Before getting too excited, keep in mind that every gardener and farmer, whether they’re beginners or have been doing it for years, faces problems.
Gardening can be a rewarding hobby or business venture. A garden provides a means of growing food, and many people prefer to grow vegetables and fruits right in their backyard.
But if you’re having gardening challenges, you’re not alone. Here are some common vegetable garden problems and solutions:
1. Pests Destroying Plants
Garden pests are at the top of the list of gardening problems when it comes to growing vegetables and other crops. These pests include tomato hornworms, cabbage worms, stink bugs, slugs, aphids, ants, grubs, and others.
If you have garden pests lurking around, you can try some organic methods for getting rid of harmful insects and related pests. These include soapy water, baking soda spray, diatomaceous earth, and neem oil.
You can also make use of pest-repelling plants.
2. Weeds
Gardeners also deal with weeds from time to time. Fortunately, there are a few natural ways to eliminate weeds from your garden.
For example, you can use newspaper and put organic mulch on top to hold it down. You could also pull weeds out by hand or use vinegar to kill the weeds, among other DIY methods.
3. Poor Soil
One major challenge many have encountered while planting is poor soil.
If your vegetable garden is dying or your crops are growing slowly, you might have major soil problems. All plants need healthy soil in order to thrive.
Mulch and organic compost are both great ways of improving soil quality. It’s also a good idea to test the soil to see what nutrients are missing.
pH (potential hydrogen) testing is also vital. You can buy an inexpensive soil pH testing kit for this purpose.
4. Seeds Not Sprouting
If your seed hasn’t sprouted yet, it might just need more time to germinate. Also, make sure you plant seeds at the right time for your climate, and don’t hesitate to replant if needed.
Next, check the moisture level in the soil. If it’s too dry, give it some water. If it’s too wet, the seeds might have rotted, and replanting might also be necessary.
Birds could also be a problem. They love seeds and might have eaten yours. In that case, replanting is necessary. To prevent this from happening again, consider using birdnetting or covering the seeds with a container.
Lastly, don’t forget to check the expiration dates on your seed packets. If you’re using seeds from a previous season, make sure they’re no more than a year or two old. As seeds age, their germination rate decreases. If you suspect your seeds were too old, it’s time to replant with fresh ones.
5. Plant Disease
Diseases—from powdery mildew to bacterial canker—are among the plant problems farmers encounter [1]. Fortunately, there are ways to prevent plant diseases from occurring.
- Check your plants for diseases before you bring them home and plant them.
- Water plants in the morning to help keep them healthy.
- Water the soil, not the foliage.
- Control insects, as some insects can spread plant diseases.
- Space crops properly and practice crop rotation.
- Use organic fertilizers to boost plant immunity.
6. Blossom End Rot
This is a condition that occurs mostly in tomato plants and is caused by calcium deficiency. It happens mostly if there are uneven soil moisture levels and the plant is unable to take up enough water and calcium.
To help fix blossom end rot, ensure your soil doesn’t dry out or gets too much water. You can also supply your plants with calcium naturally by adding crushed eggshells to the soil.
7. Plants Look Visibly Burnt
If your plants look visibly burned or slightly parched, it likely means that the leaves are getting too much sunlight.
Try moving the plants if they’re in a container. If not, try using shade cloth throughout the garden.
Planting some shrubs and trees around the garden to help provide shade can also be a long-term solution.
8. Leaves Curling Up
If your plant’s leaves appear distorted (curled or puckered), it might be due to wilt disease, which affects the plant’s vascular system.
If you suspect this, remove the plant immediately. To prevent this in the future, practice crop rotation each year and choose disease-resistant varieties when possible.
Mealybugs could also be the culprit. You can get rid of mealybugs organically by spraying the plant with insecticidal soap or neem oil.
You can read about other ways to deal with leaf curl in the linked article.
9. Brown Spots on Leaves
Typically, brown spots that show up on leaves could be because of too much or too little watering, dry air, or too much sunlight.
