🌱 True or False: Garden Myth Buster

[TEG Project Manager]

Think you know your garden facts? Some of these common gardening “truths” are actually tall tales! Test your green thumb knowledge and see how many myths you can bust. Answers at the bottom – no peeking!

1. Coffee grounds always make the soil more acidic.
[ ] True
[ ] False

2. You should water your plants in the middle of the day to prevent wilting.
[ ] True
[ ] False

3. Epsom salt is a cure-all for plant problems.
[ ] True
[ ] False

4. Talking to your plants can help them grow.
[ ] True
[ ] False

5. Fresh manure is great to put directly on plants.
[ ] True
[ ] False

6. Tomatoes and potatoes can be planted next to each other with no problem.
[ ] True
[ ] False

7. All insects in the garden are bad for plants.
[ ] True
[ ] False

8. You should prune trees only in winter.
[ ] True
[ ] False

9. A bigger pot always means a happier plant.
[ ] True
[ ] False

10. You should remove all leaves from the garden in fall to keep it healthy.
[ ] True
[ ] False

---

Spoiler: ✅ Answers

1. False – Coffee grounds are close to neutral after brewing.
2. False – Watering midday causes more evaporation; early morning is best.
3. False – Epsom salt can help in some cases but isn’t a universal fix.
4. True – Studies suggest vibrations (like talking) may stimulate growth.
5. False – Fresh manure can burn plants; compost it first.
6. False – They can spread diseases like blight to each other.
7. False – Many insects (like ladybugs and bees) are beneficial.
8. False – Some trees benefit from light pruning in other seasons.
9. False – Oversized pots can cause root problems from excess moisture.
10. False – Fallen leaves can protect soil and provide habitat for wildlife.

---

How many myths did you bust? Share your score and which fact surprised you the most!

 

[digitS']

9 out of 10

#9 … for some plants that like to dry a bit and pots with limited drainage — yeah, I guess over-large pots could cause problems for those plants, re: excess moisture.

#10 ... I had the idea about the "correct" answer but, I think it matters what kind of leaves and what problems may have developed in the soil through the growing season. Mulch 12 months out of the year may not always be a good idea if certain disease or pest problems show up. Now, having said that –– I am not the one to diagnose those. My thinking is more based on experience with voles in the garden and committing to end-of-season garden clean-up on property that belonged to others has been successful. I think that the "correct" answer is generally the right idea - tree leaf mulch through the Winter can be a very good thing.

Steve

 

[SPedigrees]

#4 - I'm not sure about the effect of vibrations, but breathing out carbon monoxide while speaking in close proximity to a plant, is furnishing that plant with a needed element.

 

[ducks4you]

1. Coffee grounds always make the soil more acidic.
[X ] True
MILDLY more acidic. They actually work as a mulch and then break down into soil.

2. You should water your plants in the middle of the day to prevent wilting.
[ X] False
HOWEVER, my peppers are full east and right next to the house. Full sun is over by mid day, and I have been watering then when they start to wilt.
Otherwise, the plants don't benefit from a cold water wash, then a heat lamp sun.

3. Epsom salt is a cure-all for plant problems.
[X ] False
There ARE no cure-alls for every plant.
4. Talking to your plants can help them grow.
[ X] True
**Kinda squishy on This one...
5. Fresh manure is great to put directly on plants.
[ X] False
Fresh manure will burn out your vegetables.
Not even rabbit manure should be applied fresh.
Horse manure is safe after 4 months to be used in the garden, then I apply it.
6. Tomatoes and potatoes can be planted next to each other with no problem.
[ X] False

7. All insects in the garden are bad for plants.
[X ] True
HA! Not even all predatory insects are good Or bad.
"All" isn't possible.
8. You should prune trees only in winter.
[X ] False
You can/should prune peach trees mid summer.
9. A bigger pot always means a happier plant.
[X ] False
Many plants Need tight feet.
10. You should remove all leaves from the garden in fall to keep it healthy.
[X ] False
Beneficial insects overwinter in dead leaves. They are insulated as they hibernate.
Pretty Good!! I read the answers after I took the quiz.

 

[SPedigrees]

4. Talking to your plants can help them grow.
[ X] True
**Kinda squishy on This one...

I'm willing to believe that talking to plants could have a beneficial impact, but skeptical that vibrations are the reason. I'd have to see how the research on this was conducted. If the non-control group was subjected to machines emitting vibration and grew better than those in the control group (without exposure to mechanized vibration machines), then I'd buy it. But if exposure was limited to agents talking to the plants, I'd be inclined to believe that CO emissions were the cause.

In my state some marijuana growers spend significant money to pipe in carbon monoxide to their grow rooms, and I recall seeing plans of a non-commercial greenhouse growing flowers that was designed to circulate air from the living quarters of the family to the attached greenhouse and back again via a system of fans to distribute oxygen to humans and CO to plants in the greenhouse.

 

[digitS']

oxygen to humans and CO to plants

CO2

 

[SPedigrees]

CO2

You're correct, and I'm (obviously) no chemist!

 

[R2elk]

#4 - I'm not sure about the effect of vibrations, but breathing out carbon monoxide while speaking in close proximity to a plant, is furnishing that plant with a needed element.

I hope you meant carbon dioxide.

 

[R2elk]

In my state some marijuana growers spend significant money to pipe in carbon monoxide to their grow rooms

I guarantee you that no one is pumping carbon monoxide (deadly poison) to their plants. I am sure they do pump carbon dioxide in.