Ginger root

How to Grow Ginger

Known for its warm and spicy flavor, ginger is a very popular spice and herb. It’s native to Asia, but it has been enjoyed all over the world for a very long time. It’s a tropical plant that loves heat and humidity, growing conditions that many of us don’t have, especially in the northern hemisphere. Those of us in the colder climates can still grow our own ginger at home....

Colorful peppers on a red background with the text "Our Top 10 Pepper Picks"

Our Top 10 Pepper Picks!

As you’re planning your garden in Planter, you’ve likely included some pepper plants in the mix. While many gardeners opt to grow the classic bells, there’s a plethora of pepper options available that might be more productive and even easier to grow! On top of that, experimenting with different pepper varieties - spicy or mild - opens up more culinary possibilities. So as you’re thinking about which peppers to grow this year, we hope you’ll take inspiration from our Top 10 Pepper Picks to add some new pepper varieties to your garden!...

A view of Peter's community garden plot with several garden beds, a trellis, and a table and chairs

Our 2024 Planter Garden Plans!

We here on The Planter Team have been getting busy planning our 2024 gardens! We hope you’ll find inspiration for your own garden from the unique plans our team members have been working on in Planter: Peter Peter’s community garden plan My garden is a 20x30 ft community garden plot since I live in the woods and the oak trees shade out pretty much everything. This year I’m excited to be growing many new varieties....

Learning botanical names from an herbal book

Herbs and the Importance of Knowing Botanical Names

Spring is right around the corner and you’ve been planning your new herb garden. You know where it will be and you’ve got it all laid out in your Planter app. You decide to check out your local garden center for some more inspiration. You see a beautiful witch hazel named ‘Jelena’ that would look good in your garden. Then you see another one named ‘Rubra’. ‘Jelena’ is labeled as Hamamelis x intermedia and ‘Rubra’ is labeled Hamamelis japonica....

Screenshot of the Seed Box feature in Planter

Feature Launch: Introducing the Seed Box!

To kick off the 2024 garden planning season, we’re announcing a brand-new Planter feature: the Seed Box! The Seed Box lets you keep track of all the seeds in your seed collection. No more buying too many seeds every year! (Or at least…no more excuses😉) Note: If you are using Planter on Android or IoS, be sure to update to the latest version to be able to access the Seed Box....

Feverfew and calendula in bloom

Why Should I Grow Herbs in My Garden?

Have you ever wanted to know more about herbs but weren’t sure where to start? Maybe you’re thinking you have to be enrolled at a school of wizardry to learn. Or maybe you have to be a medieval monk to have an apothecary garden. Not at all! The interest in herbalism is growing quickly. Many countries around the world use plants as a form of complementary medicine. There’s no better time than now to start your herbal garden....

How to Grow Jerusalem Artichoke

What is Jerusalem artichoke? To put it very simply, Jerusalem artichoke is something like a combination between a potato and sunflower. Most varieties produce 10-foot-tall sturdy stalks much like a sunflower but under the soil produce knobby (some might say ugly) delicious little tubers. While Jerusalem artichoke is very popular in western Europe among vegetable gardeners it is actually indigenous to the central United States. It is also part of a very small handful of crops still around today that were originally domesticated by North American natives’ well before European settlers arrived in the Americas....

Plan Your Spice Garden

What Exactly are Spices? In broad terms, both herbs and spices come from plants, but herbs are usually the fresh leaves. On the other hand, spices are typically dried, and they make use of many other parts of the plant- root, stalk, seed or fruit. Both herbs and spices add flavor to the dish, however herbs are more subtle while spices have a much stronger flavor. Plan Your Garden with Planter!...

Presents wrapped in gold and red paper tied with red and green bows, placed beside greenery and candy canes

2023 Gardeners' Gift Guide

All we want for Christmas is…gardening gear! And we’ve rounded up our top gardening gift picks for 2023. From seed starting to produce preservation, we’ve got gift-giving inspiration for every gardener! GreenStalk Original Vertical Planter Image source: GreenStalk You might have seen the GreenStalk Vertical Planter showcased on your favorite gardening YouTube channels…And for good reason! The GreenStalk is a super-versatile self-watering growing system that makes efficient use of vertical space to grow a ton of produce in a small footprint....

A plate with a curry dish surrounded by fresh vegetables and a tablet showing the Planter app

Plan Your Curry Garden

While there are many factors to consider when planning a garden, it’s important to plan based on the types of dishes you and your family enjoy preparing. If you and your family enjoy cooking food with a global flair, you might want to consider planning a ‘curry garden’. ‘Curry’ is actually a loose, catch-all term that doesn’t properly refer to any specific dish. In its originating culture, each dish would have its own unique name....