Garden Nations

Autumn · Garden Planning Autumn Is the Start of Next Year's Garden What to do in your garden right now, and how to use the quiet months to get ready for winter, spring and summer, so next year is your best season yet. Most people think of autumn as the end of the gardening year. Experienced gardeners see it the other way round: autumn is where next year begins . The soil you feed now, the notes you write now and the seeds you sort now decide how easy (or how stressful) your spring will be. The good news is that none of this is hard work. It is mostly about doing the right small things at the right time, and using the slow, dark months for planning instead of panic-buying in April. In this guide: what to do in the garden now, a season-by-season plan for winter, spring and summer, a simple planning calendar, and the most common mistakes that cost gardeners a whole season. Part 1: What to Do in the Garden Right Now Late October and November are about three things: pro...

Fruit Garden · Autumn Planting Plant It Now, Pick Apples for Decades Why late autumn is the best moment to plant apple, pear, plum and cherry trees, and how to do it step by step so your tree settles in before spring. There is an old saying: the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, and the second best time is now. For fruit trees, "now" is quite literal. From late autumn to early spring , while the trees are dormant, nurseries sell them as bare-root trees : no pot, no soil, just roots wrapped in a bag. They are cheaper than potted trees, there is a much bigger choice of varieties, and they establish beautifully if you plant them right. Planting in autumn gives the roots a head start. The soil is still a little warm and usually moist, so new roots can grow over winter, and the tree is ready to push leaves and blossom in spring. In this guide: bare-root vs potted trees, choosing the right tree (rootstock and pollination explained simply), picking the spot, th...

Vegetables · Garden Know-How The Right Neighbors Make a Healthier Garden Pair the right plants and they practically take care of each other. Pair the wrong ones and you'll fight pests all summer. Plant a tomato next to the wrong neighbor and you might spend the whole summer fighting pests, poor growth, or a harvest that never quite arrives. Plant it next to the right one, and the two can practically take care of each other. That is the whole idea behind companion planting: pairing species that help one another repel insects, improve flavor, share nutrients, or simply make better use of the space. It is one of the oldest tricks in gardening, used long before synthetic pesticides existed, and it still works today in a small backyard plot, a raised bed, or a handful of containers on a balcony. Here is what actually holds up, what to avoid, and how to start pairing plants this season. What Companion Planting Actually Does Companion planting works through a few repeatable...