In November 2023, the USDA released updated plant hardiness zones. The new map shows that many areas have become warmer in the past decade, with some areas moving up one or two zones. The hardiness map for Illinois. Left side: 2012. Right side: 2023. When starting a garden, understanding the growing climate in your area is an important first step. There are two key pieces of information to know about your local growing climate: your hardiness zone and frost dates....

The peppers are done. The tomatoes, long-gone. But your herb garden is still chugging along into the depths of fall. The first night that a hard frost rolls in you might find yourself half-frantically wondering “what should I do with my herbs?” Because herb plants are diverse, there’s different techniques you can use either to save the plants or to salvage a final harvest! Harvest your herbs Your first instinct might be to just hack down every little bit of greenery that’s left on your herb plants....

Is the lovely local canopy shedding its warm colors into your yard? Well, why not use it to your benefit? Putting your leaves to work means you’re returning your trees’ hard work and nutrients back into the ecosystem! Why should I bother? Leaves are free mulch, fertilizer, or insulation all in one! They’re very good at holding water, and full of nutrients. They’re a rich source of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and particularly carbon- all gathered over the whole warm season....

Garlic is a crop that can be a bit tricky if you’ve never grown it before. It’s not too hard to grow, but it’s easy to miss the optimal planting window. In general, if you’re growing in a cold climate you’ll want to get your garlic in the ground in fall for a harvest the following season. The exact timing to plant garlic can vary and you’ll want to keep an eye on the weather forecast- both for the best growth and so you don’t have to plant in miserable weather!...

In some ways growing a fall garden can be easier than a summer garden. Extremes of heat, and drought often give way to more moderate conditions (that is, until frosty weather hits!) While some pests and diseases are less problematic in fall, there are some that can become more active. With time in the growing season running short, you might not have time to replant plants that succumb to pests and diseases....

Growing Tomatillos I tried growing tomatillos for the first time this year, and boy, did I get a bumper crop. I started 8 seedlings indoors in March and all survived. So of course I planted all 8 tomatillos. Afterall, it’s so hard to not plant a seedling that you grew, isn’t it!? The tomatillo plants took off FAST. By mid-summer, they were a pollinator’s dream: Bees going crazy for all the tomatillo flowers 🌼 Here’s a video of what my tomatillo plants looked like in August:...

Have you ever wondered if it’s possible to save seeds from your plants, instead of buying new seeds every year? With a bit of knowledge you can absolutely save seeds to grow next year! While seed saving can be a complex topic, don’t let that deter you from attempting to save seeds to use in your own garden. Read on to learn the basics of seed saving, so you can get started with saving your own seeds!...

Now, if you’re reading the title and thinking “Didn’t I just read about those?” well no fear. Gooseberries, and Cape Gooseberries, are two entirely different plants, from entirely separate parts of the planet. Amazing, really, that they both ended up being called Gooseberries. But below you’ll find a guide for growing the far more difficult Gooseberry! The Gooseberry plant is a small, stiff-stemmed plant native to Europe, and is often considered difficult to grow in temperate climates....

Native fruits and plants surround us all the time, on the sides of paths and in the depths of forests, but rarely do we think to include them in our edible gardens. But some truly astounding varieties of edible fruits are out there! From finger limes to Blueberry Ash trees, let’s explore six varieties of small native Australian trees that can provide fruit for your garden! Finger lime (Citrus australasica) The Australian finger lime – an underrated, underappreciated fruit tree that can easily be grown in most gardens....

As back-to-school approaches it can feel like planting the garden was all but a distant memory. But with the cooler temps comes a whole new potential garden season! While some plants like broccoli and cabbage commonly need to be started in the summer to be ready in time for a fall harvest, there are still plenty of plants you can start growing in early fall! Of course what you can plant in early fall depends on your location, so as a first step be sure to check the Growing Calendar in Planter to see which plants can be grown now in your local area....