As much as I love the joy of starting seeds indoors, I’m less joyful when it comes time to haul them all out to the garden to plant them. Thankfully, …
I wouldn’t necessarily call myself an optimist, but I do tend to garden with rose-tinted glasses in the summer. Let’s just say there’s a marked difference between the plans I …
Whether you’ve been growing lavender for decades or you’re bringing home your first plant, there are a few things you need to know about this fragrant Mediterranean beauty. I’ve noticed …
I know what rhubarb looks like. My grandmother and my dad both grew it. I grow it in my garden, so I’m familiar with this plant. Yet it never fails, …
I love those first few spicy radishes each spring, and the sweet, tender crunch of a new sugar snap pea, but there is one gardening bite I dream of all …
As I write this, I’m staring out at the snow-covered mounds in my yard that are my raised beds. It’s midwinter, and here in the States, most of us still …
I put my very first tomato seed in a Jiffy peat pot when I was seven years old. My dad helped me pat the soil down, and then carefully pour …
When I first started gardening, nothing intimidated me more than pruning. It felt so confusing and counterintuitive. And I constantly thought to myself, wouldn’t it be nice if there was …
I hold a weird duality in my gardener soul once February rolls around. On the one hand, the tantalizing signs of spring perk up my mood, and I get carried …
Wait, did you say chipping potatoes? I like potato chips! Oh, chitting potatoes! Yeah, let’s talk about that. The lazy gardeners (my people) are wondering whether we really need to …
Peppers are a popular choice for home gardeners to start from seed. Whether you’re a fan of sweet peppers or you love the heat of a good hot pepper, there …
January and February may not necessarily be the months when we enjoy the fruits of our labor, but that doesn’t mean we can’t use them as stepping stones to set …
There’s a lot to be said for growing your own veggies, herbs and flowers from seed. It opens up a world of variety that you just can’t find down at …
I’ll be the first one to admit that it feels a bit premature (bordering on ridiculous) to write about propagating plants in January. As I’m sitting down to write this …
New and seasoned gardeners alike catch the seed-starting bug early each year. Long before it’s time to garden outdoors, you can find us gardening indoors. We’re starting seeds to be …
It’s that weird time of year when gardeners everywhere hear the siren song of seed packets. But it’s a strange call to heed because your particular growing zone dictates which …
As a fellow gardener, I’m sure you know how difficult the month of January is. The holidays are over. Resolutions have been made. (Some already broken.) There’s still plenty of …
Despite writing for our Rural Sprout readers for a few years now and mentioning lilac in no fewer than six articles, it has just dawned on me that I haven’t …
I won’t ask you What are you doing New Year’s Eve? as the song goes. But I am curious if you’re doing anything in the garden the week between Christmas …
Updated: December 16, 2025 – Now with easier instructions and battery-operated flame lights and wreaths! Oh, the weather outside is frightful! Which means it’s the perfect time of year to …
These charmingly rustic pinecone flower Christmas ornaments are the perfect craft for a snowy winter day. (Don’t worry, you can still make them if you don’t have any snow.) These …
You can keep your hot cocoa bombs. Hot apple cider is the way to go. And when you throw in a few spices, some pomegranate juice and honey, well, all …
In temperate climates, native plants take their cues from the changing seasons. Shorter days and cooler nights signal to plants it’s time to finish producing seed. Each plant is capable …
Have you ever had a gardening dream that you just couldn’t let go of? No matter what you planted, you wouldn’t feel that you’d “made it” as a gardener unless …
It happens every year. I get at least one email from a concerned reader asking what this weird walnut-like thing is that they found in their Christmas tree. If you …