January doesn’t look flashy in the garden, but it quietly decides who will be smiling come spring and who will be scrambling. While beds nap under frost and seed catalogs pile up on the coffee table, important opportunities are ticking by. This is the month where small choices ripple into big wins—or lingering regrets. Gardeners…
garden tips
The Surprising Reason Your Garlic Isn’t Sprouting—And What to Do Before February
Your garlic bed is quiet. Too quiet. You planted those cloves with care, tucked them into the soil, waited patiently… and nothing happened. No green shoots. No signs of life. Just dirt staring back at you like it forgot the assignment. Before you assume total failure or start blaming the seed garlic supplier, take a…
6 Soil Additives That Could Backfire in Cold Weather—Experts Warn to Skip These in January
January gardening can feel bold, hopeful, and just a little rebellious. While frost glitters on the ground, it’s tempting to “get ahead” by amending soil and setting the stage for spring. That urge is understandable—and risky. Cold, often frozen soil behaves very differently than warm earth, and certain soil additives can do more harm than…
Why Gardeners in Texas Are Skipping Seed Catalogs This Year—and What They’re Doing Instead
The mailbox used to be the most exciting place for a Texas gardener in winter. Glossy seed catalogs promised perfect tomatoes, flawless zinnias, and harvests so abundant they bordered on fantasy. This year, though, something wild is happening across the Lone Star State. Those catalogs are piling up unopened, while gardeners are busy doing something…
The Secret Ingredient in Your Soil That’s Sabotaging Your Seed Starts
Your seedlings are supposed to be tiny green promises, reaching eagerly toward sunlight. Yet somehow, despite careful watering, optimal light, and even a cheerful playlist while you work, they remain stubbornly stunted, pale, or limp. Something beneath the surface is working against you. That “something” isn’t your planting technique or your enthusiasm—it’s buried in your…
Extension Agents Say This One Winter Habit Is Ruining Your Spring Garden
Snow crunches underfoot, breath fogs the air, and the garden looks asleep. It feels harmless to wander across dormant beds or cut a shortcut over the vegetable patch while everything is frozen solid. That innocent winter stroll, though, is exactly what makes extension agents groan every year. Long before seeds are sown, a surprising amount…
Local Fire Marshals Are Urging Gardeners to Rethink This Popular Landscaping Habit
Flames dancing across a backyard might sound like a scene from an action movie, but for some homeowners, it’s an all-too-real hazard. Fire officials across the country are waving red flags about a gardening trend that many take for granted. From sprawling mulch beds to decorative wood chips, the very materials that make gardens look…
The $0 Garden Trend That’s Taking Over Pinterest—And Why It’s Perfect for Southern Growers
Imagine walking past a yard in your neighborhood and seeing a vibrant garden bursting with flowers, herbs, and vegetables—all seemingly grown from nothing. No expensive planters, no fancy fertilizers, just the sheer ingenuity of a gardener who knows how to make nature work for them. That’s exactly what’s happening across Pinterest, where a $0 garden…
Why Gardeners in the Carolinas Are Skipping Mulch This Winter—And What Experts Say to Do Instead
Winter gardening in the Carolinas is suddenly breaking the rules, and it’s making backyard conversations a lot more interesting. Longtime gardeners who once swore by thick layers of winter mulch are quietly pushing the wheelbarrow aside and trying something different. This isn’t a lazy shortcut or a cost-cutting trick—it’s a calculated move shaped by changing…
Soil Test Warning: What North Carolina Gardeners Are Finding in Their Yards This January
January is not just a month for cozy sweaters and hot cocoa—it’s turning into a revelation for North Carolina gardeners. Across the state, backyard enthusiasts are rolling up their sleeves and digging into something a little less glamorous than snowdrifts: their soil. Soil tests done this month are yielding results that are both surprising and…