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.

fall garden

Gardening Tips

15 Tips to Prepare Your Garden For Fall

As summer wears on, fall is right around the corner. The time to once again enjoy the dropping temperatures outdoors is fast approaching. Here, gardening expert Melissa Strauss will go over a few things you can do now to give your garden a boost and keep things blooming into the cooler months.

A gardener wearing sturdy boots and protective gloves, tending to a cabbage plant. With a nurturing touch, he carefully places the young cabbage into rich soil within a charming wooden planter box that overflows with vibrant, healthy cabbages.

Gardening Tips

10 TikTok Gardening Hacks That Actually Work

In the world of TikTok gardening hacks, it can be hard to sort fact from fiction. But there are a few hacks out there worth a try in your own backyard. Gardening expert Madison Moulton looks at 11 TikTok gardening hacks that actually work and why.

critter cages

Gardening Tips

How to Use Cloches and Critter Cages to Protect Young Plants

You just transplanted some tender young plants into your garden plot, and by the following day, they have already been eaten to the ground. What can you do to protect young plants from hungry herbivores? And what can help protect new transplants from a springtime cold snap? In this article, gardening enthusiast Liessa Bowen will discuss how to use both cloches and cages to protect your valuable young plants during their most vulnerable stages.

A closeup of a Stokesia Laevis flower that boasts a cluster of mesmerizing, lavender petals arranged in a symmetrical formation. The vibrant cluster sits in a lush garden under the sun.

Companion Planting

19 Perennial Companion Plants for Blazing Star Flowers

Do you want to grow blazing star (Liatris spp.) and need some beautiful companion plants to grow with it? Blazing star is a spectacular native wildflower that also has some wonderful cultivars. Gardening enthusiast Liessa Bowen will introduce 19 ideal perennial companion plants to grow with your Liatris.

vegetables for july

Seeds

10 Vegetables You Can Direct Seed in July

July may be mid-summer for many gardeners, but that doesn't mean it's too late to start planting. In this article, gardening expert and former organic farmer Logan Hailey shares her favorite vegetables you can still direct sow in the month of July.

beneficial predators

Gardening Tips

15 Beneficial Predators to Attract to Your Garden

Have you noticed a bug in your garden and wondered if it’s a friend or foe? While some creatures damage our plants, others help us keep the pests under control. In this article, gardening expert and rose enthusiast Danielle Sherwood talks about 15 predators you want to see and encourage in your rose garden.

spinach with carrots

Companion Planting

Can You Plant Spinach With Carrots?

Thinking of planting spinach with your garden grown carrots this season, but aren't quite sure if it's a good idea or not? These two popular vegetables are quite popular, but do they offer benefits when grown next to one another? In this article, gardening expert Melissa Strauss looks at if these two vegetables will grow well together or if there are better companion plants for each.