The Game-Changing Gardening Tips Seasoned Gardeners Wish They Knew Sooner

The more you garden, the more you understand your plants' and flowers' needs. The health of your plants largely depends on your location, the sunlight your garden receives, and the frequency of watering or rain. Experienced gardeners learn from their errors, discovering what truly helps their garden flourish—sometimes, there's simply no substitute for experience.

One gardener asked on Reddit, "What did you start doing that changed your gardening game completely?" They shared their experience about how they struggled to grow vegetables and flowers due to not watering or fertilizing them enough. "I'm still working on my skills, and every year is a chance to fail at new things and learn new things, but already with some more water and occasional food, my garden is starting happier than ever this year," they wrote.

Many experienced gardeners commented on the Reddit post, sharing the knowledge they have gained over the years. "Honestly, it was picking plants for joy and not to create a color palette or a symmetrical design, or some sophisticated look. I pick (mostly but not exclusively) native perennials that bees and bugs and birds like that I like too and I just go for it," one person wrote. "And when a plant does really well, in the fall, I divide it and now I have more and more! I’ve been filling my beds for the last few years with divided plants that are happy with me. I relaxed and planted for fun and now my garden reflects me as a gardener."

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Others commented similarly, sharing that once they stopped trying to create a "perfect" garden and started choosing plants and vegetables they truly enjoyed, their gardens began to flourish. "Switch to only native or adaptive plants. Game changer. No watering once established unless you want to pump up the blooms. Also way less weeding," one person wrote.

Gardeners also noted that planting things closer together and using the companion planting method proved to be a game-changer for their gardens, providing maximum nutrition to each unique plant. Adding mulch is a popular tip; they noted that it helps with better water retention and managing weeds. "It's basic I know, but it really changed my garden's productivity and my frustration level," one person wrote.

One of the greatest lessons learned among gardeners on the Reddit thread was to focus on the light your garden gets throughout the day and how it changes each season. "There are areas in my garden that get morning light in the spring before the leaves come in (I'm in the northeast, so we have long winters), and for the longest time, I thought I'd never have early spring flowers but discovered this area that's shady in the summer is actually pretty bright in early spring," one person wrote. "I've had gardens in three different homes now, and each one took me about a year to really figure out."