Every spring, gardeners across the Northern hemisphere receive the same back-o’-the-seed-packet advice: “Sow as soon as the soil can be worked.” Okay, that’s cryptically vague. Workable how? I have a …
By the time daylight saving time begins, I am done with winter. I’m dealing with major cabin fever, and I am ready to get outside and get gardening! This year, …
As soon as spring rolls around, you’d think I’m running a plant nursery out of my suburban back yard. Surprisingly, I’m not. (I’ve never sold plants, but did my fair …
If you spend any amount of time in the gardenverse on social media, you’ve probably seen the AI-generated videos using egg cartons as an easy hack to plant bulbs. Like …
Spring is always the busiest time of the year in my yard. If you garden, it’s probably the same for you. There’s so much to do to get flowers and …
It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been gardening; there’s always something new to learn. After having written my fair share of gardening articles (in the hundreds by now), I want …
There comes a point every winter when I’m just done. I’m done with putting on seven layers and fifteen pounds worth of clothing just to stay warm. I’m done with …
As the editor for Rural Sprout, I handle all of the emails that come in asking for gardening and houseplant advice. And it never fails that every October, I start …
I am endlessly fascinated by the power that scent can have on our mood. A well-chosen fragrance can help us feel calm, relaxed, joyful or pensive. It can unlock memories …
You’ve probably seen this popular hack on social media recently. You save the rice water from rinsing and soaking rice and water plants with it. (You do soak your rice, …
Winter is slowly, gradually, loosening its grip on my garden and on my mood. I was thinking the other day how I always complain about how “this winter feels like …
If you’re tired of skimpy, leggy tomato seedlings that get knocked over by the tiniest breeze and take forever to harden off, or your tomato seedlings get stuck after you …
There are some pretty great reasons to grow perennial vegetables. For one, having access to things like fresh asparagus and rhubarb, you’ll always have better quality than what you can …
One of the constant limitations of my gardening plans is a lack of space. I’m confident enough by this point in my gardening experience that I can prune, propagate and …
We live in a day and age where one can procure blueberries at the supermarket any time of the year. That doesn’t mean they will taste great or be picked …
Hydrangeas have to be one of the most beloved and popular ornamental shrubs, don’t you think? You don’t even need to be a gardener to know a hydrangea when you …
The ideas behind companion planting have been around for millennia. Grow plant X next to Plant Y and receive these benefits. If you’re serious about growing tomatoes, chances are you’ve …
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 …