Savvy Gardening

What to plant after tomatoes: Succession planting and cover crop suggestions

As summer harvests start to wind down and you’re swapping out warm-season plants for cool-season crops, you can decide what to plant after tomatoes. I always like to have some seeds at the ready to fill the spaces left behind by other plants. While tomatoes are the stars of many home gardens, there are other crops that can grow and produce food well after the excitement over those juicy fruits has faded. Even in climates that experience winter weather, you can continue enjoying various harvests into the colder months of the year.

When to harvest dill: A step-by-step guide

Written by Niki Jabbour

There are a few best practices around when to harvest dill that you can follow in order to come away with the highest quality dill leaves, dill flowers, and dill seeds. What’s more, you’ll also learn how to keep your plants producing for as long as possible. Several factors influence the ideal timing for when to harvest dill. Some of these include the age and size of your dill plants and which parts of the plant you intend to use. Even the weather and time of year you harvest can affect the quality and quantity of your dill harvest. In this article you’ll get all the information you need for timing when to harvest dill from your garden.

When to cut back catmint and how to do it right: 3 options

Written by Niki Jabbour

Catmint is a low care perennial plant with a long bloom time that is measured in months, not weeks. The pretty flowers attract pollinators, yet it’s rarely bothered by critters like deer and rabbits. And while it’s easy to grow, knowing when to cut back catmint is essential for promoting lush, healthy foliage as well as non-stop flowers. In this article you’ll learn the 3 options for trimming catmint plants.

Why are my cucumbers curling? Common causes and solutions

Written by Jessica Walliser

If you’ve strolled out to your vegetable garden and discovered your cucumbers curling into strange shapes—c-shapes, s-shapes, or even resembling a tightly wound spiral—you’re not alone. Many gardeners have scratched their heads over curly cucumber fruit. In this comprehensive guide, I’ll dig into a number of reasons for cucumbers curling, how to recognize the symptoms, and what you can do to ensure your cucumber fruits are straight, healthy, and delicious.
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The best tomatoes for canning: 10 delicious and high-yielding options

Written by Niki Jabbour

Canned tomatoes are a delicious and convenient ingredient in tomato sauces, pasta sauces, stews, salsas, and even soups. And for the highest quality canned tomatoes you need to select the right tomato varieties to grow. The best tomatoes for canning are plum types, which have a dense texture, fewer seeds, and a rich flavor. In this article I’ll share my go-to tomato varieties for canning and offer tips on maximizing the harvest.

Evergreen groundcover plants: 20 choices for year-round interest

Written by Jessica Walliser

Groundcovers are low-growing plants that serve many different purposes in the landscape. They limit weed growth, stabilize slopes, and add interest and texture to your yard. Plus, unlike lawn, groundcover plants don’t have to be mowed. However, in colder climates, many groundcovers die back and go dormant during the winter months. This leaves the ground bare and exposed, opening it up to potential weed issues and soil erosion. If you’d like to provide year-round cover for a particular garden area, turn to evergreen groundcover varieties for the job. These beautiful, hard-working plants have so much to offer.