Simple ways to save money while you garden
Fall garden clearance has started, and that means garden centers are making room for the next season while shoppers get a chance to snag useful supplies for less. The catch? A red sale sticker does not magically turn a struggling plant, outdated product, or wildly inappropriate purchase into a bargain. The smartest clearance shopping focuses…
Poison ivy can look like nothing more than a crispy pile of garden debris when the season turns, but that dead-looking material deserves a very wide berth. Burning it can send urushiol, the oily substance that causes poison ivy’s infamous rash, into the smoke, creating a much bigger problem than a few itchy spots. The…
A snake sliding through the garden can turn a peaceful morning of watering tomatoes into a full-blown wildlife documentary. But that snake probably did not wander into the yard with plans to terrorize the gardener. In many cases, it arrived because the garden offers exactly what a snake needs: food, shelter, water, warmth, or a…
September can feel like the perfect month to grab the pruners. Summer heat starts easing, the garden looks a little shaggy, and suddenly every overgrown shrub seems to be whispering, “Give me a haircut.” Resist the urge with many trees and shrubs, because pruning in late summer or early fall can push out tender new…
A $3 packet of seeds can look like the ultimate gardening bargain, especially when an online listing promises an unusual flower, giant vegetable, or rare plant that local garden centers never seem to carry. But that tiny packet can create a much bigger headache if the seller misrepresents the seeds, ships them from another country…
That white powder coating your plant leaves probably did not arrive courtesy of a very messy bag of flour. It may be powdery mildew, a common fungal disease that can spread across leaves, stems, and even flower buds when conditions cooperate. A plant covered in white does not automatically need the compost pile. With a…
A garden center clearance rack can feel like the gardening equivalent of a treasure hunt. The prices look tempting, the plants still have plenty of green leaves, and suddenly that sad-looking perennial seems like a bargain worth rescuing. Before tossing it into the cart, though, take a closer look because a discounted plant can become…
That “dead” garden plant may look like it has officially clocked out for the season, but resist the urge to grab the pruners just yet. Many perennial stems and seed heads can serve a useful purpose through winter, giving wildlife shelter, feeding birds, protecting the plant itself, and making spring cleanup more productive. A garden…
September does not have to mean waving goodbye to the vegetable garden. Depending on your climate and first frost date, plenty of cool-season crops can still go into the soil now and give you fresh food long after the tomatoes start looking exhausted. The key involves choosing vegetables that actually enjoy cooler weather instead of…