#garden tips

[plantnerderyallday]

New gardeners: Hardiness Zone doesn't actually correlate to the number of chill hours you get, nor how many hot days you get in summer:

USDA Hardiness zone map:

Chill hour map:

Heat Zone map:

So while there's a zone 8 in Texas and one in Washington State, only one of us can grow papayas. Hardiness Zone only tells you the coldest you can expect it to get, and not even for how long or how often you'll experience that temperature.

[breelandwalker]

How to Plant a Fall Garden

Vegetable gardening returns its greatest dividends when your plots produce food from spring throughout summer and right up until first frost. In order to plan a fall vegetable garden and make the most of the growing season, follow these steps:

Know your hardiness zone and first frost date.

Choose fall crops wisely

Cool and enrich the soil

Employ cold frames and floating row cover

Keep reading to learn how! (Full article with images on SeedSavers or read more below!)

Also check out this companion post with tips for harvesting and storing vegetables.

Know Your Hardiness Zone and First Frost Date

Knowing your plant hardiness zone helps you choose crops that will thrive in your location. It’s especially important for determining whether a particular plant can survive the winter in your region. This information is most useful when planting perennials. For vegetable gardeners and seed savers, it’s also essential when growing biennials for seed production.

The USDA’s Plant Hardiness Zone Map divides the United States into zones according to the “average annual extreme minimal temperature”. Consulting the USDA hardiness zone map will help you determine whether a particular plant can thrive and survive in your part of the country. 

Knowing the average first frost date for your region will allow you to calculate “planting deadlines” so that your young plants have time to mature before the temperatures fall and the first frost hits. 

These two tools will help you determine not only which crops you should plant but also when you should have those crops in the ground.

Fall Planting for Food Consumption

Choose Crops Wisely

Two types of plants are good bets to thrive when planted in midsummer—those that mature quickly and those that tolerate frost.

Paying attention to maturation time is key because crops planted in the summer months take longer to mature than those planted in the spring. As the summer turns to fall, the days shorten and the air cools. The lessening daylight and cooler air temperatures combine to slow plant growth. 

(The good news? While your fall plantings take longer to mature, they will face fewer threats from pests this time of year!)

To ensure your plants mature in time for harvest, add a few extra days to the “days to maturity” guidelines typically found on seed packets. Then count back the total number of days on your calendar to arrive at your summer planting date. 

Quick-Maturing Crops

Sow these crops in late June and July to squeeze in a second harvest before the warm season ends. Radishes are quick to mature

Quick-maturing vegetables include: 

Beets

Snap beans

Carrots

Cucumbers

Kohlrabi

Radishes

Spinach

Swiss chard

Zucchini

And if some of those quick-maturing crops don’t mature fast enough to elude the first frost, you can easily use row cover or garden fabric to protect them from too-cool temperatures.

Tip: Look for varieties of each crop that mature early, especially when choosing crops that prefer lots of heat, such as cucumbers and beans.

Frost-Tolerant Crops

Most brassicas, such as cabbage, are frost-tolerant

Crops that will tolerate a light frost and keep growing even when temperatures drop include:

Most brassicas 

Broccoli 

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Collard

Kale

Kohlrabi

Most Asian greens (also brassicas)

Arugula

Beets

Carrots

Loose-leaf lettuce

Parsnips

Rutabagas

Spinach

Turnips

Many herbs

Some of these cold-tolerant vegetables—particularly carrots, collards, kale, and Brussels sprouts—actually taste better when grown in cool weather as they react to cold by producing sugars which then sweeten them. 

Take note, however—while spinach, turnips, and rutabagas can be direct sown, you may need to start most brassicas indoors weeks before the midsummer planting period.

Cool and Enrich the Soil

Summer, of course, brings heat, and toasty temperatures can easily roast newly sprouted seeds. The best way to prevent that from happening is to keep the soil moist, mulched, and shaded, if possible. Natural shade from a trellis or tall plant, for example, can be used to create a cool location for seeding a second crop.

Don’t forget the importance of rich soil—be sure to replenish the nutrients in the soil between plantings by mixing in compost and organic fertilizer. Learn more about soil health.

Use Cold Frames and Row Covers

Cold frames and row covers can be used to prolong the growing season by raising the soil temperatures in the cooler seasons and shielding crops from the elements, especially wind. 

How to build a simple cold frame:

Construct a box using wood planks (We find that 2×8 planks work well!)

Cover with an old window

Tip: Most crops can benefit from a light row cover to act as a wind buffer. When using row cover, make sure to keep some separation between the fabric and the plant itself, especially when covering smaller greens. Half-inch metal conduit bent into hoops works well for this, but easy-to-cut 9-gauge wire is also a great option. Both materials are sturdy and can be shaped into low tunnels to support a covering of your choice.  

-SeedSavers.org, July 07 2025.

[upthewitchypunx]

I'm making another post about these DIY seed strips because they are genius and I'm so thankful to my neighbor for teaching me about them!

All you need is:

Toilet paper

Flour

Water

Seeds

This is great for seeds I chronically over seeds and will eventually have to thin like carrots, lettuce, radishes, etc.

Get a little bowl and combine 1 Tablespoon flour with 1 Tablespoon water. You want it to be a paste like consistency and not too runny.

Get a length of toilet paper and put small dots of the wheatpaste in the spacing your seeds require a long one side of the toilet paper.

Place a seed or two on that dot all along the length

Fold the toilet paper over and the little seeds are "glued" into the paper in a way that water can dissolve and the seed can grow through.

Hang the lengths of toilet paper somewhere until it dries or it could seep through and stick to whatever is on the other side.

Follow the instructions on the seed packet as to when to plant and plant as normal, just in a strip.

This kind of prep totally helped out my desire to get a jump on gardening when the weather just isn't there for it yet.

[completegrow]

Maidenhair ferns honestly have one of the prettiest textures of any indoor plant 🌿

The soft bright green leaves and thin dark stems make them look almost delicate compared to heavier foliage plants like monstera or philodendron. They give indoor spaces a calmer, softer and more natural feeling instantly.

The funny thing is almost everyone struggles with them at first.

One day the fern looks perfect, then suddenly parts of it start turning brown or crispy. That usually happens because maidenhair ferns react very quickly to dry air and inconsistent moisture.

They naturally prefer:

Bright indirect light

Higher humidity

Even moisture

Stable indoor temperatures

Protection from heaters and dry airflow

Dry indoor air is one of the biggest problems, especially in air-conditioned rooms. Their thin leaves lose moisture much faster than tougher indoor plants.

Another thing people overlook is depleted potting mix. Since maidenhair ferns grow entirely in containers indoors, nutrients gradually wash out over time. Weak growth and pale fronds can sometimes happen when the plant has not been fed for a long period.

That is why many indoor growers use an indoor plant fertiliser designed for leafy indoor plants rather than strong outdoor fertilisers.

Once the environment becomes more stable, maidenhair ferns are actually incredibly rewarding plants to grow. The fronds become fuller, softer and greener over time and create that relaxed indoor jungle aesthetic people love.

If your fern has brown leaves, crispy edges or thinning growth, this full maidenhair fern care guide explains the most common indoor problems and how to fix them.

[reality-detective]

Useful Tips / Lifehack 🤔

[myrathewitchblog]

I have two raised garden beds that I emptied out. I plan to fill them with some more dirt, but does anyone have some good tips or ideas of what I should plant.

[natureisthegreatestartist]

What is this little evergreen shrub with the pretty berries? It's my lingonberry, a relative of the cranberry, that's used in a similar way. Easy to grow in containers, too.