Nov 01 2025
November is a transition month in the garden. In colder parts of the United States, the growing season may be finished and the ground may soon freeze. Farther south, November can still be an active month for planting vegetables, flowers, trees, and shrubs. In warm areas such as Florida, southern Texas, southern California, and the …
Aug 05 2025
Growing herbs at home can bring fragrance, flowers, flavor, and centuries of tradition into a garden. Long before pharmacies and modern medicine, people around the world used plants in teas, salves, poultices, foods, and other preparations. Many of those traditions continue today, and several familiar garden plants remain the subject of scientific research. That does …
Aug 03 2025
Few gardening projects reward a beginner as quickly as an herb garden. A handful of basil can become tonight’s pesto, fresh chives can transform scrambled eggs, rosemary can perfume a pan of roasted vegetables, and mint can turn an ordinary glass of water or iced tea into something special. Many herbs are attractive enough for …
Aug 01 2025
August can feel like the month when the garden begins winding down. Tomatoes are ripening, cucumbers may be sprawling everywhere, flowers are starting to look tired, and hot afternoons can make the idea of planting anything new seem slightly unreasonable. But August can actually mark the beginning of an entirely new gardening season. For much …
Jun 24 2025
If you already have one healthy basil plant, you can turn it into several more without buying another packet of seeds or waiting for seedlings to grow. Basil is one of the easiest culinary herbs to propagate from stem cuttings, and a simple glass of water is often all you need to get new roots …
Jun 18 2025
Fresh ginger may look like something that belongs exclusively in the produce aisle, but it is surprisingly rewarding to grow at home. Those knobby pieces we commonly call ginger root are actually rhizomes—underground stems capable of producing an entire plant when given warmth, moisture, and enough time. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a tropical plant, so …
Jun 12 2025
Tomatoes and basil belong together on the dinner table, but should they grow together in the garden too? Gardeners have paired these two warm-season plants for generations. Traditional companion-planting advice credits basil with everything from repelling tomato pests to improving the flavor of ripe tomatoes. Some of those claims have been repeated so often that …
May 12 2025
You don’t need a garden, potting soil, grow lights, or even much counter space to watch a handful of seeds turn into fresh green sprouts. A glass jar, water, a draining lid, and seeds intended for sprouting are enough to get started. Depending on the variety, many sprouts are ready within just a few days. …
May 02 2025
May is one of the busiest—and most rewarding—months in the garden. Spring flowers are in full swing, vegetable beds are filling up, perennial growth seems to change overnight, and warm-season plants are finally ready to move outside in many parts of the country. But May does not mean the same thing everywhere. Gardeners in colder …
Apr 03 2025
Winter sowing is one of the easiest ways to start hardy plants from seed without filling every sunny windowsill in the house. The basic idea is simple: sow seeds in a partially enclosed container, place it outdoors during winter, and let natural changes in temperature, moisture, and daylight help trigger germination when conditions are right. …
