Your Garden Deserves Better Advice
Practical gardening guides, expert-backed plant care advice, and seasonal growing strategies for home gardeners. From seed starting to harvest, from soil health to houseplant care, everything a gardener needs in one place.
What We Published This Week
The First 10 Things Experienced Gardeners Do Every Spring Before Planting
That time from when the last really harsh freeze is over until you do your main planting is hugely important; it’s what makes the difference
How to Perform a Simple Jar Test to Determine Soil Type at Home
Knowing if your garden soil is mainly sand, silt, or clay is helpful for all gardeners. This is because it has a big effect on
6 Common Fertilizer Mistakes That Can Harm Plants Instead of Helping Them
People really don’t understand fertilizer when they garden at home. Loads of gardeners think the way to get better growth is to use more fertilizer,
Why Mulch Is the Most Underrated Tool in Every Gardener’s Arsenal
Any one gardening technique that stopped weeds, saved water, kept the soil at a good temperature, stopped soil from washing away, lessened plant illness and
What a Soil Test Actually Reveals and Why Every Gardener Should Do One
It’s like taking medication with no idea of what’s wrong with you when you put fertilizer, lime, sulfur or compost onto your garden soil before
How to Start a Compost Pile That Actually Works-A Straightforward Beginner’s Guide
Gardeners often refer to compost as “black gold,” and with good reason. It’s what happens when you change food leftovers, bits from the garden, and
5 Seed Starting Myths That Waste Time and Money-What Experts Actually Recommend
Actually getting seeds going isn’t hard, yet the amount of advice you’ll find on the internet (and a lot of it that doesn’t agree, is
10 Seeds That Germinate in Less Than a Week-Perfect for Impatient Gardeners
Even gardeners who’ve been doing this for a long time will find their patience tried while waiting for seeds to sprout. Quite a few plants
What Seed Germination Really Requires — and Why Seeds Fail to Sprout
It looks easy for a seed to start growing: you put one in the ground, give it water, and after a little or longer time,
How to Propagate Plants From Stem Cuttings-A Reliable Method for Beginners
It’s really rewarding and doesn’t cost much to start new plants from bits of stem. One good, healthy original plant can make loads of new
How to Save Seeds From This Year’s Garden for Planting Next Season
For as long as people have farmed, they’ve kept seeds, and it’s a really useful thing for today’s gardeners to know how to do. From
8 Common Houseplant Myths That Plant Experts Want You to Stop Believing
You can get houseplant tips all over the place – on social media, at the garden store, or from friends who mean well, but a
How to Start an Indoor Herb Garden That Actually Produces Enough to Cook With
Pretty much any cook loves the thought of having fresh basil, parsley, cilantro, thyme, all right by the cooker. However, for lots of people who
How to Repot a Houseplant Without Killing It-A Step-by-Step Guide
Lots of houseplant people get really worried about repotting. They’re afraid of hurting the roots, getting a pot that isn’t right, or accidentally making things
11 Houseplants That Thrive in Low Light and Require Almost No Maintenance
Most houses don’t have walls of windows and tons of sunlight coming in. North facing apartments, rooms in the middle of a house, offices with
How to Water Houseplants Correctly and Why Most Plant Owners Get It Wrong
Watering is often thought of as the easiest part of looking after houseplants, and it is at its core. However, more houseplants die from being
6 Midsummer Garden Tasks That Experts Say Most Gardeners Neglect
Lots of home gardeners, from late June to early August (when plants are really growing!) get into a rhythm of just getting by with watering,
How to Extend the Growing Season by 6 Weeks Using Simple Row Covers
Why a garden gives you food for four months, but another for six, is often all because of one cheap thing: a floating row cover.