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.
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.
Got a pile of rotting wood and a mountain of leaves going nowhere? You’re halfway to a hugelkultur bed. Here’s how to build one for free with nothing but yard waste and a little patience.
April in the Pacific Northwest means the slugs are back and hungry. Here’s how to protect your spring garden from slugs, aphids, and cabbage worms without spending much more than a few minutes and a little dish soap.
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.
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.
March strawberry beds look rough, but they’re usually fine. Here’s how to clean them up, feed them right, and get out of the way before June fruit sets in.
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.
February in Redmond feels like the wrong time to be planting anything. But zone 8b soil temps say otherwise. Here’s what actually goes in the ground right now, and why waiting for spring is leaving food on the table.
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.
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.
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.