Basics

Whether you're new to gardening or experienced, everyone needs some gardening basics to get going!

In this category, you'll find a wealth of information that spans a wide number of topics. From seed starting to grow bag gardening, pruning tips to raised bed tricks, you'll find the fundamentals of gardening awaiting you here.

While it's optimized towards new gardeners, even a pro can find useful tips in our Basics category. We all need to get back to basics sometimes, and there are always useful tools and tips that other gardeners have developed along the way to add to your own practices.

Our Basics category can inspire you to new gardening heights, too. Those who have experience with in-ground planting can learn about other techniques such as raised beds or vertical gardening.

A wicker basket sits on green grass scattered with fallen autumn leaves, filled with freshly picked quince fruits that are round to slightly oval with bright yellow skin.

Harvesting

3 Signs Your Quince Fruit is Ripe for Harvest

Quince trees are unlikely treasures in a U.S. garden! Their fruit is not available at the grocery store, and growing them is the best way to try them. The trees require care similar to that of apples and pears. Learn how to tell if this rare fruit is ripe for harvesting alongside seasoned grower Jerad Bryant.

Three rows of bright orange pumpkins with smooth, slightly elongated round shapes store neatly on wooden shelves.

Harvesting

How to Store Pumpkins So They Last Through Halloween

Though Halloween is a few weeks off, now is a good time to prepare your homegrown and store-bought pumpkins for the holiday. Keep them correctly, and you’ll have orange, green, or white fruits ready for carving! Join professional grower Jerad Bryant to learn how to store these fruits so they last through Halloween.

A close-up of a man's hand shows how to overseed a lawn by sowing green grass seeds in a garden.

Gardening Tips

When and How To Overseed Your Lawn

Whether adding a layer of seed to make an existing lawn more lush or to green up a dormant grass during winter, overseeding now is a streamlined way to do both. Grass is quick to grow from seed, and with some preparation, overseeding is one of the easiest ways to promote thicker grass with even coverage. Garden expert Katherine Rowe explores how to overseed grass for quick results this season.

A gardener rakes the loose brown soil mix in a garden bed, preparing the surface before rolling out a layer of new green lawn.

Gardening Tips

The Best Soil Mix for Your New Lawn

Early fall is prime time to reimagine our grassy spaces. The moderate seasonal conditions offer a reprieve from peak summer heat and provide valuable time for root development before frozen soils. Garden expert Katherine Rowe outlines garden amendments to improve soil for the best foundation for a new lawn.

A close-up shot of a composition of various developing foliage on a wall, showcasing the best vertical garden plants

Gardening Tips

15 Best Plants for Your Vertical Garden

Growing vertically brings loads of advantages, from improving plant health and boosting yields to maximizing growing space and offering high vertical interest. From crops to living walls to long-lived flowering vines, gardening expert Katherine Rowe highlights the best plants for your vertical garden arrangement.

A bee, one of the fall beneficial insects, clings to the bright yellow petals of a Black-Eyed Susan, collecting nectar in a close-up view.

Gardening Tips

How to Build Habitat for Beneficial Garden Insects in Fall

As the active growing season winds down in the fall, we have the opportunity to support beneficial insects through our end-of-season gardening. Extended flowering, natural leaf drop, and other natural resources provide a foundation for successful overwintering of the essential inhabitants. Gardening expert Katherine Rowe explores how to boost beneficials in the fall for a balanced garden system.

A close-up shot of a person, in the process of holding a small black pot with a developing plant, showcasing fall propagation

Propagation

Fall Propagation: What to Divide, Cut, and Layer Now

Fall is a great time to plan your spring garden, and wind down for the year. Essential to your spring plans is which plants you’ll propagate and plant. Master naturalist and experienced gardener covers all the fall propagation techniques you can get started on now.

Close-up of a gardener's hands wearing red gloves with blue pruning shears, trimming a hosta plant, showing the process of September garden cleanup.

Gardening Tips

September Garden Cleanup: Cut Back These Perennials Now

September and the start of fall mark a turn toward cool-season planting, new garden additions, and mellow days outside. Basic garden cleanup this month ensures healthy plants and soils as we enjoy the final flush of growth ahead of cold weather. Garden expert Katherine Rowe explores September garden cleanup and perennials that benefit from cutback this month.

Italian nonna garden with the elder lady wearing a hat while holding plants with other greens in the background

Gardening Inspiration

How To Garden Like an Italian Nonna

To seamlessly weave the garden into daily life, take cues from an Italian nonna. The favorite grandmothers know what to grow, how to grow it, and what to do with the yield. For access to the most flavorful, freshest food, there’s much to learn. Join gardening expert Katherine Rowe in how to incorporate lessons from the Italian orto into our own kitchen gardens.