Category Archives: News and Tips

About Tomatoes

When growing tomatoes and reading about them—on our website, store signs, and plant tags—you eventually encounter a lot of tomato growing terms. Determinate and indeterminate. Hybrid and heirloom. VFNT and SWV. What does all this mean?  Determinate and Indeterminate When selecting tomato varieties, you must choose between plants with different types of growth habits called […]

Raised Bed Gardening

Raised bed gardening is a simple technique that can improve the health and productivity of your garden. Raised beds have better soil structure and drainage, allowing the soil to warm up earlier in the season, and giving you a head start on spring. Stubborn perennial weeds can be less of a problem in raised beds […]

How to Sow Seeds Outdoors

Seeds that are very large or fast growing are commonly sown directly outdoors where they are to grow. Your seed packets give this information for each type. Watch the Weather for the Best Time to Sow Seeds The key to direct sowing is to pick the right weather. Working back from your average last frost […]

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Pansies

Pansies are the colorful flowers with “faces.” A cool-weather favorite, pansies are great for both spring and fall gardens! Here’s how to plant pansies as well as keep them growing and blooming. About Pansies Pansies have heart-shaped, overlapping petals and one of the widest ranges of bright, pretty colors and patterns. Good for containers, borders, and as ground cover, they are […]

Growing Guide to Summer Flowering Bulbs

Some flower bulbs are meant to be planted once the soil is warmer. Here’s a fantastic chart with those spring-planted bulbs that flower all summer long and often into the fall for amazing color! Think dahlias, lilies, gladiolus, iris, begonia, and more! We list the name, hardiness zone, sun/shade, blooming season, and more! Common Name […]

Growing flowering plants from seed: Easier than you think!

Do you envision your garden to be a lush haven with an abundance of healthy plants and colorful flowers, with a constant show of hardy perennials and cheery annuals? Or do you see your dream garden filled with an abundance of vegetables and herbs, including some of the popular heirloom varieties of tomatoes, peppers or […]

How to Attract Birds

Overview of the Four Requirements for Attracting Backyard Birds Wild birds require four things to be attracted to a backyard: food, water, shelter and nesting sites. If you make each of these four things available, you will be amazed at how many different species of birds become regular backyard guests. Food A good food source […]