Savvy Gardening

Planting garlic in the spring: How to grow big bulbs from spring-planted garlic

Most gardeners plant garlic in the autumn. There are a couple of reasons for this: 1) Garlic cloves need a cold period to trigger bulb development and 2) Fall planting also gives the cloves time to set roots before winter. When the weather warms in spring the plants can then shoot out of the ground and start putting on fresh growth. That said, if you missed the fall planting window, it is still possible to plant and enjoy a good harvest from spring planted garlic. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about planting garlic in the spring.

How hard is it to grow petunias from seed? Tips for sowing your own

Written by Tara Nolan

One of my first gardening memories is of deadheading my mom’s petunias. I found satisfaction in pulling away the sticky spent blooms. As an adult I didn’t want to have to deadhead my annuals throughout the summer. But the variety of colors and petal patterns lured me back to including petunias in my annual containers—and sometimes growing them myself. So, how hard is it to grow petunias from seed? The short answer is not hard at all. In this article, I’m going to share some petunia seed-starting tips, as well as how to plant those young seedlings outside in the spring.

How to overwinter begonias

Written by Jessica Walliser

Without a doubt, die-hard begonia fans really should understand why and how to overwinter begonias. After all, a single tuberous begonia can live for 15 years or more as long as you offer it proper winter protection. As for exactly how to overwinter begonias, there are a few different ways to do it. The method you choose may depend in part on the amount of winter storage space you have. For instance, if you have a cool, dry area like a basement, attic, garage, or frost-free shed, lifting and storing each tuber may be easiest for you. But if space is at a premium, you might want to take stem or leaf cuttings instead.
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Growing and eating sprouts at home

Written by Tara Nolan

Growing and eating sprouts at home is a great way to stay connected to your own food supply, no matter the time of year, your climate, or your living situation. You might live in Alaska or the Yukon and have just five hours of daylight in January; reside in a third-story walk-up in a city with four roommates and no balcony; or live in an arid or sub-tropical climate, where it’s too hot to grow much of anything outside in summer. In each of these situations, you can still grow sprouts.

How to overwinter dahlia tubers: A step-by-step guide

Written by Niki Jabbour

If you grow dahlias and live in a cold climate, you’d do well to learn how to overwinter dahlia tubers. With their remarkably colorful, large blooms, it’s no wonder that dahlias cost as much as they do, and buying new ones each year is simply not possible for most gardeners. Fortunately, with a little elbow grease and some attention to detail, you can successfully overwinter these Central American beauties in your attic, basement, garage, or similar frost-free place and then bring them out of storage for re-planting in your garden next year. You’ll find lots of helpful advice below on how to overwinter dahlia tubers.

How to freeze sweet potatoes from the garden

Written by Jessica Walliser

One useful garden-to-kitchen skill that isn’t talked about enough is how to freeze sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are nutrient-dense and versatile (and, in my opinion, delicious) vegetables that can be grown in home gardens from the North to the South. With so many of us growing them at home, we should also learn how to freeze sweet potatoes to get the most from this crop. In this article, I’ll cover the reasons why I think you should learn how to freeze sweet potatoes, how to prepare sweet potatoes for freezing, various ways to freeze sweet potatoes, and how to use your frozen sweet potatoes in recipes, including baked goods and your favorite side dish.
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