A common mistake among new gardeners is forgetting to plant the fall garden early enough. A perfectly-timed fall garden is, in fact, started in summer – not fall! Sure, you’re still harvesting zucchini and perhaps the tomatoes aren’t yet ripe but we’re now on the other side of the summer solstice when days are gradually getting shorter and crops will begin growing slower. So, all the while pulling weeds and plucking peppers, you’ll want to be gearing up to plant your fall garden! The main … [Read more...] about Fall Gardens Start in Summer
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Organic Treatments for Fungal Infections 2022
This is one of our Top 10 most popular articles based on customer feedback and engagement. Originally published in July 2016, it has been updated with new information and product links. As always, please leave us your comments below! The hot and humid days of July and August are prime time for fungal infections to start popping up on your trees, vegetables, and landscaping plants. Some of the most common infections are powdery mildew, rust, leaf spot, and blight. Preventative treatments, and … [Read more...] about Organic Treatments for Fungal Infections 2022
Let’s get this spring thing started!
-Pam Scott- It’s February 1st, and I am marveling at the insulating, nitrogen-rich blanket of snow covering my garden. Today I will be making my way out to the yard to take cuttings of quince and forsythia. They will be taken indoors and put into vases of warm water where they will be forced into bloom, filling the house with the colors and scents of spring. This is a yearly tradition for me to welcome in the beginning of “Gardeners Spring”. This is also the date when we at Fifth Season … [Read more...] about Let’s get this spring thing started!
Make Your Own Blooming Container Gardens
-Pam Scott- There is no better way to bring continuous color into your garden throughout the spring, summer and fall than to plant blooming annuals. Annual flowers will usually bloom profusely for one entire growing season and then die off in the cold months, whereas perennial flowering plants will most often bloom for a short time, become dormant and then reappear the following year. Annual flowers add color to the garden when perennial plants stop blooming or become dormant. By planting … [Read more...] about Make Your Own Blooming Container Gardens
Getting Started Seed Starting
-Dan Toot- It can’t be April again! It’s STILL April! (March 413th as of the time of this writing.) Still, the wonderful deja vu of this time of year is seeing the rush to the seed rack and our soil amendments as gardeners prepare for a great year of growing. Seeing this, I decided it was time to join the fun and start plants from seed myself! If you dig back, you’ll see I first dipped my toe into organic gardening with some Golden Ghost Pepper seedlings -- which I cloned and am … [Read more...] about Getting Started Seed Starting
Time to Prune
-Pam Scott- After having had a few months break from rigorous garden chores, you may now feel the call of the outdoors... the need to get this spring thing started. Top on the list of things to do in February is to assess what needs pruning in the garden this year. Late winter is the ideal time to prune a large number of plants in your garden. In our zone 7 climate, most plants are dormant from November to March. There are numerous benefits to pruning plants during this winter dormancy. Plant … [Read more...] about Time to Prune
How to build a Johnson-Su Bioreactor
-Mike Weeks- It’s that time of year again when activities in the garden have come to a near standstill and the holiday hustle and bustle is over. Any gardener knows there’s always something to do with the garden whether that’s taking inventory on your seed stock, planning and designing new beds, or even sharpening your tools. But, those unusually warm winter days in between the cold ones like we recently had are perfect for tackling projects that will give you a leg up on spring gardening. … [Read more...] about How to build a Johnson-Su Bioreactor
Organics: A Better Way to Grow
-Tim Leisman- Organic growing can be intimidating to the newcomer. When I came to Fifth Season, I wasn’t exactly new to organic gardening - I’d helped my mom in the garden many summers, complained about the smell of the manure she would buy to till into the soil every so often, then watched as plants thrived under her care. However, I never took the time to learn exactly how and why she put bone meal into the garden. Have you ever wondered why organic products cost much more in the stores and … [Read more...] about Organics: A Better Way to Grow
Sustainable Living Gift Guide
Looking for a gift or a little stocking-stuffer that also considers environmental impacts? We have a bunch of options that are environmentally responsible and cool as all get out! Reusable Food Storage For everyone who hates having to using plastic wrap, plastic baggies, or tin foil to keep food fresh and/or portable. From Bees Wrap reusable food wraps, to Stasher silicone food storage bags, to zippered sandwich and snack bags from Eco Bag-It, to silicone bowl covers, we have lots of … [Read more...] about Sustainable Living Gift Guide
Living Soil: 101
-Jordan Capps- We sell an amazing array of high quality pre-bagged planting mixes at Fifth Season, enough to cover pretty much any need a gardener may have, but have you ever wondered about the ins and outs of creating your own soil? There can be an overwhelming amount of information on the subject online, enough to make the task seem impossible. To help alleviate some of that “analysis paralysis” I have a (relatively) simple, easy to follow recipe that pretty much any plant under the sun … [Read more...] about Living Soil: 101