Tiktok is a great place to feel community. And #gardentok does not disappoint. Below is a list of the Tiktok Gardening channels!

Gardening with Goo

Gardening with Goo follows Goo and his garden! He constantly grows tasty-looking veggies and spreads real know-how by sharing his experiences. 

Growing with Gertie

Gertie (aka Katie) shares top-tier gardening tips and recipes like vegan nacho cheese to make with your harvest. 

Hook and Garden

Hook and Garden is full of gardening tips and tricks and bee-keeping adventures. 

Planted in the Garden

This channel follows Char and Marv as they grow gardens, make herbal remedies, and cook delicious-looking recipes. 

Carmen in the Garden

Carmen is a charming young woman who loves to garden and cook.

Gardenary

Gardenary shares many raised bed gardening tips, winter gardening tips, and general gardening tips.

Bonus Channels

These channels aren’t vegetable gardening per se, but I have to include them because they offer a lot of excellent plant knowledge and can improve your gardening. 

Native Plant Tok

Kyle Lybarger is a forester and native plant enthusiast. He introduces his audience to beautiful native plants that play essential roles in their ecosystems. And he even suggests native alternatives to invasive ornamental plants. 

Alexis Nikole aka Black Forager

Alexis Nikole is a very knowledgeable food forager. She takes you into her community, where she harvests and uses local plants and fungi in delicious recipes. She talks about recognizing edible wild foods, cooking safely, and their importance in cultural history. My favorite video is on the Poke plant.  

In my opinion, these are the best Tiktok gardening channels. Did you see your favorite TikTok Gardener on our list? Who did we miss? 

Companion planting is the practice of planting certain plants close to each other that benefit one another.

It’s an easy way to reduce garden labor, use less fertilizer, and grow healthy plants.

Companion Planting: Sources are Important

Before I give you some tips for companion planting, I caution that a significant portion of companion advice on the internet needs to be backed up by science. Some of the advice comes from folklore, people’s personal experiences, or tradition. Other advice is straight-up quackery.

Botanists and agricultural scientists are exploring which companion planting combinations offer benefits. They are finding great pairings that can reduce insect activity, share nitrogen, and improve soil quality.

Carefully review your sources before companion planting to ensure you don’t accidentally sow plants that are detrimental to each other too close to one another.

Classic Example of Companion Planting: Three Sisters Grouping

For generations, several groups of indigenous cultures of the Americas would plant corn, beans, and squash together. This grouping is called The Three Sisters because they do better when grown together.

Beans are nitrogen fixers, meaning they can absorb nitrogen from the environment and then secrete excess nitrogen as compounds that other plants can use.

The giant leaves of the squash prevent sunlight from reaching the soil, keeping the roots cool and preventing weed growth.

And the strong corn stalk is the perfect stake for growing beans.

This is a perfect example of how growing certain plants together can support each other and reduce the need for human labor in the garden.

Helpful Companion Planting Pairings

Below I outline a few beneficial companion pairings. If you have anything to add to the list, please leave us a comment below!

Cucumbers and Tomatoes

Cucumbers act as living mulch to prevent weed growth.

This happens in 2 ways.

First, the broad shape and size of the cucumber leaves block out the light preventing germination of weed seeds. This also help keep the roots cool.

Second, cucumber roots excrete allelpathic compounds that keep weed seeds from germinating. This means that you should not sow tomato seeds among cucumber plants, but instead transplant seedlings.

Green Beans and Potatoes

Green beans fix small amounts of nitrogen that it shares with the potato plants, increasing the size of the potatoes.

You can achieve this outcome in 2 ways. You can plant alternate rows of potatoes and green beans or you can plant alternate plants in the same row.

Sweet Alyssum and Lettuce

Sweet Alyssum attracts flies and wasps that feeds on aphids and other small insects. Plant sweet alyssum in the rows between the rows of lettuce or as a border around your lettuce patch.

Bonus Plant: Marigolds

Marigolds don’t get enough credit. They are cheap, beautiful and help deter tons of harmful bugs like aphids because marigolds attract beneficial insect like parasitic wasps and ladybugs. They may also secrete compounds that help protect the roots of nearby plants from parasites.

