Easy Companion Groupings to Get Started To make getting started with companion planting easier, here are three combinations of common vegetable garden plants listed in order of what they do well next to: COMPANION COMBINATION ONE Carrots Tomato & Onions Onions & Carrots Peppers Carrots (w/ early Radishes) Lettuce (w/ Read more…
Planting Times In terms of their preferred, and in some cases required, growing temperature, plants fall into two main groups: cool-season plants and warm-season plants. Cool-Season Because cool-season plants can take a light frost but get severely stressed and often bolt and go to seed when temperates get over 80 Read more…
Finding Your Last Frost Date To find your specific, local average last frost date in the spring, you can click on any of the links below. Each will take you to a page with resources to help you find yours. You can also just Google it. A Wonderful Map https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/last-spring-freeze Read more…
The Basics: Cool- vs. Warm-Season Plants The Basics Traditional Planting Times Some gardeners wait to plant everything on a certain day (e.g. Mother’s Day). It’s a strategy that has been passed down in gardening families for generations because it’s an almost guaranteed way to ensure nothing will die from frost. Read more…
Seed and Plant Selection Somewhere in the middle of winter, the bug hits us. We start roving around the house looking out the windows, pining for fresh, warm air—and the joy of gardening. It’s then we break out the seed catalogs, daydreaming in wonder at what the next year might Read more…
Transplanting You’ve grown or purchased the strongest seedlings you can find and can’t wait to get them in the ground. Sitting there in their flat, they’re so clearly healthy and vibrant, ready to produce all your heart desires. But the next step seems daunting. How do you transplant them so Read more…
Hardening Off Seedlings Seedlings grown indoors need a little time to gradually get acclimated to direct sunlight and wind in a process called “hardening off.” The Process To harden them off, expose your seedlings to increasing amounts of direct sunlight and wind each day, typically starting with about an hour Read more…
Starting Your Own Seedlings — Part 3: Planting Depth, Watering, Light, and Heat Starting your own seedlings is both empowering and exciting! We’ve already delved into several options for both the soil and containers you can use, but what are the best ways to water and add light and heat Read more…
Starting Your Own Seedlings — Part 2: Soil and Containers Starting your own seedlings is a wonderfully rewarding experience, giving you access to a much greater variety of choices. And the basics are easy: Put a seed in some soil and let it grow. But what about when you want Read more…
Starting Your Own Seedlings — Part 1: Why Do It Yourself Access to Tastes, Disease Resistance, Productivity, and Planting Times Starting our own seedlings is a game-changer for most gardeners—giving access to a whole new palate of tastes and a wider array of disease and pest resistance, productivity, and planting Read more…