Brown spots can also appear on leaves due to too-cold temperatures and, in some cases, a nutrient deficiency.
Try watering evenly. Also, plant crops in the right climate and use a balanced fertilizer.
10. White Spots on Leaves
When leaves are covered in a white, powdery coating, the most common culprit is powdery mildew. This is a fungal disease that affects many plants.
White spots can also show up when you have spider mites in the garden or other insects such as whiteflies, aphids, or mealybugs.
Try a natural solution of a gallon of lukewarm water mixed with one teaspoon of organic liquid soap and spray it on plant leaves.
You can also purchase an organic pesticide and/or fungicide to help deal with this plant issue.
11. Plants Not Producing Fruit
Crops failing to produce fruits is another of the major garden challenges.
If you have plants that aren’t producing any fruit, you may have an issue where they are not getting enough nutrients. It may also be a lack of pollination.
Try adding some organic fertilizer to the soil around plant roots.
You can also try pollinating the blossoms. This can be done with hand-pollination techniques [2], such as using a small brush or shaking the plant gently.
12. Not Enough Space
Another of the problems faced by farmers is land space, which is always an issue for enthusiastic agriculturalists.
However, there’s a way to make plants grow in very little space: the container gardening method. Many vegetables, like kale and arugula, grow well in containers.
You can also make use of vertical gardening. Pumpkins, for example, can be planted in a pot and channeled to grow on a fence.
13. Plants Look Weak
When plants seem weak, it’s possible you have watered too much, underwatered, or they are not getting enough sunlight. A lack of nutrients could also be an issue, as well as pest or disease problems.
Ensure that plants get 6 to 8 hours of sunlight during the day. Additionally, give plants the right amount of water as per the plant’s watering needs.
Watch out for pests and plant diseases, and fertilize with the right fertilizer and required amount.
14. Too Much or Too Little Sun
Each plant has its own daily sunlight requirement.
Tomatoes, for example, need more than 6 hours of direct sunlight to produce fruit. Kale, on the other hand, needs as little as 4 hours of direct sunlight per day to grow healthily.
A good way to know which plant requires what amount of sunlight is to read the back of the seed packet.
15. Plants Appear to be Wilting
If your plants appear to be wilting, it’s more than likely they’re suffering from too little water. This happens when the roots aren’t providing enough moisture to the leaves and stems.
Wilting can often be fixed by adjusting the amount of water you’re giving crops. If the soil feels dry, water a bit more.
16. Black Spots on Leaves
This is another very common one, especially in climates that tend to be hot and humid. Black spots on leaves are usually caused by the black spot fungus, also known as Diplocarpon rosae [3].
Essentially, black spot fungus starts to develop in the spring when temperatures rise and the planting space has been wet for multiple hours at a time.
This problem can be treated with organic fungicides such as these.
17. Plants Don’t Seem to be Growing
Nothing is more frustrating than starting a garden only to find your plants aren’t growing properly, or worse, they’re not growing at all.
More often than not, this is caused by improper soil preparation where the roots struggle to get nutrients and oxygen. It could also be a result of overwatering or underwatering.
Make sure the soil is tilled properly. This will help them spread their roots. Also, try to understand your plant’s watering requirements and supply the right amount of nutrients and quantity.
18. Holes in Plant Leaves
This is most likely caused by pests eating the leaves. Plant pests such as slugs and snails, beetles, caterpillars, and even birds may be casing those holes in plant leaves.
Therefore, inspect leaves properly and put measures in place to get rid of plant pests.
Takeaway
A garden can grow beautifully when cared for with proper sunlight, irrigation, and, of course, time and effort. We all face plant troubles from time to time; it happens to the best cultivators.
Therefore, stay on the lookout for the common issues encountered by growers listed above and address them as soon as you notice the signs. We hope the tips here will help you get most of your gardening problems answered.
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