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Basics

Whether you're new to gardening or experienced, everyone needs some gardening basics to get going!

In this category, you'll find a wealth of information that spans a wide number of topics. From seed starting to grow bag gardening, pruning tips to raised bed tricks, you'll find the fundamentals of gardening awaiting you here.

While it's optimized towards new gardeners, even a pro can find useful tips in our Basics category. We all need to get back to basics sometimes, and there are always useful tools and tips that other gardeners have developed along the way to add to your own practices.

Our Basics category can inspire you to new gardening heights, too. Those who have experience with in-ground planting can learn about other techniques such as raised beds or vertical gardening.

A diverse garden display featuring varied plant sizes, colors, and textures. Small, delicate white flowers contrast with vibrant orange blooms and soft pink blossoms. Lush green leaves provide a verdant backdrop to this lively floral composition.

Seeds

When to Start Seeds in Zone 9

Wondering when to start seeds in zone 9? Join former vegetable farmer Briana Yablonski as she shares when to plant seeds so you end up with healthy crops.

An automatic sprinkler system waters a field of green plants, delivering a gentle shower. The soil glistens with moisture, forming small puddles that nourish the roots. The plants stand refreshed, soaking in the rejuvenating rainfall.

Gardening Tips

Is Overhead Watering Bad For Plants?

When you’re starting a new garden or have grown to a size where an irrigation system is necessary for success, you must decide which type of system you’ll choose. Join organic farmer Jenna Rich as she shares what she’s learned about overhead watering and if it is, in fact, bad for plants.

Two images of winter sowing vs. starting seeds indoors. The first picture has some milk jugs with potting mix and seeds sown. Another image shows a close-up of a man's hand sowing small seeds into a seed starter tray. The trays have many in-depth cells filled with soil mixture. The seeds are small, flat, round in shape, yellow in color.

Seeds

Which Is Better: Winter Sowing or Starting Seeds Indoors?

If you’re wondering how to decide if winter sowing or starting seeds indoors is better, you’re in the right place! Organic farmer Jenna Rich will go through some of the pros and cons of each, as well as common mistakes growers make when trying a new method.

A blue butterfly lands on a spike of purple flowers on a rainy day.

Gardening Tips

29 Best Plants for Your Rain Garden

Stop waterway pollution, prevent flooding, and cover mucky low-lying areas with rain garden plants that are as functional as they are beautiful. Former organic farmer Logan Hailey digs into the best species for wet, low-lying areas.

Three white plastic trays sit on a windowsill, filled with dark, moist soil. Sprouts of various heights and thickness carpet the soil, their leaves a vibrant shade of green. A few delicate stems stretch towards the window, bathed in the soft glow of the morning sun.

Seeds

21 Easy to Start Seeds for Beginner Gardeners

As you embark on your first gardening season, there is no need to be intimidated by complex growing methods. Former organic farmer Logan Hailey shares 21 seeds that are easy to plant and quick to germinate so you can enjoy fresh food and flowers ASAP.

A red Gladiolus bloom is covered in a thin layer of frost.

Gardening Tips

How to Find Your Last Frost Date

When planning your spring garden, your last frost date provides the best estimate for when it’s safe to seed certain crops. Former organic farmer and garden expert Logan Hailey explains how to find the last frost date for your specific location.

winter sow milk jug. Close-up of a milk jug with a growing young tomato seedling in a sunny garden on a raised bed. A tomato seedling has a vertical stem with complex pinnate green leaves. The leaves consist of oval leaflets with jagged edges.

Seeds

How to Winter Sow Seeds in a Milk Jug

Get a head start on your spring garden without an elaborate indoor seed-starting setup. Former organic farmer and garden expert Logan Hailey explains how you can reuse milk jugs as mini-greenhouses for starting seeds outdoors.

A verdant perennial plant thrives under the radiant tropical sunlight, its green foliage radiating warmth. The leaves, petite and shaped like ovals, form a dense cluster, creating a lively and inviting display that captures the essence of a flourishing, sun-soaked garden.

Seeds

When to Start Seeds in Zone 10

If you live in zone 10, you’re fortunate enough to be able to grow plants year-round. Join former farmer Briana Yablonski to learn when to start seeds in zone 10.