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How to Prepare Garden Beds for Spring
By Stephen AlbertSpring bed preparation is one of the most important steps toward a productive growing season. Whether you garden in raised beds, mounded beds, or in-ground beds, the goal is the same: start the season with loose, fertile, well-drained soil that supports strong roots and healthy plant growth. Here’s how I prepare my beds each spring… -
Seed Starting Guide
By Stephen AlbertStarting plants from seed is easy. You can start vegetables, herbs, and flowers from seed. Seed starting requires a bit of time and space. The effort will be rewarding. Many more varieties of vegetables and flowers–both annuals and perennials– are available in seed than are young seedlings or starts offered at garden centers or nurseries…. -
Vegetable Seed Starting Indoors and Out
By Stephen AlbertThere are three ways to get your vegetable garden growing: Starting seed indoors will give you the following: Good Products for Seed Starting Success at Amazon: Crops best started from seed in the garden Some crops are not easily transplanted into the garden. These crops simply want to be handled as little as possible; they… -
The Fundamentals of Regenerative Gardening: Transform Your Garden
By Stephen AlbertRegenerative gardening is a powerful way to grow food while healing the soil beneath your feet. After more than 30 years gardening year-round in Sonoma Valley—through drought years, rainy winters, heat waves, and abundant seasons—I’ve learned that the gardens that thrive long term are the ones built on regenerative principles. These fundamentals don’t just improve… -
Row Covers Plant Protection
By Stephen AlbertFloating row covers and plant blankets are an easy way to protect crops from chilly nights and light frosts. Row covers, floating row covers, and garden blankets are made from varying weights of synthetic materials and are used to protect plants. Floating row covers are made of lightweight spun poly fabric and are laid loosely… -
Plastic Tunnels for Growing Vegetables
By Stephen AlbertPlastic tunnels can be used to extend the vegetable growing season by 4 to 8 weeks. A plastic tunnel is easily made by draping plastic sheeting over a series of sturdy wire or plastic hoops to create an enclosed growing space. A plastic tunnel works much like a cold frame. The temperature inside a clear… -
Vegetable Garden Season Extension
By Stephen AlbertVegetable garden season extension is a term used for growing vegetables outside of the natural growing season—that is during winter, early spring, or autumn spring when outdoor temperatures are too cold for most plants. To extend the season, plants must be protected by covers small or large. When soil and air temperatures fall below minimum… -
First and Last Frost Dates and the Garden Growing Season
By Stephen AlbertThe last frost date in spring and the first frost date in autumn mark the beginning and end of the natural garden growing season. Use these dates to plan seed starting, transplanting, and harvesting. The time to plant seeds in the garden or start seeds indoors depends on the plants you want to grow and… -
Seed Starting Vegetables in February
By Stephen AlbertStarting seed in the garden can be challenging, especially early in the season. Garden soil either too cold or too wet are the chief obstacles to germination in late winter and early spring. The solution: start seeds indoors early in the season. Vegetables that are the easiest to start indoors from seed are broccoli, Brussels… -
Seed-Starting Vegetables in January
By Stephen AlbertIf you haven’t started already there’s no time like the first month of the year to jump-start spring. In the coldest regions, the first weeks of January are the time to begin planning the spring and summer garden. As soon as your plans are set, get seeds ordered. In low frost and frost-free regions of…
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