Vegetables
How to Grow Tomatoes from Seed: A Week-by-Week Guide
Grow tomatoes from seed with a clear week-by-week plan: from sowing and germination to potting up, hardening off, and transplanting strong plants outside.
July 9, 2026
The Rooted Almanac
Practical, seasonal gardening guides you can actually trust. Practical, seasonal, and honestly researched — from seed to harvest.
Buying guide Tools & Gear
How to Choose Pruning Shears: Bypass vs. Anvil
Bypass, anvil, or ratchet? Learn how cutting action, capacity, and grip decide the right pruning shears for your hands and your garden.
July 8, 2026
Buying guide Containers & Small Space
Choosing the Best Containers for a Balcony Vegetable Garden
A practical guide to picking balcony-vegetable containers: compare materials, sizes, and drainage, then match the right pot to what you want to grow.
July 7, 2026
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Buying guide Fruit
Bare-Root vs. Potted Fruit Trees: Which to Buy
Compare cost, planting windows, and establishment success for bare-root and potted fruit trees so you can pick the right option for your yard.
July 9, 2026
Buying guide Flowers & Ornamentals
Annuals vs. Perennials: How to Choose the Right Flowers
Confused about annuals vs perennials for your flower bed? Compare cost, bloom time, and effort so you know exactly where to spend your budget this season.
July 9, 2026
Buying guide Fruit
Best Cold-Hardy Fig Varieties for Northern Gardens
A grower's guide to choosing cold-hardy fig varieties by dieback tolerance, ripening speed, and growth habit so your fig survives winter and still fruits.
July 9, 2026
Buying guide Vegetables
Best Compost Bins for a Small Backyard Vegetable Garden
Compare tumbler, stationary, and worm compost bins by speed, effort, and size to find the best fit for a small vegetable garden.
July 9, 2026
Buying guide Flowers & Ornamentals
Best Fall-Planted Flower Bulbs for Spring Color: A Buying Guide
Compare tulips, daffodils, crocus, hyacinths, and alliums by reliability, bloom time, and value to choose the best fall-planted bulbs for your garden.
July 9, 2026
Buying guide Vegetables
Best Drip Irrigation Kits for a Backyard Vegetable Garden
Confused by drip irrigation options? This guide breaks down kit types by bed size so you buy the right system, not an oversized one.
July 9, 2026
Buying guide Herbs
Best Grow Lights for Starting Herbs Indoors in Winter
Compare grow light types by spectrum, heat, and efficiency so you can choose the right setup and keep winter herb seedlings stocky instead of leggy.
July 9, 2026
Buying guide Herbs
Best Herb Garden Kits for Beginners: How to Choose
Learn what separates a beginner herb kit that thrives from one that dies on the windowsill, with clear criteria for light, containers, and seed quality.
July 9, 2026
Buying guide Vegetables
Best Grow Lights for Seed Starting: A Buyer's Guide
Leggy seedlings come from too little light, not too little time under it. Here's how to choose a grow light that actually prevents stretching.
July 9, 2026
Browse by topic
Vegetables 15 guides
Grow more food in less space.
Herbs 15 guides
Fresh flavor from windowsill to plot.
Fruit 14 guides
Berries, trees, and vines that pay you back.
Flowers & Ornamentals 8 guides
Color, structure, and pollinators.
Soil & Compost 1 guide
The part that actually matters.
Containers & Small Space 1 guide
Balconies, patios, and pots.
Tools & Gear 1 guide
What to buy, what to skip.