Gardening Advice
September 17, 2020
With fall’s arrival, the flowering plants are slowing down. If you have a favorite annual flower (or perennial) that bloomed beautifully, save their seeds to plant next year! Here’s how to save flower seeds.
Why Save Flower Seeds
Saving seeds can simply help us grow better plants! If you have grown a flower with desirable traits, you’ll want to plant that flower again! We also know that planting flowers can be hit or miss, so this lets you pass along a successful plant. Save seeds of any flower... more
September 15, 2020
Plant a fall vegetable garden—to extend the growing season and your harvest. See our fall planting guide on the benefits of a fall garden, when to plant a fall garden, and the must-grow autumn crops.
In late summer, you might think the garden is winding down, but this is the perfect (and easy) time to bring in those wonderful cool-weather vegetables.
Why Plant a Fall Garden
I love fall gardening—less pests, less watering and weeding, and more pleasant weather conditions.
In warmer regions,... more
September 15, 2020
Choose plants that reseed themselves for years of bloom. Here’s our list of 20 annual and perennial flowers that are self-sowing. And if you are busy deadheading your flowers—stop! Take a look at the seed heads you are cutting off. Towards late summer, allow some of the seed heads ripen until they turn brown and split open.
Your Self-Seeding Garden
The seed heads of plants are like salt shakers full of tiny seeds. When the capsules split open, scatter the seeds anywhere you would like them to... more
September 14, 2020
Garlic is incredibly useful in the kitchen and surprisingly easy to grow in the garden. The best time to plant it is in the fall. Learn how and when to plant garlic so that you can maximize your harvest!
When to Plant garlic
Fall is traditionally the best time to plant garlic in most regions. A good rule of thumb is to not plant garlic until after the autumnal equinox in late September. Just like onions and other plants in the Allium family, garlic is sensitive to daylength and matures during... more
September 11, 2020
When do you plant flowers in the garden? It depends! Is it a perennial flower, annual flower, or bulb? Is it frost-sensitive or not? As with vegetables, there’s a right and a wrong time to plant your favorite flowers. See our When to Plant Flowers charts with information on when to start seeds and when transplant young plants outdoors.
Different plants need a different amount of lead time before they are ready to transplant into the garden. Starting too soon can result in a weak, lanky plant,... more
September 10, 2020
The apple harvest is in full swing, and every year we are blessed with more apples than we can eat. I make lots of applesauce and apple crisp and freeze bags of peeled and spiced apples. This winter they will be ready to plunk into a pie crust and bake. But there is one thing I have yet to make at home—cider.
As a young woman, many moons ago, I worked at an orchard that made its own cider and fell in love with freshly squeezed apple cider. Every batch was a little different depending on the... more
September 3, 2020
Fall is the best time to prepare your soil for next year’s garden! Every year, it’s important to replace the soil’s nutrients that were used up over the summer and add any needed soil amendments to break down over the winter. We always say, gardening is all about the soil. So let’s get to it …
If you’re new to gardening (or maybe not so new), we’ll let you in on a secret that often takes folks a few years to figure out: Healthy soil means healthy plants.
Just like humans who need food, plants... more
September 1, 2020
The blooming of the bearded irises is something I eagerly await each spring. This year, I made a mental note that I should divide and replant the irises after flowering. That time is now! Here’s how to divide irises—with step-by-step pictures.
Even though my irises were planted years ago and are terribly overgrown, the blossoms were still gorgeous this spring. But dividing bearded irises every three to five years allows the clump to rejuvenate and bloom better (not to mention a way to multiply... more
August 24, 2020
What can you do to protect your yard from fire? Learn about “firescaping”—with 11 natural steps to help protect your property and make it less vulnerable to fire, especially if you live in a high-risk area.
Western wildfires are at historic levels, destroying over a million acres of land. That’s more than the size of Delaware. Tens of thousands of people in California have had to evacuate their homes, not knowing if they will have a house to go back to. These fires burn everything in their... more
August 24, 2020
Even just a few pots of herbs indoors can supply you with wonderful flavors at your fingertips year-round. All you need is a sunny windowsill or grow lights. Here are seven herbs that will grow well indoors and provide you with beauty, flavor, and scents into winter!
Everyone has some herbs that they can’t do without. We’re big fans of fresh basil, rosemary, and oregano. Herbs are easy to love, because they add flavor to foods—and a lovely scent to the kitchen.
These herbs can be grown indoors... more
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Get inspired by Robin Sweetser’s backyard gardening tips and tricks. Robin has been a contributor to The Old Farmer’s Almanac and the All-Seasons Garden Guide for many years. She and her partner Tom have a small greenhouse business and also sell plants, cut flowers, and vegetables at their local Farmer’s Market.
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