Gardening Tips: 20 Things I Wish I'd Known Earlier
The shortcuts that matter, the myths that don't, and the small habits that separate a productive garden from one that always looks like it needs weeding.
The short version
Water in the morning. Plant most things in fall. Mulch everything. Prune by when it blooms (spring bloomers after flowering, summer bloomers in early spring). Compost is cheaper than fertilizer. The cheapest insurance is patience: don't pull a 'weed' until you know it's not a self-sown perennial. Most beginners over-water, over-fertilize, and under-mulch — fix those three and the rest fixes itself.
Water + soil
Water in the morning, deeply but less often. A 30-minute soak twice a week builds deep roots; a 5-minute spritz every day produces shallow roots that fail in the first drought.