Conclusion

Companion planting is a great way to reduce labor and grow healthier plants, but it is a discipline that does not have a lot of scientific research available so be ware of suspicious advice.

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Winter plant damage can come from several places: storm damage, frozen roots, and damage to foliage from cold temperatures and strong winds.

But with some planning and hard work, you can prevent these types of damages on your precious plants.

Protecting Foliage

Covering Trees/Shrubs

If you fear that the leaves or needles of your trees or shrubs may be damaged, the easiest way to protect them is to cover them with plastic or burlap.

Simply wrap the plant and secure it snugly with tape.

If your plant needs extra protection from the cold, you can wrap it in newspaper before wrapping it in plastic.

One of the essential things to know is you are trying to keep ice off the foliage, so make sure the plant is covered enough to keep out cold water or snow.

Covering Plots

Burlap

You can get a burlap blanket if you are trying to cover a larger area than just 1 tree or shrub.

Make sure the blanket is big enough to cover the edges to the ground to prevent pockets of cold from seeping under the edges.

And unlike trees and shrubs, you do not want to secure the blanket around individual plants. It will cause damage to the stems, and if the blanket shifts, it can pull on the other plants and damage them.

Covered Garden

You can build a cold screen, a round top covering for your garden, almost like mini greenhouses designed to suit different needs and spaces.

It consists of flexing poles on each edge of your garden row or plot. Then, you cover the poles with a special plastic. That allows light and heat in and then traps it.

I have seen people build them big enough to walk into. That person put a heater in there and had tomatoes all winter.

Upcycled Ideas

You can also solve this winter plant damage problem with recycled materials. One example is by making cold boxes out of old windows.

Protecting Roots

The best way to protect the roots of any plant is to mulch the area properly. Laying down a thick layer will protect the ground from freezing temperatures and cold water, which can cause significant damage to roots.

Several materials make good winter mulch.

Many people pick fallen leaves or evergreen needles as mulch. They are free and can be worked right into the soil during the spring instead of needing to be removed like artificial mulches.

Compost is another popular winter mulch. It will undoubtedly keep the cold away from the soil and produce heat as it breaks down.

Protecting Trunks/Stems

It is important to note that if your area sees a lot of snow or ice during cold weather, the trunks or stems of plants need extra support to ensure they stay straight.

Ice and snow can build up a lot of weight and bend the trunks/stems of young trees and shrubs. Therefore, it’s essential to brace these plants or keep the snow from accumulating.

Conclusion

Follow these simple tips to protect your plants this winter, you can ensure that your garden is healthy and vibrant come spring. With the right guidance and proper preparation, even the harsh winter weather can’t stand in the way of you enjoying beautiful plants and flowers in the months to come.

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There are a couple of reasons you need to keep your new pup out of your garden. A garden can be a dangerous place for a young dog. Of course, you work hard to keep your garden just so, and you do not want all that hard work to be for nothing. These tips will help keep your fur baby safe and out of the garden.

Start With Training

You can have a beautiful garden and a well-behaved pup by teaching your pup boundaries. Show your pup where they can and cannot go in the yard. Reward good behavior when your pup steers clear of the areas you don’t want them in. It can take a little time to train your pup to avoid your gardens fully, but it will be well worth it in the end.

If you are like 32% of Americans, you work in your gardens several times a week. Whenever you head out to do some work in the garden, it is a great opportunity for a training session. Take the pup with you and work on training them to understand boundaries.

Switch Up Your Garden

If training takes longer than you thought, you can consider switching up where your garden grows. About 90% of Americans prefer to have homes that are surrounded by lawns. If you’re part of this population, you have plenty of areas to plant a new garden. Planting a garden out of where your dog hangs out in the yard can help keep them out of your plants.

Make Your Gardens an Unwelcome Place

Dogs are susceptible to smells. Mixing up the right spices batch can help persuade your puppy to keep out. Try dry mustard mixed with some pepper flakes and spread that around generously. Some gardening sites recommend using orange rinds as well. Experiment with different scents to see if it works. You will undoubtedly find something that will keep your pup out of the garden.

