Strawberries Are Going Nuts Right Now
June is peak strawberry season in the Pacific Northwest and it goes fast. Here’s what to actually do right now to get the most fruit, avoid the common mistakes, and set your bed up for next year.
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Feed Your Raspberries Cheap This Spring my
May is the feeding window for raspberries in the Pacific Northwest, and you don’t need expensive specialty fertilizers to get a real harvest. Balanced granular fertilizer, compost, coffee grounds, and fish emulsion are all cheap options that work. Feed them now while new growth is pushing and they’ll pay you back in July.
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Feed Me Seymour: When to Fertilize Fruiting Plants
Fertilizing fruiting plants isn’t just about feeding them, it’s about feeding the right thing at the right time. Get the timing wrong and you’ll grow a beautiful plant with nothing on it. Ask me how I know.
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Melons and Squash: Start Inside or Just Direct Sow?
Starting cucurbits indoors sounds smart but it can backfire fast. Here’s when the head start actually matters (melons, long-season squash) and when direct sowing in late May just works better in zone 8b.
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Pumpkins vs. Powdery Mildew: A Grudge Match
Powdery mildew on pumpkins is basically a September tradition in the Pacific Northwest. Here’s how to push it back far enough that your pumpkins actually finish, using stuff you already have in your kitchen.
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Planting Raspberries: Where to Put Them and Why It Matters
First-time raspberry planting comes down to three things: sun, drainage, and not crowding them. Here’s what I got wrong the first time and how to set yourself up right from the start.
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When to Start Seeds Indoors: PNW Zone 8b Guide
If you’re in zone 8b around the PNW, knowing when to start seeds indoors makes the difference between a great transplant and a leggy mess. Here’s the full countdown from last frost, what to start when, and what you can still do right now in April.
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Seed Tape for Carrots (No More Thinning Regret)
Making seed tape for carrots takes about 20 minutes, costs almost nothing, and saves you from crouching over a row thinning seedlings you never wanted to thin in the first place. All you need is toilet paper, flour, and a toothpick.
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Cheap Potato Planting: Scraps, Seed Spuds, and No Regrets
You can start potatoes from kitchen scraps or cheap seed potatoes and get a solid harvest either way. April is the right time in the Pacific Northwest, and the whole operation can cost almost nothing if you know what to cut.
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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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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.
