Gardening Basics

Table of Contents

Soil and Composting

All About Garden Soil and Mulch

Find out what types of soil is best for growing plants and what mulch you should use. Along with tips for making healthy soil, use our soil and mulch calculators to find how much you need for pots, gardens, and raised beds.

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What is Winter Mulch?

Applying winter mulch is like giving plants a blanket to protect them from harsh winter conditions and damaging spring frosts. Learn more about the benefits of applying mulch before winter sets in.

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How to Test Soil pH

Here’s how to do a simple soil pH test from items you probably already have in your kitchen. Once you determine whether your soil is acidic or alkaline, we have recommendations for soil amendments that can bring the soil back into the neutral pH range.

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Tips for Fertilizing Houseplants

Most houseplants need feeding with a fertilizer from time to time to replenish the soil’s nutrient levels and keep plants thriving. Get answers to some of the most common questions around what to feed, and when to fertilize, your houseplants.

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Straightforward Tips for Soil Improvement

Good soil is essential for healthy plants. If your yard’s soil is less than perfect, you can improve it by digging in fresh materials to make up for what it lacks. But which materials should you add? This article describes seven of the most useful natural soil improvers.

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5 Ways to Use Eggshells for Plants

Eggshells are packed with calcium and other minerals, and this makes them too valuable for a gardener to throw into the waste disposal. When put to imaginative use, they can make a great contribution to your yard’s health and productivity.

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Biochar: A New Trend in Soil Amendment

What if we told you there was a substance you could add to your garden that would improve the health of your plants, increase flower, fruit, and vegetable production, recondition barren areas, all the while helping to stop climate change by sequestering carbon and encouraging the production of alternative fuels? Interested? Then read on for nine questions, and answers, about the super soil amendment–biochar.

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Plant Food 101

Explanation of the most important nutrients plants require to thrive and how those nutrients influence plant growth and development.

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How to Evaluate Your Soil Type

Believe it or not, plants in the garden do better if the soil is healthy. Focus on a single aspect of soil health and perform this simple jar test to determine the composition of your garden soil.

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Types of Plants

All About Growing Perennial Plants

The information you need to know to grow perennial garden plants. We’ve collected some of our best tips for growing perennials in pots and in your garden, including a list of popular plants and how to care for them.

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All About Growing Cactus

We’ve gathered our most helpful care tips and inspiring project ideas for growing cactus plants, whether it’s as a potted houseplant or displayed outside. A list of eight popular cacti is also included.

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All About Growing Succulents

We’ve gathered our most helpful care tips and inspiring project ideas for growing succulent plants, whether it’s as a potted houseplant or displayed outside. A list of 10 popular succulents is also included.

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How to plant

How to Plant Ground Cover Plants

Low-maintenance ground cover plants prevent weeds and provide erosion control on slopes. Here are tips for planting garden ground cover that return year after year on hillsides, around trees and between pavers.

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Gardening Styles

Plant a Moon Garden

Usually, we think of planning the perfect garden for a sunny summer day. But there are some plants that are at their best at night. We show you how to create a garden that shines when the sun doesn’t.

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Gardening Tools

Taking Care of Garden Tools

If you’re an active gardener then it’s likely that your garden tools show it. Fortunately, it doesn’t take a lot of time or effort to keep your garden tools in tiptop shape. By managing wear and tear, you can get years of use out of your tools.

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All About Seeds

DIY: Homemade Seed Paper

Eco-friendly crafts and gifts are all the rage, and this plantable seed paper fits the bill. The DIY project uses recycled paper to create homemade paper embedded with seeds. Plant the paper in a pot or outside for an instant garden!

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Grow Light Guidelines for Getting Seeds Started

You don’t have to wait for the cold days of winter to pass before jumping into spring gardening. Start your seeds indoors to get a jump-start on the growing season. This article explains the pros and cons of using grow lights to start your plant seedlings. It also provides advice on the various light bulb types and proper spacing.

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Hardening Off Plants and Seedlings

Moving plants and seedlings directly outdoors in the spring can be a shock to their systems, even to the point of causing damage or death. “Hardening off” is the safe way to introduce plants to the outdoors. Follow these simple steps to introduce your plants to spring safely.

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What to Grow

10 Plants for Wet Areas

If areas of your landscape are on the soggy side, you’ll want to select plants that can thrive in wet soil conditions. We’ve got a list of ten water-tolerant plants that can handle your landscape’s wet spots.

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What to Plant in Summer

What do you do when the flowers you planted in spring are fading, and your early season crops are picked through? You plant a fresh batch of heat-loving plants that will thrive through the summer into fall. Here are twelve ideas for flowers and vegetables to plant in summer.

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Turn Your Garden into a Wildlife Habitat

Just about any outdoor space can become a sustainable food source and safe living area for wildlife. With the right plants and planning, you can encourage all sorts of birds, frogs, small animals, and beneficial insects to visit your yard.

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Plant a Pollinator Garden

Bees and other pollinating insects are an important part of the ecosystem. You can plant a garden that provides a food source for pollinators and adds beauty to your yard.

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How to Plant a Fragrant Shade Garden

Imagine a cool corner of the forest, green leaves above, soft earth below, a carpet of flowers, the air heavy with floral perfume. Actually, don’t imagine it–build it yourself! In this article, we’ll show you how to grow a heavenly-scented shade garden.

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Pest & Disease Control

How to Repel Mice with Natural Herb Sachets

Winter is the peak time for mice infestations, as the creatures try to find warm spots to shelter and nest. You can stop the problem before it starts by making your own natural mouse-repelling sachets to place in your cupboards, in your vehicles, garage, or any other place you’d rather not find these pesky rodents.

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