Improving Garden Soil Naturally Welcome, fellow gardeners! If you’re in the Southeastern United States and eager to grow a thriving vegetable garden, you’re in the right place. Today, we’ll delve into the world of soil amendments – the secret ingredients to transform your garden from good to great. Why are soil amendments crucial, especially in the Southeast? Our region often presents challenges like heavy clay soil, high acidity, and nutrient deficiencies....

January is a time for new resolutions, fresh beginnings, and a chance to decompress after a busy holiday season. It’s also time for some winter garden chores. Depending on where you live, you might look out to your garden and think it feels like so many months until gardening season arrives. But really, there’s always some gardening to be done. If you knock out a few of these chores now, you’ll thank yourself when spring comes, which will come much sooner than it seems....

Think you need to wait until spring to start your garden? Think again! Here in the Southeastern US, our mild winters give us the opportunity to grow delicious, fresh vegetables all year round. And let’s be honest, there’s something extra satisfying about harvesting your own food when there’s a chill in the air. So, grab your gardening gloves and let’s get planting! Why Cold-Hardy Veggies? Cold-hardy vegetables are a special group of plants that can handle chilly temperatures and even a touch of frost....

Between parties, parades, family meals, and festivities, gardening might not be top of mind at this time of year. Even so, any avid gardener will be secretly (or not-so-secretly) hoping to find some gardening gifts under the tree. If you’re struggling to find a gift for the gardener that has everything fear not- we’ve got gifting ideas for even the most geared-out gardener! Erin: Garden marker Image source: Amazon Regular ‘permanent’ markers usually become not-so-permanent in a garden!...

Making an herbal-infused oil is easy. The hardest part is growing, harvesting, and drying the herbs. Herbal oils are a fantastic way to experience the benefits of herbs topically. Infused oils can be used alone, in salve, body butter, lip balm, soap, and more. Different Methods There are different ways to make an herbal-infused oil. The easiest way is known as the folk method. Herbs are placed in a jar, covered with your choice of oil, and left to sit for a few weeks....

Fall is the perfect time to get in the kitchen and cook up the produce from your garden! We here on the Planter Team wanted to share a few of our favorite recipes to make use of our fall harvests. We hope you’ll take ideas and inspiration from these recipes to use up your own garden bounty this fall! Rhubarb jelly (and other preserves) - Contributed by Wren I grew up making jams and jellies with my mom....

There’s a few obvious things that plants need to thrive- soil (or a growing medium at least), sunlight, water, and nutrients. What might not be as obvious is the importance of soil pH for healthy plants. If your soil doesn’t have the proper pH for the plants that you’re growing, you’ll need to amend it so your garden can thrive. But before using any amendments to change your soil pH it’s important to have an understanding of what soil pH is and why it matters for your plants....

Every year, it seems like the holiday season arrives earlier and earlier. Maybe the “holidays” are the furthest thing from your mind right now. But If you’re someone who loves handmade gift-giving, you’re probably okay with getting ahead. And if you want to give simple yet thoughtful gifts from the garden, now is the time to start planning. Dried Bouquets Dried flower bouquets let you extend the beauty of cut flowers well past summertime....

If you’re a gardener with pets, no doubt they spend some time in or near the garden. While it’s essential to do some pet-proofing to your garden, it’s also fun to hang out with your pet, just relaxing in the garden. While your dog or cat probably won’t help you with any garden chores, they might love to help you enjoy the harvest. Our pets can enjoy many fruits and vegetables....

If you’ve been following the Planter “Herbs” series, you may have seen the post about harvesting herbs. After you harvest you must start the process of saving your herbs. Drying your herbs is the best way to preserve your harvest for long-term storage. There are several ways to do this at home. Paper Bag Method The paper bag method is nice because it doesn’t require anything fancy. Place your herbs in a clean paper bag, ensuring not to fill it too much because good air circulation is critical for successful drying....