Outside of his professional life, Dr. Jonathan Vrban enjoys planting and growing in his garden. Jonathan Vrban also spends his spare time cooking and baking. Jon Vrban has planted a continuous kitchen garden for the past 7 years.

Gardening can be an enjoyable pastime or lucrative profession depending on an individual’s desires and level of commitment. One of the most common mistakes a first-time gardener makes involves being overly ambitious. Keeping alive an entire garden is a full-time job that demands patience, vigilance, knowledge, and even luck. An initial garden should be carefully, and realistically, planned.

Improper soil preparation is another hallmark of a first-time gardener. In fact, some individuals fail to realize that plants cannot be simply buried in any patch of dirt and expected to grow and thrive. In reality, soil requires almost as much attention as the flowers and vegetables that grow in it. Exact preparation depends on the plants to be grown, but gardeners should begin treating the soil as early in the spring as possible. The soil should then be left to rest until the weather is warm enough for planting.