Throughout those warm summer months, your beautiful tropical plants doubled in size and provided eye-candy all season long. You don’t want to throw it all away by simply letting them die during the cold winter. You already know how much sunlight they need, how often to water, amount of nutrients needed, etc. But when overwintering…
Cool fall and winter nights can be a disaster for your plants if you’re not prepared. To protect your plants from the seasonal dips in temperatures, build a cold frame with straw bales. It’s a great way to care for plants in the winter without breaking the bank. 1. Determine your space needs. Group the…
Grow Better Food with Well-Fed Soil Looking to improve soil quality? Then it’s high time to plant cover crops! Cover cropping is a tried-and-true, old-school, economical way to build better soil. And better soil means better fruits, flowers, and veggies. Back in the day, every farmer and backyard gardener knew the benefits of cover crops…
Funky, fun, and fancy — these aren’t your everyday pumpkins! From teeny-tiny to gigantic, white to aqua to gold, pumpkins are everywhere these days, signaling a change of seasons and heralding celebrations to come. These fancy, funky pumpkins can have hefty price tags, too. So you may have been wondering how to grow your own….
So you’ve spent a great deal of time, energy, and cold, hard cash throughout the spring and summer on your garden. And you’ve been richly rewarded with a more beautiful, biodiverse, and bountiful environment. Now fall is in the air, and it’s time to turn your thoughts to colder months and how to protect your…
Container Planting Tips to Make the Most of Your Smart Pots After a successful gardening season, you may wonder what you should do with your Smart Pots during the off-season. There are numerous options. It all depends on you as a grower how you want to care for your Smart Pots during fall and winter…
If you’re thinking about a creating monarch butterfly garden, you’re in good company. There’s a lot of buzz in gardening circles around the topic of pollinator support, and monarch gardens are one way to bring beauty and wonder into your landscape. Plants that attract Monarch butterflies are more readily available than ever before due to…
Red, sweet, juicy strawberries are the definitive taste of summer. Not only does June kick off the summer season, it’s also the month when most strawberries hit the market. So what do you do when your craving for strawberry shortcake or strawberry mojitos hits the roof? Harvest those beautiful, organic strawberries you had the foresight…
Are the dog days of August getting you down? Just the thought of fall garden crops can be refreshing! Figuring out what vegetables to plant in August is a piece of cake. Your county extension office has easy-to-follow lists and tips for fall garden crops. If the office is nearby, drop in. If not, you…
Water, water, everywhere – but what do your plants really need? How, when, and where to water—along with how much – are eternal questions for every gardener. The ‘how much’ will vary from plant to plant, but the how, when, and where are fairly universal. Where – No doubt the most efficient and healthy approach…