Put Up a Barrier

A small garden fence encircling your gardens may be the solution to keep little paws out. Dogs do not like to squeeze into tight spaces. A small fence with little wiggle room to walk through can be an easy way to keep your pup away. It does not have to be an elaborate fence. It just needs to be a fence that will create a barrier your pup will respect. These can be installed yourself. If you have a pool, however, it’s best to get a fence professionally fitted. Many dogs are water-lovers, but if your puppy were to accidentally fall into your pool, they’d be unlikely to be able to get themselves out again. Once your fence is installed, look for pool fence inspectors melbourne, or similar inspectors near you, to ensure everything is as safe as it can be.

Dogs will follow a path if one is available. Create a path to space that is all their own. A play space for your pup that has interesting things to play with, like sticks, dog toys, and other things to keep them busy, will entertain them. Of course, having a space in the yard where they can run around will also help to keep them healthy. An alarming number of dogs are overweight from lack of exercise.

Keeping an eye on your dog’s weight is important. According to the National Veterinarians Association, a body condition score chart can be used to determine if your dog is overweight. The scale on a BCS chart runs from 1-5. A score of 1 means your dog is too skinny, and a score of 5 means that your dog is overweight. Ideally, your dog’s BCS score should be a 3. A place in the yard all their own will help to keep the pounds off.

You and your pup can live in harmony. You do not have to sacrifice having a dog to share your life with to keep your garden in good shape. You do not have to give up gardening to have a dog. You can have them both. Follow these tips to find a peaceful compromise. If these tips do not help, consider professional training.

Planning what to plant each season can be fun as you dream of all the delicious things your kitchen garden will bring you, but you should know your hardiness before you start buying plants.

Your Zone

The USDA has divided America into hardiness zones. A hardiness zone is a geographical area that determines which plants grow best in that climate.

You can use your zone to pick varieties especially well adapted to your climate.

And if you know your hardiness zone, you can find average soil temperature data during different parts of the year, so you always plant seeds or transfers at the right time.

Spring

Growing a spring garden means growing cold-weather crops. Some of these veggies can survive frost, and others get sweeter with low temperatures.

Leafy Greens

Lettuce

Seeds can be sowed as soon as the ground can be worked, 2 weeks before the last frost, or up to 1 month before the last frost date if you are sowing inside.

Kale

Seeds are ready to plant immediately after the last frost or inside, 4-6 weeks before the last frost.

Spinach

Spinach can be started inside as early as 6 weeks before the last frost date, and you can sow seeds directly in the soil as soon as it can be worked.

Cabbage

Cabbage should be planted 4 weeks before the last frost, or it can be started up to 8 weeks before the last frost.

Fruit Trees

Most fruit trees are sold as bare-root plants meaning they come without being potted in soil. Instead, they have been stored in a cool area all winter while in a dormant state. Early spring is the best to get fruit trees in the ground because transplanting the dormant tree is less stressful than planting the active tree.

Summer

The season of plenty. Gardeners love summer.

Tomatoes and other Nightshades

The nightshades include tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and potatoes. These crops should be started within 4-6 weeks before the last frost or sowed directly in the soil within a few weeks.

Cucumbers and Melons

Cucumbers, watermelons, and honeydew can be started 4-6 weeks before the last spring frost or after the soil has reached about 60℉.

Squashes

Squashes, like crooked neck or zucchini, have the best chance of germination if they are sowed directly in the soil soon after the last frost.

Beans

You should directly sow beans into the garden soil shortly after the last frost.

Autumn

You can grow everything listed for the spring in the autumn.

Leafy Greens

Lettuce

Start inside in a cool place 60 days before the first frost date.

Kale

Start at least 45 days before the first frost, but 60 days is ideal.

Spinach

You should start spinach at least 60 days before the first frost date.

Cabbage

Plant cabbage as early as 8 weeks before the first frost date.

Onions

Onions are a staple of the fall garden. Plant onion seeds directly in the soil 2-3 weeks before the first frost.

Garlic

Plant garlic bulbs 3 weeks before the ground freeze in your area.

Conclusion

As you think about planning your garden throughout each season, double-check the dates of frost and freezing, and check for varieties that are well adapted to your hardiness zone.

