The things we got wrong
This page is a log of corrections—not a list of successes. A gardening site that tells you what it got wrong is rare, but it’s the only way to prove it’s serious. Every mistake here is real, and every fix is permanent.
You’ll find no ‘lessons learned’ or ‘growth opportunities.’ Just the failures that mattered, how they were caught, and who made it right. If you’re reading this and thinking *‘I’d have noticed that,’* you’re exactly the kind of gardener we want here.
Three we had to fix
These are the mistakes that changed how this site works. They’re not the only ones—but they’re the ones that cost us readers, trust, or time in the soil. The rest are still being fixed.
The wrong planting depth chart
- 1Seed depth by species
The chart on our ‘Starting Seeds Indoors’ page said marigolds needed ¼-inch depth, but every seedling I tested died before sprouting. Turns out, marigolds hate being buried—they need *light* to trigger germination. The chart stayed up for six months before a reader emailed screenshots of their failed trays. Ira Tremblay fixed it by hand-measuring every seed’s size and adjusting the depth range. No more guesswork.
- 2The compost pH myth
Our ‘Soil Prep for Vegetables’ guide claimed compost alone would balance acidic soil. A subscriber in Oregon sent photos of their blueberry bushes turning yellow despite ‘following our advice.’ The real fix? A soil test revealed the compost was *adding* to the acidity. Ira Tremblay rewrote the section to include pH test links and a warning: ‘Compost is food, not medicine.’ The old version had been live for nine months.
- 3The ‘foolproof’ trellis guide
Our ‘DIY Trellis for Tomatoes’ tutorial promised a 20-minute build with PVC pipes and zip ties. A reader in Michigan sent a video of their trellis collapsing under 5-pound tomatoes. The zip ties had stretched. Ira Tremblay scrapped the guide, replaced it with a materials checklist (‘No plastic ties—use galvanized wire or twine’) and added a weight-test warning. The old version had been shared 300 times before the fix.
What those three changed
These mistakes forced us to build rules that now run the site. No more assumptions about soil, seeds, or structures—just what actually works in a real garden.
Rules that came from mistakes
- 1. Test before you teach. Every planting depth, soil amendment, and DIY project must be tried in three different conditions (climate, soil type, seed batch) before it’s published. *Came from:* The wrong planting depth chart.
- 2. Name the limits. If a method fails under X conditions, say so. No ‘works for most people’—only ‘works if your soil pH is 6.5±0.3 and your tomatoes weigh under 8 oz.’ *Came from:* The compost pH myth.
- 3. Show the failure. Every ‘how-to’ now includes a photo of the worst-case outcome (e.g., a snapped trellis, a seedling rotted in the dark) with the caption ‘What *not* to do.’ *Came from:* The ‘foolproof’ trellis guide.
The people behind this
Meet Ira Tremblay, the founder and only writer here. You’ve just read about the mistakes that define this site—and now you know why they’re here: because he made them. That’s how you spot a gardener who’s actually dug in the dirt, not just read about it.
Keeping a log like this is uncomfortable. It means admitting you don’t know everything, and that some of what you *did* know was wrong. But the alternative—pretending you’ve got it all right—is worse. A garden lies to you every season, and so does a site that won’t show its scars.
The mistake that’s not here? The time Ira swore he’d mastered pruning roses—only to snap off half a bush in one swing. His neighbor, a retired horticulturist, laughed and said, ‘You’re using shears like a chainsaw.’ He still flinches when he hears rustling in the bushes.
That’s the sound of a gardener who’s been humbled, not one who’s never tried.
If you find something we got wrong, don’t email. Walk through your garden, notice what’s thriving (or not), and tell us on the contact page. The next log entry might be yours.
There will be a next one
This list isn’t finished. Gardening is a series of corrections—some you notice, some you don’t. When you find one, the contact page is where to send it. No screenshots, no anger. Just the facts: what didn’t work, and why. We’ll fix it, update the log, and move on.
That’s how a garden stays alive.
The guides are grouped by category: Advice, Aphids, Blooming, Companion Plants, Container Gardens and Orchid Care.