What is on this site
This site is for people who grow things—whether you’re tending a backyard plot, a balcony garden, or just a pot on a sunny windowsill. You’ll find practical advice on what to plant, when to plant it, and how to keep it alive.
No fluff, no guesswork, just the things that actually work in real soil and real weather.
Everything here is organised by season, plant type, and skill level. Need to know when to start your tomatoes indoors? There’s a guide. Struggling with aphids? We’ve got solutions. The site grows with you, from your first seedling to your tenth year of gardening.
| Where | What is there | Go here if |
|---|---|---|
| The Home Page | Seasonal planting guides and featured articles | You’re just starting |
| Plant Profiles | Detailed care for vegetables, herbs, and flowers | You want to know what grows best where you live |
| Garden Journal | Real-world success stories and failures | You need inspiration or warnings |
| Tools & Tips | Reviews of equipment and troubleshooting | Your shovel just broke or your soil is terrible |
How to read a page here
Every page starts with the basics: what the plant is, when to sow it, and how long it takes to grow. Look for the timeline box—it shows key stages (sowing, transplanting, harvesting) with dates tailored to your region.
If you’re unsure where you live, the site defaults to USDA Zone 6; adjust the dropdown to match your area.
Numbers in parentheses after measurements (like *60°F (16°C)*) are there to help if you’re working in a different system. Always check the notes section at the bottom for local tweaks—like whether your soil drains too fast or your summers are brutally hot.
Skip the ‘optional extras’ on your first read; they’re for when you’re ready to experiment.
Photos are labeled with what they show (e.g., *‘Day 30: First true leaves’*), so you can flip back to them later. If a step feels unclear, the ‘Ask a Question’ button at the bottom lets you clarify without leaving the page.
When it does not work
If a guide isn’t helping, it’s usually because the advice isn’t specific enough for your conditions. Gardens don’t follow rules—they follow your microclimate, your soil, and the quirks of your local pests. Before you give up, check these four things first.
Before you give up
- Your planting dates are off by a month (check the ‘Your Region’ dropdown)
- You’re using the wrong soil mix (sandy? clay-heavy? add compost or perlite)
- The instructions assume a greenhouse or frost-free zone (adjust for cold frames or row covers)
- You skipped the ‘Watch For’ warnings (e.g., slugs love young lettuce)
Who we are
This site is shaped by someone who still gets excited when a seedling breaks through the soil.
| The colophon | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Emmett Vasquez, who digs in the dirt and writes about it, with help from gardeners who’ve lost more plants than they’ve saved |
| Tested in | A raised-bed plot in Zone 7b, a north-facing balcony in Zone 5, and a greenhouse that’s always too hot |
| Written with | A trowel, a moisture meter, and a notebook full of half-finished experiments |
| Learned from | A grandfather who swore by ‘wait until the moon is full’ and a neighbor who ignored him entirely |
| Still getting wrong | Predicting when the deer will raid the beans—every year, it’s a surprise |
Gardening is half science, half luck, and all mess. The best advice here comes from the mistakes we’ve made—and the ones we’re still making. If you’re reading this, you’re already ahead of most people: you’re willing to try.
If you need something that is not here
We focus on what grows in home gardens, not commercial farms. If you’re looking for rare heirloom varieties, urban guerrilla gardening hacks, or solutions for a specific pest (like the one that’s currently eating your zucchini), the contact page is where to ask.
Tell us what you’re dealing with, and we’ll point you to the right resource—or write one if it doesn’t exist yet.
The guides are grouped by category: Advice, Aphids, Blooming, Companion Plants, Fertilization and Picking.