Fall frosts don’t have to end your salad season. With the right cold frame, you can extend lettuce production well into winter. Cold frames act like mini greenhouses, trapping daytime warmth and protecting tender greens from overnight freezes. Even simple designs can raise soil temperatures just enough to keep cool-weather crops thriving. Whether you’re growing…
gardening
11 Mistakes Gardeners Make When Storing Produce
You’ve spent all season nurturing your garden—watering, weeding, and proudly watching those tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots grow into perfection. Harvest day feels like victory… until a week later, your beautiful bounty turns mushy, moldy, or strangely flavorless. What happened? The truth is, storing produce is its own art form, and even the greenest of thumbs…
8 Root Vegetables That Sweeten After Frost
Picture this: a crisp autumn morning, your garden glistening with frost, and beneath that chilly surface—nature’s secret candy factory is hard at work. Believe it or not, some of your favorite root vegetables actually get sweeter when the temperature drops. It’s nature’s quirky chemistry trick—turning starches into sugars as a defense mechanism against the cold….
Why Some Bulbs Fail if Planted Too Late in Fall
As the leaves start to fall, fall bulb planting promises a burst of color come spring. But timing is everything. If the air is getting crisp, you may be running out of time. Many gardeners assume they can plant bulbs right up until the ground freezes, but late planting often dooms bulbs before they ever…
9 Garden Tools You’ll Use More in Fall Than Summer
Summer might get all the gardening glory—lush lawns, bright blooms, and hours spent basking in the sun—but real gardeners know that fall is where the magic happens. Once the temperature drops and the air gets crisp, your yard transforms into a whole new kind of project zone. From prepping the soil for next year to…
How to Spot Perennials That Need Dividing Now
If your garden’s starting to look like it partied too hard this summer, you’re not alone. Plants once lush and lively might be flopping, thinning out, or just looking… tired. Don’t worry—it’s not you, it’s them. Many perennials, those faithful garden workhorses that come back year after year, need a little tough love now and…
7 Cover Crops Every Garden Needs This Season
Have you heard of cover crops? While farmers usually use these during the off-season to protect soil, gardeners usually overlook this tool. Healthy soil is the backbone of every thriving garden and cover crops are the secret weapon too many gardeners ignore. These hardworking plants protect against erosion, feed the soil, suppress weeds, and boost…
How to Build a Leaf Mold Pile That Actually Breaks Down
If you’ve ever raked a mountain of crunchy autumn leaves into the corner of your yard, patted yourself on the back, and then come back months later only to find…well, basically the same pile of crunchy leaves, you’re not alone. Leaf mold—the gardener’s black gold—sounds easy enough to make, but in reality, it can be…
11 Trees With Leaves Worth Collecting for Mulch
There’s something magical about fall—the crisp air, the pumpkin spice, and the avalanche of leaves carpeting your yard. Most people see those leaves as a weekend chore, but savvy gardeners know they’re sitting on a goldmine. Fallen leaves, when used as mulch, can enrich your soil, lock in moisture, and reduce weeds without costing you…
Why Garlic Loves Being Planted Before Winter
Imagine tucking your garden in for a long winter’s nap, only to sneak in a little surprise under the covers—garlic. While most plants cringe at the thought of frost, garlic practically throws a party when planted before winter. This pungent powerhouse thrives in the cold, quietly building strength beneath the soil while the rest of…