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This is the time of year when people start to think about the number of ways that they can ‘autumn-ify’ their garden to make it look precisely the way that they want it to look. It can be a challenge to change things up every season, but it may make sense to do so in order to get the best possible experience from your garden. Today, we will look at a few ways that you can autumn-ify your garden on a budget.

1. Reuse Old Fall Decor as Planters

It isn’t necessary to start from scratch with every single project that you get to work on. Instead, you can look at reusing some of the materials that are already in your possession to make life a bit easier on yourself. When looking at budget-friendly ways to handle your gardening projects, it’s probably best to start by reusing some of the old decor that you already have around the house in the first place.

The fall decor that you have already purchased may be repurposed as planters for your future garden projects. Don’t think that you need to begin everything from the start every time.

2. Save Seeds From Fall Foods

If you have grown fall foods in your garden in the past, you can save seeds from those foods to use again the next year. You’ll want to check out the relevant information you need about when and how to plant them. However, you can easily see how doing so can make it a bit easier for you to get the kind of results that you require from the seeds that you have planted in your garden.

Saving seeds is useful because you are likely to use the same types of fall foods year after year. If you save the seeds from one harvest to another, then you will save money over buying the same foods.

3. Look Into Local Perennials

At this very moment, there are 1.8 billion websites operating at the same time all over the world. If you start poking around, you’re sure to find some way to find the local perennials to plant in your garden for each year. Purchasing these plants from someone locally can save you money on travel or shipping expenses, and you can potentially obtain the plants that you require at a price that you can reasonably afford. Check with local dealers to see which plants you can get in your area.

4. Discover Free Plants

There are certainly times and places when it’s possible to obtain free plants that you can put into your garden. If you’re strategic about the way that you search for free plants that are available, then you may not have to put out any money at all in order to grow the garden that you want. Instead, just make sure you are keeping an eye out for every opportunity that you can take advantage of. Check out Facebook Marketplace for plant swaps or for free cuttings. You’ll be surprised by what you can find.

Now that fall is officially here, you can start getting your garden ready for the chillier seasons. Try out some of our tips above to help autumn-ify your space.

Tending a fall or winter garden can give you a new appreciation for usually bitter vegetables. Cool-weather crops react to frost by making more sugars resulting in deliciously different-tasting harvests.

Not sure what to plant for a cool-weather garden?

Beets, Carrots, Rutabagas, and Other Root Vegetables

Many of these veggies thrive in cold weather.

Beets

This popular root vegetable germinates the best in cold weather and gets sweeter with a frost. Pickled beets and beet sugar syrup are 2 popular recipes for beets.

Carrots

Plant carrots during the fall and harvest before temps are consistently cold. The cold can sap their color and taste. You can order specific varieties adapted for cold weather that you can grow during the most challenging part of the winter.

Rutabagas

A cross between a turnip and cabbage, the rutabaga must mature in cold weather, so they are the first choice for a winter garden.

Radishes

In addition to being cold hardy to 20℉, radishes can grow back from roots if their foliage is damaged by cold.

Cabbage and Its Spinoffs

Cabbage, Brussel sprouts, kale, cauliflower, and broccoli descend from the same plant. Cabbage and kale are focused on producing leaves. Cauliflower and broccoli are the flowers.

These are perfect for a fall or winter garden because they all thrive in cold weather. They can weather harsh weather, below freezing, and still be ready to pick and enjoy.

Celery and Swiss Chard

Living in a warmer climate like the South, you can grow celery in a winter garden. However, if you live in a cold environment, you must pick celery before a significant frost hits.

Swiss Chard is your pick if you live in a colder place. It can survive dips to 15℉ without protection and lower temperatures if you take precautions to keep the frost off its foliage.

Spinach, Lettuce, and Other Leafy Greens

Leafy greens grow well in fall and winter gardens, and those in frigid climates can get seeds for varieties well adapted for the cold.

Spinach does slow its growth during the winter but grows very well in the fall and spring.

For things like lettuce, you can simply remove any leaves damaged by weather and pick the young, tender leaves underneath. And your plant will continue to grow.

