Planting a Garden Articles

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Ready to plant your garden? Whether you’re a beginner gardener or experienced, start your visit here for growing guides, advice on vegetable garden planning for beginners, garden seed catalog lists, and more!

Seedling in Hands

Preparing Soil for Planting

It starts with the soil! A gorgeous garden is built on rich, fertile soil. It’s the foundation of...
Vegetable Gardens

Over 20 Vegetable Garden Layout Ideas

Here are over 20 FREE garden plans for you to look at and take inspiration from—including backyard...
Girl in Tomato Garden

Vegetable Gardening for Beginners

Ready to jump into gardening? It can be daunting at first, but gardening is an incredibly rewarding...
Tomatoes

Vegetable Growing Guide

In one handy chart, the Almanac Vegetables Growing Guide summarizes when start seeds indoor and...
Cabbage Seedlings

Starting Seeds Indoors: How and When to Start Seeds

Learn how to start seeds indoors, when to start seeds indoors, and which vegetable seeds should be...
Vegetable Basket

Top 10 Tips on Garden Planning for Beginners

Want to start your first vegetable garden? How hard can it be? Just stick a few seeds in the ground...
Seed Packets in Pot

Free Garden Seed Catalogs and Plant Catalogs

It may feel like winter but the garden season begins in December with the arrival of the seed...
Direct Seeding

Sowing Seeds in the Vegetable Garden

Most vegetables are started from seed sown directly in the garden. This is often called “direct...
USDA Plant Hardiness Zones.png

What Are Plant Hardiness Zones?

Exactly which USDA hardiness zone are you in? Plant hardiness zones—also known as planting zones or...
Fields Aerial

Cooperative Extension Services

Got gardening questions? You can always ask the Almanac, but you should also know about your own...
Butterfly-Friendly Gardening

Butterfly Gardening

Letting all that milkweed grow around my yard has paid off, and we have some monarch butterfly...
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No-Dig Gardening | No-Till Gardening

Tired of the garden shovel? Sore from pulling weeds every day? Discover how no-dig gardening can ...
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Vegetables That Grow Well in Shade

A shady yard shouldn’t keep anyone, especially beginners, from growing vegetables! Most crops need...
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How to Grow Cabbages From Planting to Harvest

For some gardeners, vegetable plot isn’t complete without that ever-dependable staple: cabbage! You...
Catnip and Cat

Planting Calming Herbs for You and Your Garden

We are living in uncertain times that can cause even the calmest person to experience some anxiety...
Hoverfly on Zinnia

10 Ways You Can Help Pollinators in Your Backyard

Insects are responsible for one out of every three bites of food. With new reports showing...
Seedling

Tips for Transplanting Seedlings

Are you ready for the first big hurdle of the gardening season? Here’s how to make sure that your...
Victory Gardens

Victory Gardens Born Out of Coronavirus Quarantine

The fight against coronavirus has been likened to a war—some have even referred to it as “World War...
Cold Frame with Lettuce

How to Build a Cold Frame

Learn how to make a cold frame for the garden with these tips. When those first frosts of fall hit...
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How to Choose the Best Potatoes to Grow in Your Garden

Home-grown potatoes have home-grown taste. But what type and variety of potato should you be...
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How to Grow Leeks From Sowing to Harvest

Leeks are a hardy, no-fuss plant that can be seeded outdoors about the time of the last spring...
Garden Peas

When to Plant Peas

When to plant garden peas? “Plant peas as soon as the ground can be worked” is a popular saying in...
Embedded thumbnail for 10 Things We Wish We'd Known Before Starting a Garden

10 Things We Wish We'd Known Before Starting a Garden

Starting a new vegetable garden from scratch? Here are 10 things we wish that we had known before...
Embedded thumbnail for How to Grow Onions From Sowing to Harvest

How to Grow Onions From Sowing to Harvest

Onions are a must-grow vegetable planted early in the spring. You can get a goodly harvest for a...
Moon Cherry Flowers

Gardening by the Moon

Gardening by the Moon is a great way to plan your garden. Many of our readers follow the age-old...
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3 Garden Planning Mistakes to Avoid

Ready to start garden planning? Here’s a timely video with three normal mistakes gardeners make...
Garden Seeds

Ordering Garden Seeds

Here at the Almanac, we love to cozy up with some good garden seed catalogs, especially in the...
Raised Beds Crop Rotation

Crop Rotation Tips for Vegetable Gardens

If you grow your tomatoes in the same garden bed year after year, you will notice an increase in...
planting-growing-turnips

Turnips

Turnips are cool-weather vegetables that can be grown both in spring and fall, avoiding the hot...
Hydrangea Flower Colors

Soil pH Levels for Plants

What is your soil’s pH level? Every plant prefers a different level of acidity. Use this soil pH...
Fresh Herbs

Herb Growing Guide: How to Grow Herbs

Growing herbs is not difficult to do! Our helpful chart will take you from seed-starting to the...
Growing Vegetables Year Round

Grow a Garden That Keeps Your Pantry Stocked

If the reason you garden is to feed your family, plan this year’s garden to ensure you’ll have...
Cherry Tomatoes

Kitchen Garden Plants: Vegetables for Containers and Small Spaces

Kitchen gardens—grown for eating and cooking—are often grown in smaller spaces and containers. So,...
Iris Crop

Phenology in the Garden: Planting by Nature's Signs

For centuries, gardeners took their cues for planting times from nature—a technique called...
Purple Coneflower

Perennial Flower Garden Design

This perennial flower garden design will provide many years of enjoyment and, since perennials come...
Marigold

Companion Planting Guide

Do you follow the principles of companion planting in your garden? See our tips on what plants to...
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10 Tips to Maximize the Yield of Your Garden Harvest

This year, let’s harvest even more from our vegetable gardens! But just what are the most effective...
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How to Garden on a Budget

In this short video, we show you how to plan a beautiful and productive vegetable garden that won’t...
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Build a Vertical Garden

With a little planning, you can create a garden where plants that are happy to grow vertically...
Embedded thumbnail for How to Plan a Garden That's Low-Maintenance

How to Plan a Garden That's Low-Maintenance

Plan a garden that is truly easy to maintain. Here are 10 tips on a low-maintenance layout—...
Embedded thumbnail for Growing Strawberries and Strawberry Varieties

Growing Strawberries and Strawberry Varieties

How do you grow the best-tasting strawberries? We’ll share our planting and growing tips. Let’s...
Embedded thumbnail for Warming Soil and Protecting Seedlings from Frosts

Warming Soil and Protecting Seedlings from Frosts

To enjoy a strong start for your homegrown vegetables, make sure that your soil is warm enough and...

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