April in the PNW feels too wet to think about watering schedules. But every year, the dry heat sneaks up fast and I’m scrambling. Here’s how I get my spring watering and mulching sorted before it actually matters.
April in the Pacific Northwest means slugs, aphids, and something chewing your seedlings overnight. Here’s how to handle the most common spring garden pests without spending much money.
Grocery store basil roots in about a week if you just stick it in a glass of water. Same with mint and oregano. Here’s how to turn kitchen herb scraps into free plants before the growing season kicks in.
Planting all your lettuce at once is a mistake I made for three years running. Succession planting fixes the feast-or-famine cycle with nothing but a calendar and two feet of row space every couple weeks. Here’s how to set it up for continuous harvests all season long.
Spring garden bed prep in the Pacific Northwest doesn’t have to cost much. Free city compost, wood chip deliveries, and shredded leaves can get your beds ready for planting without spending a lot.
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.
Knowing when to transplant seedlings outdoors in the Pacific Northwest is part science, part weather-watching, and part learning from the flat of tomatoes you killed in late April. Here’s how to time it right without losing your whole spring to one cold night.
Cool season crops like peas, lettuce, spinach, and radishes want to go straight into the ground this time of year. Here’s how to direct sow all of them in April in the Pacific Northwest without spending much or overthinking it.
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.