Winter is quickly approaching, and caring for your plants means knowing when to expect certain conditions. Join gardening expert Melissa Strauss to discuss the difference between your first frost date and first hard freeze.
Should you cover your garden beds? Covering insulates and warms the soil to encourage healthy crops during the cold months. It’s not always necessary, though, and some gardeners may choose not to cover their beds. See what you should do, and learn how to prepare your garden beds with backyard gardener Jerad Bryant.
Protecting the garden from fall frosts allows you to extend your season well into winter. You won’t have to lay the beds to rest, as you’ll have budding cabbages and leafy spinach, among other vegetables, to harvest. Use these late-season protection methods to keep your crops growing through the cold months.
As frosty weather sets in, it’s important to safeguard your most tender plants. Protect them now with a thick layer of mulch to keep their roots insulated and warm through the winter. Backyard gardener Jerad Bryant shares the 13 plants you should mulch now in the home garden.
Frost cloth is an invaluable tool in the winter garden. Use it to blanket your tender plants and protect them from light frosts and freezes. It’s amazing what a single layer of fabric can do! Join former nurseryman Jerad Bryant to discover how to protect the garden with this unique material.
Pooling water, eroded soil, and waterlogged plants all result from a flooded garden. But there are things you can do to have a flood proof garden, even before it’s planted out! Seasoned gardener, Sarah Jay, has tips to help you improve drainage in your growing space.
The moon, as an ancient timekeeper and astronomical force, has a bearing on plant vigor for those attuned to lunar gardening. Gardening with the moon phases is about harnessing the physical effects of lunar activity on water draw and gravitational pull. Timing the phases with planting and harvesting yields the juiciest crops and the most robust roots. Here, we explore the historic method and how to try moon gardening in our own landscapes to measure results.
Square foot gardening promises maximum harvests from minimal space, but common mistakes can sabotage your yields. These errors range from soil issues to spacing problems, and fixing them makes the difference between disappointing crops and genuinely productive beds.
The arrival of cold weather makes many people think that it’s time to throw in the towel on the garden, but this isn’t always true. Farmer Briana Yablonski shares information and practices that can help you extend the gardening season past your first frost.
Unruly and aggressive, invasive plants blanket the ground with dense growth. They displace native plant species and harm ecosystems over time. Don’t let them grow in your yard, or they’ll quickly spread out of control! Join native plant gardener Jerad Bryant to learn how to remove invasive plants from your property.
Did you catch the magic of fireflies in the garden this summer? If so, support them all year with easy steps in fall (including less end-of-season maintenance). If you missed them, measures to increase garden biodiversity may help lure them. Not only flashy, but they also bring predatory and pollinator benefits. Gardening expert Katherine Rowe explores how to invite fireflies to the garden with a foundation this fall.
Fall is a transitional time for chickens and their owners. As egg laying and the weather cools off, there are many tasks you can carry out to protect your girls over the winter. Join chicken mom Melissa Strauss for some tips on caring for your chicks in the fall.