Green Onions

Extremely cold hardy, they will grow through the snow. And you can get 3 or 4 harvests off of a single bulb before you need to replant.

Leeks

This is a tasty but overlooked veggie in the same family as garlic and onions. They are perfect for a cold weather garden because they are cold hardy to 0℉.

Conclusion

Fall and winter do not have to signal the end of your gardening year. On the contrary, planning and growing a fall or winter garden can keep you in delicious, cheap produce during the cold months. So what vegetables do you want to plant in your fall or winter garden?

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Once the harvests start coming in, gardeners often find themselves with an excess of one crop and another that did poorly. To make use of the extra crops and compensate for poor harvest, how about trading or sharing them up?

Check out these 5 communities where you can share your harvests.

Local Gardening Clubs

Local gardening clubs are full of enthusiasts in the same boat as you. So the question is, how can you connect with a local gardening club?

The Public Library

Start by checking with your nearest library. Many libraries have great clubs and garden-related activities like hosting a community garden, seed libraries, and harvest swaps!

Even if they don’t host one, they may have a list of community organizations and can help you get in touch with one.

Community Gardens

Check with local community centers to see if they have a gardening club. They often do have a group of garden spots you can rent where you can meet other gardeners.

Facebook/Social Media Groups

You can easily find local or semi-local gardeners to trade harvests within private groups. Just search for gardening groups in your area.

You can even go outside gardening groups and connect with homesteading groups who may have other products to trade like dairy goods, baked goods, or even crafts.

Online Etiquette

If you choose the online route, please understand that most private social media groups have expectations when you ask to exchange.

• Always check the group rules or private message an admin if they have rules. Many have a dedicated thread for people to find deals.
• Never share your or anyone else’s private information.

Online Safety

If you choose to meet up with someone you met online, follow these tips to keep yourself safe.

• Only meet in a well-lit public place, like a busy parking lot or the police station.
• Tell someone where you are going and the other person’s contact info.
• Take someone else if possible.
• Don’t give your phone number or address. Use online messages.

Farmer’s Markets

Buy produce, grab business cards from vendors, and network. Make some connections so you can ask them in the future.

As I mentioned, the markets are beautiful places to meet people who do crafts, raise meat or eggs, etc.

Roadside Stands

These are still popular in the South. Stands pop up in shady spots along the roads and popular parking lots beside food trucks. Stop, buy a small amount of produce, and ask them if they would be interested in a “produce exchange” in the future.

Master Gardeners/University Extensions

Most states have a program where agricultural scientists work with state, county, and city officials so they can help their local communities.

Master Gardeners are this organization’s branch that does community volunteer projects and fundraisers. This is made up of average gardeners and is a great place to find community and barter for harvests.

Find your local Master Gardeners

Conclusion

Gardening is a great way to relax and save money, and exchanging your harvests is a great reason to join a community of like-minded people. Which of these communities will you join?

Growing your own food can be incredibly beneficial for you and your family. The food supply chain can be complex and easily disrupted. When you grow your own, you get some peace of mind about it. But getting to that point can be difficult. Here are some tips on how to create a life growing your own food.

Move Somewhere With Plenty of Room

While this is not necessary to grow some of your food, growing all of your own food requires a lot of space. If you are moving to a new home in the near future, look for a property that provides the space you need to have a large garden. You might move for a number of reasons. For example, 40% of moves are due to work while 42% are for personal reasons. Meanwhile, 18% of moves are for military or government relocation. If you’re going to be moving anyway, you might as well get yourself into a space where growing your own food will be much more practical.

Be Thoughtful In Your Planning

Having a successful garden depends on a large number of factors. You need to have the right climate for many plants. If it is too hot or cold, they won’t be successful no matter how hard you try. So you have to be thoughtful about what you’re growing. Native plants are always a good option. About 92% of homeowners who add plants to their yards are choosing native plants. Since they have specifically evolved to thrive in your climate, they are most likely to be successful. Look for native edibles and make them part of your garden plan.

You should also make sure you’re growing things you and your family will actually eat. If you choose things that are easy but unappetizing, you’ll have a hard time motivating everyone to eat food from the garden.

