the soil and mixing in compost and other amendments. Compost is called “black gold” for an important reason. It not only adds nutrients but you begin to improve the texture of your soil as well. This allows for better root growth and moisture retention by the plants. This is critical for healthy vigorous plants.
• Timing- A productive gardener pays attention to the timing of adding plants. Some flowers and vegetables will do well in the early season, while others run the risk of being damaged by early season cold temperatures. Some plants thrive in the heat and will do great in late summer while others slowly die as the season heats up. This isn’t an intuitive process. You can learn which plants will do well in the various seasons. Consider reaching out to other gardeners in your area to learn what crops to start early, mid-season and late season for the best harvests. Consider connecting with some local garden groups or gather literature through programs such as your local Master Gardener Program.

      Cutting Garden Checklist

Do you want to grow amazing flowers this summer? Then you need my FREE Cutting Garden Checklist to get started! Sign up for Cottage Notes Email and get ready for your prettiest flowers ever.

Grow Amazing Flowers

• Plant Needs- Plants do well when they are grouped according to their needs. Some plants, for example, will need lots of water while others like the soil a little dryer. If you plant these together than one of them will start to fail. Plan your growing areas according to the plant’s needs so that you can water, fertilize and maintain them together.
• Choose Plants Wisely- For the most productive garden, you want plants that are not fussy growers. If you are looking for flowers to cut, then plants that produce abundant blooms over the whole season would be a good choice. Plants with a once and done might be nice in your mixed border but are not good choices for your cutting garden. If you want abundant peas then look for varieties that can take a little bit of heat for a longer growing season. Do a little research on the best options for prolific blooms and easy to grow vegetables and herbs before making your decisions.

Related: 10 Ways to Get Your Garden Ready For Spring

Habit #2: Daily Garden Time

Growing a beautiful and productive garden is more like a marathon than a sprint. If you give it the all or nothing approach then you might start out with high hopes. But if you don’t take the time to work on it every day, then before long the plants will be overgrown, choked by weeds and less productive. I see this quite frequently with new gardeners. They like the idea of the garden but life gets in the way and before long no one is tending to the plants. Productive gardens take regular, daily maintenance to provide the variety of blooms and food that you want.

This does not have to be an overwhelming process. Even if you can’t garden for long hours each day, you can create a system that incorporates a little time each and every day. Think about when you could squeeze in 10 minutes to work in the cutting garden or in the vegetable area. Maybe 10 minutes when the sun is just bursting over the horizon or a few minutes after dinner each night. As the habit grows, you will find more reasons to get out to the garden. Here are some of the chores you might work on when you head outside.

Daily Chores to Work on:

• Deadhead flowers to keep the plants producing blooms
• Trim off dead plant material
• Pull weeds from your beds
• Monitor for diseases and remove those that you are unable to treat
• Tie up vining plants such as green beans
• Plant new successions such as lettuce and cilantro
• Harvest your produce or cut flowers
• Add mulch to your plants

Habit #3: Read Garden Books and Magazines

This might seem like an unusual garden habit, but reading is crucial to expanding your knowledge. You might choose to read a classic garden book about the fundamentals of garden structure. Maybe you subscribe to a garden magazine to get ideas for new plants and garden art. You might have a favorite garden expert who you follow to learn from. There are so many wonderful books and resources out there to help you learn better garden skills.

Learning is a lifelong process and learning about gardening is no different. Spend regular time reading and your knowledge and your gardening skills will improve immensely. Here are some of my favorite books and magazines that offer valuable education on gardening. This is certainly not an exhaustive list.

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase an item through the link I can earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my Privacy Policy for complete details.

Gardening Literature:

• Sunset’s Western Garden Book
• The Complete Guide to Companion Planting
• The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible
• The Herb Bible
• Cut Flower Garden
• Welcoming Wildlife to the Garden
• The Flower Gardener’s Bible
• Country Garden Magazine
• Birds and Blooms Magazine

Habit #4: Enjoy Your Garden

Gardening shouldn’t be all about work. You want to take the time to get out into your garden for pleasure as well. The garden is such a wonderful, peaceful place so make time to just sit quietly and reflect. Maybe add a water feature that you can enjoy. Add some birdhouses and feeders to attract lovely songbirds. Invite friends over to share the garden. Add the sparkle of lights so you can enjoy the garden at dusk.

Don’t miss this focus and purpose of your garden. Spend time enjoying your garden as well as working in your garden.

Habit #5: Prepare To Fail

At some point in your gardening journey, you are going to fail. If you think that growing a garden is something you are born with think again. Becoming a lifelong gardener is not in your genes like the color of your hair. It’s a process that takes practice…year after year. And I guarantee that you will fail. Maybe you planted the wrong type of tomato and you got nothing from it. Maybe you overwatered your garden and half the plants died. Or you might be on vacation for 2 weeks and the weeds take over while you’re gone.

There are so many ways, large and small that you can potentially fail at gardening. And you will. But that’s okay as long as you learn from your mistakes. Use these mis-steps to continue to expand your knowledge. A garden fail this year can help you better plan for next year. You can turn that mistake and failure into a positive change going forward. Here are a few ways to learn from your failures.

• Keep a Record- You want to remember your mistakes so that you don’t repeat them in the future. That means you need to write them down. Regularly. Don’t try to keep this information in your head. It needs to go on paper, in a journal, in a note section or on your calendar. The place doesn’t matter as much as the act of writing it down.
• Have a Backup- We grow many of our plants from seeds. When you do this it’s easy to have a few extra plants on hand to replant if there is a problem.
• Start a Garden Group- Sometimes we can benefit from other’s failures as well as our own. Consider gathering your gardening friends together to share ideas, seeds, plants, and laughter. There is so much garden wisdom available if you are willing to listen and to share.

Gardening is a journey. You can become a better gardener with practice. Begin to develop good habits and you will see your garden experience and knowledge grow. Slowly over time you can move from being a notive to an expert with lots of garden wisdom to share. I challenge you to put these 5 habits of a productive gardener into place. And little by little you will discover your garden skills are improving. And your love for the garden will grow as well.