ARTICLES

Maximize your cottage garden harvest by mastering cut-and-come-again varieties.

Plants slow down in winter, requiring less water, fertilizer, and specific light and humidity adjustments.

Soil moisture meters measure electrical conductance, not water directly. Here is what to look for in probe length, display type, and accuracy, plus why you should ignore the built-in pH sensor.

Garden tags can be confusing. Here is how to translate terms like Part Sun, Full Shade, and Dappled Light into actual hours and conditions for your home garden.

Revitalize overcrowded perennials by dividing them.

October is a solid time to split perennials to keep plants manageable, perk up tired clumps, and increase your stock.

Start in late September or early October to time blooms for the holidays.

Grow fresh basil, mint, and rosemary indoors with the right pot, soil mix, and light.

Malabar spinach is a heat-loving vine that provides steady leaves in warm weather when regular spinach bolts.

Preserve the peak flavor of your summer herbs by harvesting before they bloom and using low-heat drying methods.

A practical guide to Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for home gardeners, focusing on prevention, identification, and targeted intervention rather than blanket eradication.

Get the most out of your strawberry patch by following this seasonal care routine.

Apply organic mulch in a donut shape around the drip line to retain moisture, suppress weeds, and boost immunity.

Learn to pair plants that support each other's growth while avoiding combinations that cause disease or inhibit development.

Extend your growing season by planting cool-weather crops from August through mid-September.

Fall planting gives roots a head start before winter.

Get your garden ready for big garlic heads by planting cloves in the fall.

Keep salad bowls full all season by staggering your planting schedule.

Planting spring bulbs in October sets the stage for a garden full of blooms.

Set up a nutrient-rich planting area with minimal soil disturbance by layering cardboard, compost, and mulch.

Grow new plants at no cost by taking stem or leaf cuttings.

Grow more houseplants from cuttings using water or soil.

Pruning fruit trees is about timing, technique, and knowing your tree's habits.

Pruning summer-bearing red raspberries is essential for controlling disease, preventing overcrowding, and ensuring a solid harvest.

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the standard for deciding which plants will survive winter, but it has limits. Here is how to use it, what the 2023 update means, and when to look for other data.

Transplant shock is essentially water stress caused by root disturbance.

Sow poppies, larkspur, sweet peas, and cornflowers in fall to build strong roots and get earlier spring blooms.

Square Foot Gardening is a practical method for maximizing yield in small spaces with minimal labor.

Start seeds 6-8 weeks before the last frost using sterile soil, bottom watering, and supplemental light.

Plant zinnias, sunflowers, and dahlias at the right time using succession planting and proper spacing to ensure a steady supply of blooms from early summer until the first frost.

Leafy greens like lettuce, spinach, and kale suffer in high heat, often bolting or turning bitter.

Cooler temps and shorter days are solid for leafy greens, roots, and brassicas.

Get a solid spring show by planting bulbs in the fall.

Water propagation is a reliable method for multiplying pothos plants.

Strawberries naturally spread through runners, horizontal stems that form new plantlets.

A practical guide to diagnosing and treating root rot.

October is the time to sow spinach, lettuce, kale, radishes, garlic, and peas.

Time your planting for warm soil and air to get the most out of tomatoes, peppers, and squash.

Keep your harvest going all summer by staggering plantings.

A practical guide to understanding and nurturing the soil microbiome for better nutrient cycling, disease suppression, and crop yields.

A practical guide to selecting, building, and managing a cold frame, covering siting, materials, ventilation strategies, and suitable crops for extended growing seasons.

Actionable guidance on planting windows, soil science, and care steps to establish strong roots before winter, including notes on source disagreements regarding specific plants and mulch depths.