Know Your Limitations

Gardening is a great activity, but it needs to be adapted to fit your specific lifestyle. If you have disabilities, lack time, or lack space, you will have to figure out how to garden in the situation you have. Don’t try to push yourself too far, it could result in injury. Up to 22% of slips and falls result in more than 31 days away from work. So if you’re injured as you start your garden, it’ll postpone your life of growing your own food as you recover.

Expect Setbacks

Gardening is unpredictable. You could do everything right and still not get a successful crop. A drought could destroy your garden or unusually cold weather could prevent it from starting at all. As you experiment with different crops, you need to expect that many of them will fail to thrive. If you expect to eat solely from your garden the first year you plant it, you’re likely to get discouraged when you realize how few plants actually survive until they’re fully grown.

Take Small Steps

If you’ve never gardened before, you shouldn’t dive into growing all of your food. Instead, take small steps toward your goal. Start with something small and simple. An herb garden can be easy to plant and care for, while also providing essential ingredients. Or you could try growing a small vegetable garden. As you gain more skills and experience, you can branch out into growing more and more of your own food. Eventually, you might be able to grow all of it yourself.

Growing a garden is a great way to care for your family and relieve some of your anxiety over food. However, it is important that you go into it with realistic expectations. If you celebrate small victories and take small steps toward your goal, you’re much more likely to be successful.

If you are new to gardening, it can be difficult to know where to start. There are so many things to consider – what type of plants will grow well in your climate, what tools do you need, and how often should you water your plants? No need to worry, we’ve got you covered with these 7 tips for beginners that will help make the process a little bit easier!

1. Start Small – Don’t Try To Plant a Whole Garden at Once

When starting out, it can be tempting to immediately grow a huge garden. However, it’s important to start slow and gradually increase the number of plants as you become more comfortable. This will help you to better care for your plants and avoid becoming overwhelmed.

2. Choose Plants That Are Easy To Care For

Low-maintenance plants are suitable for first-time plant parents. Some easy-to-care for plants include succulents, cacti, and herbs.

Plants with deep green leaves are also perfect for low-light environments and require less water. If you have limited outdoor space, these plants are for you:

• Spider Plant
• Aloe Vera
• Golden Pothos
• Snake Plant
• Rubber Plant
• Monstera Deliciosa plant

3. Light Source

One of the most important things to consider when choosing a spot for your garden is how much sunlight it will get. Most plants need at least six hours of sunlight per day, so make sure your spot gets an ample amount of sunlight.

If you are unsure about how much sunlight a particular spot in your yard gets, you can use a sun chart to help you determine whether or not it is a good spot for your garden. Once you have found a spot that gets plenty of sunlight, you can start planning your garden!

4. Amend the Soil With Compost or Fertilizer Before Planting

Amending the soil before planting will help your plants grow more easily. It will also help to prevent diseases as it encourages beneficial microbes. You can amend the soil with compost or fertilizer, or you can purchase a bag of pre-amended soil from your local nursery.

5. Water Your Plants Regularly, but Don’t Overwater Them

As important as the sunlight, never forget to water your plants regularly. However, it is also important not to overwater them, as this can cause problems such as root rot.

Water your plants deeply about once a week, or more often if they are in a particularly hot or dry climate. Be sure to check the soil before watering to make sure that it is dry – if the soil is still moist, you don’t need to water again quite yet.

Overwatering is one of the most common mistakes made by gardening beginners, so be sure to keep an eye on your plants and only water when necessary.

6. Weed Your Garden Regularly To Keep It Looking Neat and Tidy

Another important tip for gardening beginners is to weed your garden regularly. Weeds can compete with your plants for water and nutrients, and they can also make your garden look messy.

Try to weed your garden at least once a week, or more often if necessary. You can use a hoe, trowel, or even just your hands to remove weeds – just be sure to get the roots so that they don’t grow back. If you keep up with weeding, it will help your garden look neat, and it will also help your plants to thrive.

By following these tips, you’ll be on your way to becoming a gardening pro in no time! Just remember to start small, choose easy-to-care-for plants, water regularly, and weed often. Good luck!

Did you find this article helpful? Check out our other gardening articles for more tips and advice!

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