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.

gardener planting flowering plants in the garden while wearing protective gloves.

Gardening Tips

7 Bad Gardening Habits You Should Leave Behind

Whether leaving the hose on or overcrowding your plants, some gardening habits become ingrained in your seasonal routines. It’s easy to adopt certain patterns without stopping to question “why?” In this article, garden expert Logan Hailey explains 7 garden habits to leave behind, and what you can do instead for easier maintenance and healthier plants.

using drip irrigation for organic pepper plants in a greenhouse

Gardening Tips

7 Best Types of Garden Irrigation: Compare and Contrast

Watering your garden isn’t rocket science, but the right irrigation system makes a world of difference! If you’re unsure which irrigation to invest in, this guide from garden expert Logan Hailey includes everything you need to know, including the costs, benefits, and drawbacks of each type of garden irrigation.

Sunflowers come in a surprising range of colors and flower forms, towering over most other plants

Seeds

21 Easy Annual Flowers to Grow From Seed

When it comes to planting annual flowers, there are some great advantages to growing them from seeds. Cut flower gardener Melissa Strauss has 21 excellent annuals to grow from seeds for your garden.

A close-up of a wooden raised bed with lush green plants, set amidst a garden filled with various other greenery in separate raised beds.

Raised Bed Gardening

How To Start a Raised Bed Garden in 9 Steps

Raised beds offer the opportunity to showcase culinary and ornamental plants while solving challenging garden situations in beautiful and productive ways. Garden expert Katherine Rowe offers guidelines for starting a raised bed garden to fulfill your garden goals throughout the seasons.

Close-up of a cauliflower growing on a wooden raised bed features broad, thick, blue-green leaves that form a protective canopy over its dense, white, tightly-clustered flower head.

Raised Bed Gardening

How to Grow Cauliflower in Raised Beds: A Complete Guide

Are you looking for something a little different to fill your raised beds this spring or fall? Cauliflower is a uniquely delicious, beautiful, cool-weather vegetable that you can grow in your garden and even in a raised bed. In this article, gardening expert Liessa Bowen shares some insights on how to successfully grow cauliflower in a raised bed.

Close-up of a gardener cleaning a garden tool - a black spade under running water in a sunny garden.

Gardening Tips

A Beginner’s Guide to Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Garden Tools

Much like a chef has a favorite knife, every gardener has a favorite tool. The key to their longevity and effectiveness lies in how well they’re taken care of. Well-maintained and cleaned tools also limit disease spread in the garden, leading to healthier and happier plants. In this article, gardening expert and hori-hori aficionado Christina Conner shares some of her top tips for taking great care of your garden tools.

Close-up of a gardener's hands planting a young kohlrabi seedling into the soil in a sunny summer garden, carefully avoiding beginner gardening mistakes.

Gardening Tips

12 Beginner Gardening Mistakes to Avoid This Summer

With so much information and conflicting advice, starting a garden can be overwhelming. Fortunately, most errors are easy to avoid and fix. In this article, garden expert and former organic farmer Logan Hailey helps you avoid the biggest beginner gardening mistakes this summer and what to do instead.

Close-up of a metal raised bed with growing young seedlings of kale and Snapdragon flowering plants with a drip irrigation system installed.

Raised Bed Gardening

How to Set Up Irrigation for Raised Garden Beds

If you’re tired of dragging a garden hose or lugging a watering can every time you want to water your raised beds, consider adding an automated irrigation system. Farmer Briana Yablonski will share how to set up a drip irrigation system so you can easily water your raised beds.