Welcome to Garden Myths – We are the Garden Myth Busters!
Our Goal: to provide correct gardening information and make you a better gardener.
Our Process: We research topics and examine scientific studies to bust gardening myths. Then we provide FREE blog posts.
Our Experience:
The author of most posts, Robert Pavlis, has 50 years of gardening experience, is an award-winning author of 11 gardening books, holds an M.Sc. in chemistry and biochemistry, teaches numerous gardening courses, and has written articles for many popular magazines such as Mother Earth News.
Robert’s Plant Science for Gardeners book won the Independent Publisher Book Award for Science in 2024.
In 2025, Roberts’ book, Food Science for Gardeners, won the International Book Award for the Home and Garden category.
Our Guarantee:
- The information on this site is more accurate than most other gardening sites. If you find an error and let us know in the comments, and we’ll correct it immediately.
- None of the information is created by AI – we prefer real people.
- All of the information is science-based.
Start Here:
Start by selecting from one of these popular categories, and enjoy the site (click on image).
Hi,
I just came across your site, first let me say, kudos for holding out against AI!
Secondly, though I lack your vast experience, I too have been using ProMix, specifically for my Container Gardens, and have been very satisfied.
This said, I am an older widow, on a tight budget. When I first began buying ProMix Compressed Pack, Premium Moisture Potting Mix (Red Bag, Expands to 2 Cubic Ft.)
it was approximately $10. a bag. Now, at $19.98 a bag, it has doubled in cost.
Perhaps you could tell me if the ProMix Compressed Pack, Premium Moisture Potting Mix is
available in either a larger, more economical size bag, or, in bulk quantities, at a discount. Thank you for your time, any information you could provide would be greatly appreciated.
Deb (Ginky’s Garden)
God evening. I have suckers coming from my cherry tree. I Have watched your video around using roundup and painting the stub after pruning. Will this not kill my cherry tree (the mother of the suckers) also? The suckers are with 3-8 feet from my tree. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.
I would not use Roundup to treat suckers at the base of a tree. But the ones I treated in the video were 5 or more feet from the trees and did not harm them. You are not applying enough chemical to affect a big tree.
Wow! What an awesome and amazing resource this site provides for this novice gardener. Thank you. -j
Hello, Wondering if you are aware that UK Landscape Architect Bunny Guinness (and friend to King Charles) highlights your book “Soil Science” in her latest video on YouTube in which she discusses soil amendments – the good and the bad. High praise indeed.
Thank you. I have seen the video.
I also helped her with a Telegraph article and we have just done a podcast together.
https://www.gardenmyths.com/podcast-with-bunny-guinness-growing-nutritious-food/
I would like some discussion of the phytomicrobiome in the context of gardening myths. Thank you.
Did you really really mean “Dozens of people castrated me…” it did you mean to say “castigated” in your post about planting by the moon?
It is correct as written.
first class ! i am a bit annoyed with myself attentively and uncritically listening all these years to “experts”, repeating their intuitive but often baseless ideas. in most other matters i am much more skeptical. lots of people wasting a lots of time complying with all but baseless rituals ….
Thank you for helping me sort through what works and what is “bs”
Surrey BC 🇨🇦
how big of a test hole do i need to dig to see if i need a liner or not? width and depth?
Any width, as deep as you plan to have the pond.
Consider joining our FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/buildingnaturalponds/
I made my own weed killer and bug spray with vinegar and other ingredients. I somehow like an idiot labeled them wrong. The bug killer with salt vinegar soap I sprayed on my raised bed garden. Something was eating the leaves. Within 20 minutes it worked. My plants started wilting and dying. My granddaughter’s was hit the worst! I got my water hose and soaked all the plants really good. This morning I ran my sprinkler. Will the expensive organic soil in the planters need to be replaced? Can I add more soil! I’m going to get new plants, especially for my granddaughters Thanks
re: “Will the expensive organic soil in the planters need to be replaced?” – the idea that soil is organic is an imagined concept. It is organic if you think it is organic. From a plants perspective there is no such thing as organic soil.
The ingredients in vinegar and salt are always in soil – organic soil as well as non-organic soil. You just added a bit more than normal. Bacteria will quickly take care of the acetate, and watering will wash the salt out.