Gardening Basics

If you're new to gardening or just need a refresher, this is the best place to find advice on everything from how to plant seeds to what is propagation.
Bearded Iris
When to Cut Back Irises
mulch in a flower bed
Mulch Calculator: How Much Mulch Do I Need?
Making banana water from banana peels - myth or actual benefits?
What to Know About Making and Using Banana Water
plants growing on a sunny windowsill
Apartment Gardening for Beginners
Indoor garden with potted plants on tiered plant stand
Indoor Gardening: A Beginner's Guide
Boho chic living room filled with plants
16 Indoor Garden Ideas for Your Indoor Green Space
Front yard with different plants for pollinator garden
What to Know About Pollinator Gardens
Community garden volunteers
What Is an Extension Office? Here's What Can It Do for You.
Brown chicken sitting on edge of raised garden bed
Using Chicken Manure as Garden Fertilizer
Large water fountain set in formal landscape.
What Is an Italian Garden?
Overhead of a rain garden
What Is a Rain Garden And Why Is It Important?
Raised bed in an urban community garden
What Is French Intensive Gardening?
regrowing vegetables from scraps
Why You Definitely Should Not Use Scraps to Regrow Veggies
raised garden bed with legs
How to Build a Raised Garden Bed With Legs
Long leaves turning yellow-brown around long green leaves closeup
10 Reasons Why Outdoor Plant Leaves Turn Yellow
Boneset plant with tiny white flowers grouped in clusters on thin stems and long spear-shaped leaves
How to Grow and Care for Boneset
Closeup of showy milkweed blossoms with a bee pollinator
How to Grow and Care for Showy Milkweed
Hackberry tree branch with sprawling green leaves under sunlight
How to Grow a Hackberry Tree
Calcium pellets being added to garden with gloves
How to Add Calcium to Soil
raised planter boxes
12 Free DIY Raised Planter Box Plans
companion planting vegetables
Companion Planting Guide for Vegetable Gardens
Lenten rose shrub with light green and fuschia-colored flowers
Plants That Grow in Full Shade
Modern garden designed with multiple levels of organized seating
14 Fabulous Modern Garden Designs and Ideas
Wax begonia plants with clusters light pink flowers and waxy leaves in front of north-facing house
11 Best Shade Plants to Grow Along a North-Facing Wall
staked tomato plant
How to Stake Tomatoes
person watering a garden bed
The Best Time to Water Your Plants
Almond-shaped peach seed held between finger tips
How to Grow Peaches From Seed
coleus plants on a patio
21 Best Patios Plants for All Gardening Levels
Colorful cottage garden with pink and white peonies and red salvia
30 Elegant English Garden Designs and Ideas
butterfly on a flower bud
How to Make a Butterfly Garden
rustic garden ideas
15 Rustic Garden Design Ideas That Are Truly Charming
Topiary bushes with leaves cut as crisp orbs around thin stems
11 Best Topiary Plants to Grow
French Breakfast Radishes
4 Common Problems with Growing Radishes
zucchini growing
5 Tips for Growing Great Zucchini Plants
seed potatoes
How to Plant Seed Potatoes
Red and white splattered and pink roses being prepared in garden with hand-held shovel
Preparing Garden Soil for Growing Roses
planting roses
How to Plant Roses
rose among companion plants
Great Companion Plants for Roses
People planting bulbs in ground
When to Plant Spring-Blooming Bulbs
Autumn joy sedum grows well in clay soil
25 Best Plants for Clay Soil Gardens
hostas growing
Which Hostas Can Grow in the Sun?
outdoor container plant arrangement
Tips for Bringing Outdoor Plants Indoors
zinnias
How to Harvest and Save Zinnia Seeds
seedlings receiving sunlight
How to Start Seeds Indoors: The Complete Guide
a potted plant moved indoors for the winter
How to Winterize Potted Plants
Rooftop with raised garden beds and trellis and plants in sunlight
All About Rooftop Gardening
rotting stem cuttings
How to Propagate Plants Using Stem Cuttings
seedlings in containers
Vegetable Container Gardening for Beginners
ripe and unripe tomatoes
10 Tips for Planting & Growing Great Tomatoes
person applying plant fertilizer
How to Choose the Right Flower Fertilizer Type
digging soil up in a garden
How to Conduct a Soil pH Test at Home
seedlings in pots
How to Prevent "Damping-off" Mold on Seedlings
women shopping for plants
Where to Find Cheap Plants—12 Places to Look
raised bed gardens
10 Tips for Successful Raised Bed Gardening
flower garden
How to Start a Garden From Scratch
Geranium flowers with red and pink petals surrounded by perennial and annual plants
Annual Plants vs. Perennials and How to Use Them
raised bed garden
12 Essential Spring Cleaning Tasks for the Garden
seedlings in pots
How to Care for Plant Seedlings
Clear space of garden soil next to materials and tools with amedments
How to Improve Garden Soil With Amendments
pressing fall leaves
How to Press and Preserve Fall Leaves
gardener with a handful of loamy soil
What Does Loam Soil Mean to a Gardener?
Ikebana arrangement on patio table
What Is the Japanese Art of Ikebana?
cat licking a plant
Safe Plants for Cats and Dogs
raised garden beds
31 Raised Garden Bed Design Ideas