Growing Guides

Golden Acre is a classic early heirloom cabbage that forms compact, firm round heads about 3 to 4 pounds in as little as 60 to 70 days from transplant. Its short-stemmed, space-saving plants make it a favorite for small gardens,...

Peppermint (Mentha x piperita) is the boldest, most menthol-rich of the mints, loved for tea, desserts, and its cool, refreshing scent. One honest note up front: true peppermint is a sterile hybrid that does not come true from seed, so...

Scallop Yellow Bush is a bright, sunny-yellow patty-pan squash with the classic flat, round, scallop-edged flying-saucer shape. It grows on a compact, tidy bush that stays put instead of sprawling, so it fits smaller beds and even large containers. Plants...

Summer squash is famously easy and generous, turning a couple of plants into baskets of tender fruit all season. These warm-season plants are direct-sown after frost and grow fast, giving you scallop, yellow, and crookneck squash to pick young and...

Beans are one of the easiest, most productive crops for any garden, and as nitrogen-fixing legumes they even improve your soil as they grow. Direct-sow them into warm soil after frost, give them sun and steady water, and bush and...

Nothing says summer like a slice of homegrown watermelon. Watermelons are heat-loving vines that need a long, warm season, full sun, and plenty of space to run, rewarding you with big, sweet, juicy fruit. This complete guide covers every step...

Few garden rewards beat a sun-ripened melon picked at its peak. Melons and cantaloupes are heat-loving vines that need warmth, sun, and room to sprawl, and with rich soil and steady water they deliver sweet, fragrant fruit by late summer....

Lettuce is one of the quickest, most rewarding crops for any garden, giving you fresh salad leaves in just a few weeks. A cool-season grower, it thrives in spring and fall, and with steady moisture and a little shade in...

Beets are a fast, dual-purpose crop, giving you both sweet, earthy roots and tender, nutritious greens from a single sowing. Direct-sow them into cool, loose soil, thin the seedlings, and keep them evenly watered for round or cylindrical roots in...