Posts By

Jerad Bryant

Jerad Bryant is a plant nerd, botanical writer, and avid gardener in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Jerad is an active member in his local community of plant nerds in both the Willamette Valley Hardy Plant Group and the American Rhododendron Society.

Bright green Vitis vinifera leaves filter sunlight, with small purple fruit clusters hanging below.

Fruits

How and When to Prune Grapevines for Healthy New Growth

Grapevines tolerate extreme pruning! They benefit from yearly cuts during the dormant season. Prune them in the right way at the right time and they’ll reward you with bunches of grapes by late summer. Grape grower Jerad Bryant shares when and how it’s best to prune your vines.

A watering can pours water onto a young cabbage plant forming a rosette of green, rounded, serrated leaves on thin, pale stems in loose soil in a February garden.

Gardening Tips

When and How Much to Water Your Plants in February

February is a unique time for plants. Most areas of North America have snow or ice, while others have mild temperatures and occasional rainfall. When and how much you should water depends on the plants you’re growing, their location, and your climate. Let’s dive in!

A cream-colored Patricia’s Pride Lilium with dark maroon centers and six broad petals. The petals curve slightly outward, revealing dark stamens with pollen-covered anthers. Glossy green leaves surround the flower.

Bulbs

7 Bulbs We’re Planting Now for Summer Blooms

Summer blooming bulbs offer gorgeous blossoms after many other plants finish flowering. They’re easy to care for, lying dormant from fall through winter. Seasoned grower Jerad Bryant shares these seven favorite bulbs; plant them in late winter for midsummer blooms!

A bushy Petroselinum crispum with vibrant green, serrated leaves growing in a yellow pot on a windowsill.

Herbs

How to Grow Parsley Indoors: 7 Pro Tips

Parsley is a hardy biennial that loves cold climates. Though it grows well outdoors during late winter and early spring, it’s also a lovely indoor plant for your kitchen herb garden! Seasoned grower Jerad Bryant shares these seven essential tips for growing it indoors.

Close-up of flowering plants with tall, branching stems, deeply veined narrow green leaves, and ruffled, rose-like double blooms in soft pink, red, and purple hues arranged along the stems.

Ornamental Gardens

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Garden Balsam

Garden balsam is an old landscaping treasure! It’s a heat-loving annual that thrives in the shade, offering gorgeously colored flowers for bees, hummingbirds, and gardeners’ enjoyment. Though largely cultivated in the 1900s, these annual flowers are making a comeback! Learn how to grow, care for, and plant them with this simple guide.

A man's hands lift a tomato seedling from a tray, showing that it's time to repot the seedlings into a larger pot.

Gardening Tips

5 Signs It’s Time to Repot Your Seedlings

Seedlings mature quickly, evolving from tiny seeds to mature plants in weeks! It’s best to repot them before they grow rootbound so they continue sprouting healthy root systems. Watch for these five signs that signal your plants need a repot—wait too long and they may suffer!

Close-up of Birdies Raised Garden Beds located in the front yard. The Birdies Raised Garden Beds feature sleek, modern designs crafted from durable and rust-resistant steel, presenting a clean and polished aesthetic. With smooth lines and a variety of sizes and colors available, they offer a stylish and functional solution for cultivating plants, herbs, and vegetables. They come in black, pale green and cream colors.

Raised Bed Gardening

5 Cheap and Effective Ways to Fill Raised Garden Beds

Raised garden beds hold lots of soil! Instead of filling them with expensive potting mixes, try using one of these materials. They’re budget-friendly alternatives that work well as substitutes; many are available in your backyard! Seasoned grower Jerad Bryant shares five cheap methods for filling raised beds.

Dormant bare-root strawberry plants with tangled roots and short, dry stems, ready to be planted and taken care of, placed next to red garden shears and blue gloves.

Gardening Tips

How to Take Care of Bare-Root Plants Until Planting Time

Bare-root plants are superb alternatives to container specimens. They establish themselves quickly, grow well with less water, and are more cold-hardy. Though ideal for planting, they are only available when the weather is chilly, moist, and frosty. If you can’t plant them now, learn to keep them safe until you’re ready.

A gardener transplants a kohlrabi seedling, started for transplanting in March, into loose, dark brown soil in a sunny garden.

Seeds

17 Seeds You Should Start Now for March Transplanting

March is chilly, wet, and stormy in many temperate regions of the U.S. Though some areas have mild winters without frost, most experience latent spring freezes until well into April. These 17 plants are cold-hardy and transplant well, making them perfect for seed starting in March.

Small tomato seedlings in black trays with vibrant green leaves on a sunlit indoor windowsill.

Vegetables

Can You Winter Sow Tomatoes?

Winter sowing works best with herbs, native wildflowers, and cold-loving crops, but you can do it with heat-loving plants like tomatoes! Just because you can doesn’t mean you should; so, is this the best method for sowing tomato seeds? Let’s find out.