Cheap Seed Starting Containers: What Actually Works
Yogurt cups, toilet paper rolls, egg cartons. You’re probably already throwing away the best seed starting containers you could use. Here’s what actually works and what has let me down.
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Cheap Cut Flowers: Sunflowers, Cosmos, and Zinnias
Sunflowers, cosmos, and zinnias are three of the cheapest, easiest cut flowers you can grow from seed. One packet of each is all it takes to have fresh bouquets from July through October. Here’s how to get them started in April.
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Feed Your Vegetables at the Right Time, Not Just Any Time
Fertilizing at the wrong time can give you huge leafy plants with almost no fruit. Here’s when to feed your vegetables at each stage, from planting through harvest, and why the timing actually matters.
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Hardening Off Seedlings Without Killing Them First
I killed a flat of tomatoes once by putting them straight outside. Full sun, first day, two hours. This is how to not do that. Hardening off seedlings takes about ten days and a little patience, which is the hard part.
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Don’t Throw Away Your Thinnings
I threw away handfuls of baby lettuce for two full seasons before my wife pointed out that people pay good money for microgreens. Thinning your seedlings isn’t a chore, it’s an early harvest. Here’s what’s worth eating and how to actually do it.
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Free Herbs From Your Kitchen Counter
Those grocery store herb bundles can give you free plants if you know what to do with them. Basil, mint, and oregano all root in a glass of water in under two weeks. Here’s the low-effort process that actually works.
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Vegetable Gardening for Beginners: Start Here
Killed a zucchini my first year. That’s where we’re starting. Here’s what actually matters when you’re new to vegetable gardening and living in the Pacific Northwest.
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Hardening Off Seedlings Without Killing Them
I lost a whole flat of tomato seedlings to hardening off once. Not to frost, not to slugs, just to one overconfident afternoon in April. Here’s how to do it right, cheap, with whatever you already have in the garage.
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February Is Brassica Time (Don’t Sleep On It)
February feels too early to start seeds, but for broccoli and cabbage it’s exactly right. Here’s how to get brassicas going indoors in the Pacific Northwest without spending much or messing up the timing.
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Starting Peppers Indoors in January on the Cheap
Peppers need 10 to 14 weeks indoors before transplant, which means starting them now in January if you’re in the Pacific Northwest. Here’s how to get a solid cheap grow light setup going without spending more than you have to.
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January Seed Catalogs: What to Order (And What to Skip)
January catalogs are dangerous if you don’t have a plan. Here’s how to figure out what to actually order before the glossy photos talk you into six kinds of squash you don’t need.
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Planning Your 2026 Vegetable Garden in December
December in Redmond is the best time to plan next year’s vegetable garden, before seed catalogs sell out and February sneaks up on you. Here’s how to map your beds, decide what to start from seed, and actually set yourself up for a better 2026 harvest.
