Today's Topic and Podcast Episode

Don't make these mistakes when planting your garden bulbs this fall! Learn bulb planting misconceptions in this quick, informative podcast.

What You’ll Learn:

  • 3 common fall bulb planting mistakes made by beginning gardeners.
  • Recommendations for beautiful bulbs and helpful tools to purchase.
  • Links for further resources or education.
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Bulb Planting Mistakes

We’ve all been there before. We’re excited to try something new to either improve our landscape or add beauty to our yard, without realizing that we may have bitten off more than we could chew, so to speak.

Fall bulb planting could be a prime example of this. At least, it is for many beginning gardeners. This quick podcast will cover what NOT to do as you get ready to plant your fall bulbs. We won’t, however, cover specific how-to steps to plant your bulbs in this episode.

Due to so many questions from our audience about bulb planting this fall, we created this quick, easy fall bulb guide, “7 Popular Bulbs to Plant This Fall,” to help you figure out which bulbs to plant this fall and how to plant them correctly.

Read on below to learn about common mistakes for planting garden bulbs as well as some awesome tools and supplies you may need to get started.

Mistake #1

You can drop bulbs in the ground without any thought of orientation or placement. WRONG!The CORRECTION: There are specific ways to place and plant bulbs. Listen to find out more!

Mistake #2

It’s not ok to mix fertilizer with soil inside the planting hole with each bulb before burying it. You can add fertilizer, but it depends on how you apply it.

The CORRECTION: Mixing synthetic fertilizer into the planting hole with the soil can put the bulb in direct contact with the fertilizer which can burn and damage that bulb’s tissues.

If you’re wanting to use a specific bulb fertilizer product, use it with it’s intended use.

Like this Bulb Tone from Espoma Organics.

Mistake #3

All bulbs are planted in the fall. NEGATIVE! The CORRECTION: There are two kinds of general bulbs on when they flower; in the spring or in the summer. If they flower in the spring, then generally they are planted in the preceding fall. If they flower in the summer, then they generally are planted in the spring.

For more information, listen to the podcast!

Popular Bulbs to Plant This Fall

By the way, we only suggest products that we have used ourselves or that have been highly recommended by other gardeners or landscape professionals.

For all the bulbs we’ve recommended, we have a deal for you through one of our favorite suppliers,  Eden Brothers.

When you get to the Eden Brothers checkout, because we are affiliates (which means we receive a small commission at no cost to you which helps us run our website and podcast), use our special coupon code “SPOKEN” for an extra 15% off your order!!

Bulb Planting Tools and Books

Now that you’re ready to attack your bulb planting CORRECTLY, you may be wondering what tools you could use to plant your bulbs. Luckily, you will only need a few new tools to get the job done. Below we have gathered a few tools and supplies as well as a couple of books that we thought would be useful for you as you prepare to plant your garden bulbs this fall.

We have two tool options for you to consider:

If you want to get some exercise, be one with nature, and hand-dig all your new bulb holes, this Tabor Tools 3-piece bulb planting tool set is perfect for you.

This toolset includes a bulb planter, a dibber, and a transplanter.

The premarked depths on the planter make it really easy to ensure the correct bulb-planting depth which we really appreciate.

This hand-digging method using these tools will take you a bit of time on your hands and knees digging holes (again, depending on how many bulbs you need to plant).

However, if you want to save some time, then you need to consider this other tool!

This bulb and bedding plant auger. You will still get some exercise, but if you have less time to work in the yard and/or you have tons of bulbs to plant (like we do this year), then this drill bit is EXACTLY what you need!

Using the 3/8 drill bit, this tool can dig holes in all kinds of dirt in so much less time!

Other Recommended Supplies:

Bulb Planting Books

Once you plant your new bulbs, you’ll have some time to learn more about what you planted. Or, maybe you need some help planting them correctly to ensure that they actually pop up next spring season!

These books below are great educational references, and spoiler alert….one of these books is ours. We wanted to introduce you to our small eGuide about bulb planting because we think it is really helpful and pretty reasonably priced!

The other book is a fantastic resource that you should have in your collection anyway since you have plants and flowers in your yard!

Get your FREE copy of our eBook, How to Plant Your Garden Bulbs  for a more in-depth bulb planting guidance.

American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers

This is a great reference guide for tons of different perennial and annual plants from the American Horticultural Society.

Thanks for Listening!

That’s all for this podcast episode! You can find other beginning gardener topics on
our podcast page by clicking here or go to SpokenGarden.com and click on the “Listen” tab. Also find us on your favorite podcast platform and smart speaker!

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