North Carolina gardening

Gardeners in North Carolina Are Reporting a Surge in This Destructive Pest

February 21, 2026 by Brandon Marcus Leave a Comment

A striking, polka-dotted insect has landed in North Carolina, and it carries a reputation that makes seasoned growers wince. Gardeners across the state have started spotting clusters of unfamiliar bugs on tree trunks, patio furniture, and even vegetable beds. This surge points to one culprit that agricultural officials have tracked with growing urgency: the spotted…

South Carolina Bans This Once‑Beloved Tree—Homeowners Urged to Check Their Yards

February 9, 2026 by Brandon Marcus Leave a Comment

Gardening in South Carolina comes with its own set of rewards: long growing seasons, vibrant blooms, and the chance to create a landscape that feels alive almost year‑round. But not every tree that looks beautiful belongs in the Palmetto State, and one in particular has gone from neighborhood darling to ecological villain. The Bradford pear…

How To Get Free Seeds From The Government by Amanda Blankenship Seeds might seem like a small expense, but any seasoned…
Should I Use Enviro Ice On My Plants? by Kathryn Vercillo Every week, I receive food from Hungryroot. It's a great…
From Trash to Treasure: Transform Shredded Paper Into Garden Gold by Amanda Blankenship Should you use shredded paper as garden mulch? It might…
What Happens to Plants If You Use Enviro Ice on Them? by Amanda Blankenship About a year ago, I wrote our first article about…

You’re Still Watering Like It’s July — Your Fall Garden Doesn’t Need It

That automatic watering schedule that kept your tomatoes alive through July may be doing too much work by late September. Cooler days, longer nights, weaker sunlight, and seasonal rain can all change how quickly moisture disappears from garden soil, yet it’s easy to keep watering simply because that’s what you’ve done all summer. Too much…

We Planted an Old Sweet Potato Instead of Throwing It Away — Here’s What Grew

That wrinkled sweet potato sitting in the back of the pantry may look like compost-bin material, especially once little shoots start poking through the skin. But those sprouts are also evidence that the sweet potato is still capable of producing a living plant, so we decided to see what would happen if we planted one…

Can You Regrow Green Onions Forever? We Put the Viral Hack to the Test

Buy a bunch of green onions once, stick the white ends in a glass of water, and supposedly you’ll never have to buy green onions again. It’s one of those viral gardening hacks that sounds almost too perfect for anyone trying to trim a few dollars from the grocery bill. Unlike plenty of internet tricks,…

Those Dead Flower Stems Look Ugly — Here’s Why Gardeners Are Leaving Them Until Spring

Once frost turns your flower garden brown, the instinct is understandable: grab the pruners, cut everything to the ground, bag the debris, and make the yard look tidy again. But what looks like a collection of dead stems to you may look very different to a bee, butterfly, bird, or other creature preparing for winter….