Watering is one of the most important tasks in the garden. For new gardeners, it can be a challenge to find the balance between overwatering and underwatering. Watering your garden well comes down to being thoughtful about the weather, your soil conditions, and your plants’ needs. When to Water Your Garden? Deciding when to water your garden is not quite as easy as penciling it into your weekly schedule. There are many factors that affect how often your garden needs watering....

Vegetables that are grown mainly for their roots, such as carrots, beets, radishes, and turnips, are some of the most rewarding crops to grow. Since the root is hidden underground, you never quite know what to expect come harvest time! Pay attention to soil preparation and planting to increase the chance of unearthing beautiful, tasty root crops! Prepare Your Soil for Root Crops Soil conditions are especially important for proper root development in root crops....

It’s safe to say that gardeners have many different opinions on the topic of companion planting. While opinions around companion planting vary, it’s generally accepted that growing diverse plants offers many benefits in the garden. Read on to learn more about companion planting and how to introduce companion planting in your garden. What is Companion Planting? Companion planting is the idea that some crops are complementary and some crops are combative in the garden....

Many types of plants depend on pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds to pollinate their flowers so they can produce fruit and seeds. To get the best harvests possible, there are steps we can take as gardeners to encourage more pollinators to visit our garden. Why are pollinators important in the garden? To understand why pollinators are important in the garden, we first need to understand which plants rely on them....

Gardening typically involves a lot of effort to manipulate the soil - rototilling, digging, cultivating, raking. Conventional thinking is that churning up the soil gives plants a more favorable environment to grow in; by loosening it, improving drainage, and tilling in compost and green manures. But what if all this work was not necessary and was actually degrading the soil? That’s where no-till gardening comes in. What is No-Till Gardening? No-till gardening aims to disturb the soil as little as possible when building and maintaining a garden....

For many gardeners, the gardening season starts with a big trip to the garden center and planting garden beds chock full of veggies, followed by watering and waiting for harvest time. However, to make the most of the growing season one of the most important techniques to master is succession planting. What is Succession Planting? Succession planting refers to planting crops so they mature at different times rather than all at once....

As the last remains of snow melt away and temperatures gradually warm up, gardeners start dreaming of putting in the first crops of the season. While we often look forward to planting summer crops like tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers, the early spring can be a season of great abundance and should not be overlooked! What are Cold-Hardy Crops? There are several cold-hardy crops that will grow in cooler temperatures and can withstand a mild frost or even a freeze....

As a gardener, you might have heard of heirloom plant varieties. But what are they exactly? Interestingly, there isn’t a consistent definition for what qualifies as an heirloom variety. Some groups define heirlooms as varieties that have existed for over 50 years, while some set the bar at 100 years. Others define them as varieties that existed prior to World War II. While there isn’t a consistent standard, what is true of all heirloom varieties is their seeds have been passed down for many generations and they will grow “true to type”....

Many plants must be started indoors, especially in regions with short growing seasons. Vegetables like peppers are almost always started by seed indoors because they need warm soil to germinate. Other plants which are often started indoors include broccoli, cabbage, celery, eggplant, and tomatoes. Vegetables such as beans do not take well to transplanting and should be sown directly outdoors at planting time. There are a handful of supplies you need in order to start seeds indoors....

Many people think that after a fall harvest, your garden is to be left alone until planting time next spring. The truth of the matter is that there are a handful of methods to ‘winterize’ your garden in preparation for a successful growing season next year. While mostly optional, these practices can help increase yields and prevent disease in the next growing season. A first step would be removing most dead plant matter from the previous growing season....