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Gardening Advice
The days are getting longer and the light is getting stronger. Both signal to your houseplants that it is time to get growing. If your plants are looking leggy and tired after a long winter, revive them by giving them a haircut. They will reward you with healthy new, compact growth. Here’s how to prune houseplants.Prune or pinch?Basically whether you prune or pinch depends on the size…
Potatoes can take up quite a bit of space in your garden. One solution is to grow potatoes in containers! Gardeners have had success growing spuds in everything from trash cans to burlap bags. Learn how to plant potatoes in pots and, importantly, how to harvest these tasty little treasures!You can start growing potatoes in pots in early spring! Wait at least 2 weeks after the last spring…
If you saved dahlia tubers from last year, early spring is the time to see how your stored dahlias are coping and to throw away any tubers that show signs of rotting. When you’re ready to unpack and replant your tubers, here’s a refresher on how to do it!
Check Tubers in Early Spring
First, check your dahlias again in early spring to see if they are too wet or too dry or just right.…
Want your seeds to germinate faster? Seedling heat mats really work! They’re a cheap, compact alternative to a greenhouse, too. Learn more about how these warming pads not only get you a quick start but also help your plants perform better.If you are lucky enough to have a car with heated seats, you understand the value of bottom heat, and when trying to get seeds to germinate, bottom…
Seeds must “germinate” for gardens to exist. But what makes a seed germinate? There are a few key things that make seeds sprout successfully, but if you ignore them, you may have poor germination. Robin helps us understand how seeds germinate.Instead of buying starter plants, many gardeners prefer to grow their own from seed. Rather than the limited selection of plants offered at your local…
Are you a fan of sugar snap peas? You’re in luck. A couple years ago, I planted a disease-resistant version of the beloved ‘Sugar Snap’ pea and the yield was excellent—plus, all the pods were the fat, crunchy ones we have come to love! Learn more about sugar snap peas and how to plant this spring crop.I always tell myself that I’ll plant my snap peas at the first sight of the bare earth…
Cabbage worms can be devastating to an otherwise-healthy garden. Here are a few things you might not know about these garden pests, as well as several ways to keep your plants safe from them. Remember: Knowledge is power!Bad News ButterfliesEveryone loves butterflies, but there is one butterfly that I bet you don’t love, especially if you are trying to grow broccoli, kale, cabbage…
Have a favorite heirloom tomato or bean? Want to try saving their seeds to use again next year? If so, success depends on enough distance between plantings. If you’re prepared to do it right, you’ll avoid disappointment. Here are distances between common vegetables for seed-saving.The first rule of seed-saving is that you must select “open-pollinated” vegetables such as heirlooms and not…
For centuries, gardeners took their cues for planting times from nature—a field of knowledge called phenology. For instance, one piece of advice said to “plant potatoes when the first dandelion blooms.” Learn more about planting by nature’s signs—and see more examples!Most of us may not be familiar with the term, “phenology,” even though it’s been part of The Old Farmer’s Almanac culture for…
A hot, dry summer can be tough on gardens, but lawns are suffering as well. If yours looks like the winner of an ugly lawn contest, don’t despair: There are a few things you can do to help it recover and improve its looks for next year.Start with healthy soil. Fall is the perfect time for a soil test to see what nutrients yours is lacking and fertilize accordingly. Add lime or wood ashes if…
Flowers are starting to appear for sale in the garden centers—and that means pansies. Get to know this old-fashioned “flower with a face” and discover 10 different varieties!Growing PansiesOften, gardeners overlook pansies as being temporary “throw-away” plants, but most are actually half-hardy annuals, which means that you should get at least two seasons of bloom from them.…
When there’s snow on the ground, it’s easy to see who has been visiting the garden when we’re not looking. This week, we discovered a number of white-tailed deer. Here are tips for identifying your winter visitors and coexisting with wildlife.Deer are on the move. The first inkling we had that they were in our yard was when the 7-foot-tall plastic mesh fence surrounding the vegetable garden…
