How-To-Garden

Start Here Before Your Order Your Seeds This Year

Learn Why Fall is the Best Time to Move and Divide Peonies

How to Prepare Your Soil in Fall for Next Year’s Garden

Soil Sampling and Testing

Best vegetable pairings for your garden—rooted in research and experience

Discover your garden’s ideal soil pH, test methods, natural adjustments, and pH preferences for common plants and vegetables.

Hydrangea Pruning Guide: When and How to Prune

Expert tips for picking your garden’s fruits and vegetables at their tastiest.

Easy layers of shrubs, flowers, and bulbs for a welcoming front yard

Learn how to grow a vibrant, low-maintenance wildflower garden from seed, attract pollinators, and enjoy blooms all season long.

Signs Your Sweet Potatoes Are Ready to Harvest in Your Garden

Use Our Lookup Tool to Find the Right Time to Prune—By Plant, Bloom Type, and Season

Perennials: Low-Maintenance Plants That Keep Coming Back

How to store food in the fridge vs. countertop

Harvesting and Roasting Sunflower Seeds

From vine to oven—rescue imperfect tomatoes, encourage ripening, and savor every juicy bite

Choosing the Right Autoflower Seeds for Your Garden

Why Female Cannabis Plants Matter

Keep your garden’s glory going strong—well into the snowy season.

Collect, dry, and store seeds from your favorite blooms—like zinnias, sunflowers, and cosmos—to replant next season.

Agave: The Star of Low-Maintenance Gardening

Preserve Your Garden’s Harvest With a Root Cellar That Keeps Crops Fresh All Winter

Gardening Tips for Midsummer

Never lose your favorite varieties by saving tomato seeds.

Dividing and Moving Iris, and How to Transplant Iris

Going Away? Prep Your Garden First!

What to Look for Before Harvesting Garlic

How Much Water Do Flowers Need?

You Can Kill the Grass and Turn Your Lawn Into a Garden!

What Is Direct Sowing? And Why It’s Simpler Than You Think.

An Annual Raised-Bed Flower Layout for Cutting and Bouquets

Tips for Starting Seeds in Summer's Heat

How and When to Apply Bone Meal

How Often Should a Garden be Watered?

How to water the garden during long dry spells

Prune Perennials in Early Summer to Extend Flowering!

When to Harvest (and Eat!) Watermelon

A leafy garden design that relies on colorful leaves instead of flowers.

Learn All About Using Fertilizer in the Garden

Gardening With Straw Saves Time, Money, and Sanity!

How do you know if your soil is well-draining?

Mostly Ad Hoc Tools That are Perfect for the Job!

Simple, flexible designs that help you grow herbs successfully in any space

What's the Best Fertilizer for Your Plants?

Are You Ready to Take On the Garden?

Ancient Gardening Wisdom for a Sustainable Garden

Does Epsom Salt Benefit Tomatoes, Roses, and Garden Plants?

What to Plant with Peppers for Bigger Harvests, Better Pollination, and Fewer Pests

A Simple One-Bed Plan for First-Time Gardeners

Using Weeds to Read the Soil

Not Your Grandma's Coleus

What to Plant with Onions for Better Growth, Fewer Pests, and Healthier Bulbs

What to Plant with Basil for Better Growth, Flavor, and Fewer Pests

A simple guide to growing and enjoying homegrown popcorn

What Is a Three Sisters Garden? Planting Guide + Layout

What to Plant with Carrots for Higher Yields, Better Flavor, and Healthier Crops

What to Plant with Cucumbers for Better Growth, Higher Yields, and Fewer Pests

Easter Lily Care Guide: After Bloom, Planting, and Pet Safety

Select varieties that you can eat and store all year

Testing the Best Ways to Melt Snow and Warm Garden Soil

Learn to Start Your Vegetables From Seed Whenever Possible

The Best Herbs to Plant in the Garden . . . and Why!

A low-maintenance perennial garden plan with reliable blooms year after year

Testing Soil pH and Soil Health (Right at Home!)

How to Germinate Plant Seeds for the Garden

A flexible, beginner-friendly vegetable garden you can grow entirely in pots

Good soil makes good gardens. Here's how to get it ready for planting.

A Spacious but Manageable Garden Plan for Growing More Vegetables

Why Bottom Heat Works—and How to Use a Seed-Starting Heat Mat Safely

How to Germinate Seeds: Vegetable Seed Germination Temperature Chart

Which Type of Root Cellar is Right for You?

A Small Backyard Garden Layout with Vegetables, Herbs, and Fruit

Expert Advice for Choosing, Designing, and Growing a Beautiful Flower Garden

From Seed Inventory to Indoor Seed Starting: Everything You Need for a Successful Garden

Native and seasonal flower garden design to feed pollinators from early spring to late fall.

Compact 4×7 raised bed divided into 1×1-foot squares for easy planning, planting, and harvesting.

The Great Peat Debate

These cold-tolerant vegetables thrive when started in late winter—no greenhouse required.

The art of organizing the garden and potting shed!

Need a great present for someone who loves gardening? Start here!

Why Overwintering Plants Matters Before Fall Frost

The simplest solution for threshing dry beans.

How to Use Wildflowers and Indigenous Species to Encourage Insects and Discourage Pests

A traditional, productive row vegetable garden with wide walkways and companion planting.

Learn how to grow healthy tomato seedlings from seed, choose the best varieties, and get juicy fruits faster than buying plants from the store.

Learn All About The Differences Between Perlite and Vermiculite

Tips for Pruning in Winter and Early Spring

Seven 4×8 beds plus two bonus beds in a 24×18-foot layout, perfect for expanding over time.

A classic perennial flower garden using dependable flowers and ornamental grasses