Tag: gardening tips

How to Revive a Sick Air Plant – Garden Therapy

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Air plants are pretty fascinating—unlike other plants, Tillandsia requires no soil to grow. This makes them a versatile and beautiful addition to any indoor space. However, just because they don’t need soil doesn’t mean they don’t require special care. If you find your plant is looking less than stellar, use this guide to troubleshoot and learn how to revive an air plant.

Got a dying or dead air plant? If your air plant is looking dull, a bit brown, or limp, there’s usually one culprit: watering! In fact, these signs could mean that it is very thirsty!

To revive a sick air plant that has been a tad neglected, shipped from far, far away, or is just looking a little under the weather, this air plant care guide will show you how to perk it back up!

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Do I Have a Dead Air Plant?

Just like anything, there is a point of no return when it comes to air plant health. That being said, people often think they have a dead air plant when in reality the plant is just struggling a bit but can easily be nursed back to health.

A dead air plant will be completely rotten, AKA all the leaves are mushy at the base and will fall off. Or, it has already turned brown and crunchy.

In most cases, air plants are not truly dead but instead in the process of dying. This means that with a little TLC, your Tillandsia can perk back up and even begin to thrive!

Brown tips can occur from not enough water or too much sunlight, which is fairly common.

How to Revive an Air Plant

A healthy air plant should have leaves that range from green to gray. When you pick up the plant, it should stay intact. In other words, on a healthy air plant, leaves should not fall.

There are several things you can do to revive a plant. Here are the steps I take to help my air plants regain their health.

Give the Air Plant an Overnight Soak

The first place I always start when I’m reviving an air plant is with watering. Remember, air plants don’t require soil, but that does not mean they don’t need water. Just like every other living being, water is absolutely essential to air plants!

Since air plants do not have soil, they have to absorb moisture and that all-important water through their leaves rather than a root system. There have been too many times I have heard that garden centers recommend spritzing air plants with water a few times a week. In my experience, this is not enough water and will leave the plant thirsty. If this happens long enough, it will lead to a dead air plant, sadly!

Air plants should be soaked in water, not spritzed or misted.

How Long Should I Soak My Air Plant?

To ensure my air plants meet their water requirements, I give them an hour-long bath. In the warmer summer months, I do this weekly, and in the winter, about every three weeks or so. I live in the rainforest, so I like to use rainwater. However, you can use tap water as well! Just leave the water out for 24 hours to allow the chlorine to evaporate.

Then, simply remove the air plant from whatever container it is in and submerge it in a bowl of water. The bowl should be large enough that the plant can submerge totally.

Leave it in the bath for an hour or so, then take it out. Give your air plant a few gentle shakes while upside down to make sure the water isn’t pooling in its leaves.

Tip the air plant upside down or on its side to ensure it has fully dried out before placing it back in its container. Pooling water can rot your air plant, so don’t skip this step.

For troubleshooting and for even more information on proper water, read this article I put together about how to water air plants.

Leave your air plants to fully dry after their bath.

Make Sure Your Air Plant Has Air!

This may seem obvious, but your air plant needs oxygen to live! There are many images floating around of air plants stored in a closed jar that make me shake my head—the plant cannot survive in an airtight environment!

The solution is easy—you can still keep your cute jar terrarium, but make sure to leave the lid cracked or open so air can circulate freely.

Make sure your air plant is getting air circulation.

Remove Dead Leaves

You’ll also want to remove any dead leaves from a sick air plant by gently tugging at them to see if they come off. If they remove easily, they are dead. If the whole plant falls apart when you do this, you’ve got a dead air plant that has already bit the dust, unfortunately.

However, if only a few leaves come off and the inside leaves are green and healthy-looking, your air plant is going to make it with the proper care!

Dead leaves should easily come off.

Look at the Tips of Your Air Plant

If the tips of your air plant are turning brown, try using rainwater or unchlorinated water, as described above. If you are not giving them chlorine, but they are still turning brown, then your plant may not be getting enough water.

Give them an overnight bath, then make sure that you are bathing them more often.

Brown tips occur from chlorinated water or not enough water.

What if My Air Plant Falls Apart?

If you have a green air plant that just falls apart, you’ve got a dead air plant on your hands. This probably occurred due to sitting in standing water too long, or it was not shaken off properly after bath time.

Read the section about watering again, and you’ll surely have better luck with the next one!

Air plants in need of soaking and pruning.

Sick Air Plant FAQ

Should I soak my blooming air plant?

First of all, congratulations! It can be hard to get an air plant to bloom, so you’re doing things right. Air plant flowers should not get wet, as it can cause them to rot. Try to water your air plant by submerging the leaves only, and not the flower.

Can I remove a dead flower from an air plant?

Yes, you can remove the flower. It should fall off on its own, but you can also cut it back to where it is brown. Now that the plant has flowered, it should set pups, and the mother plant will die back. Don’t be concerned when this happens because it’s all part of the life cycle.

My air plant is changing colour. Is this normal?

Changing colours for an air plant can mean a lot of different things, especially since there are so many varieties. If it’s brightening, it’s likely blooming or adapting to the environment; this is no cause of concern. Many tillandsias turn redish.

If the colour is fading, it might not be getting enough light or water. If there is brown or black colouring, especially at the base, this could be a sign of rot.

How do you water an air plant that is glued to something?

This is one of my pet peeves about air plants because it’s difficult to take care of them once they’re permanently attached to something. If you’re able, you can try to soak the entire thing, but this can make it difficult to dry properly, so your air plant can rot. Your best bet is to spritz it regularly, every day if needed.

I keep my air plants in these homemade wire and rock displays where I can easily remove them for their bath.

I hope this guide helps you revive an air plant and keep your plant collection thriving! If you love air plants as much as I do, be sure to check out the articles below.

More Tips for Growing Air Plants

A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.

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Stephanie Rose

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February 19, 2026
From Body to Garden, How to Use (And Not Use) Epsom Salts

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Known for soothing aches and pains, people have been using Epsom salts for years topically on the body, ingested as a supplement, and even as a gardening secret ingredient (spoiler alert: don’t!). Most people use Epsom salts without even knowing what it truly is, so I’m breaking down some of the common myths, best uses, and Epsom salt benefits you can utilize at home.

Epsom salt was first discovered in England during the 17^th century. People soon realized there was something very special about it! Fast forward to today, and you can find it at just about any pharmacy or grocery store.

Chances are, you’ve used Epsom salts before in the bathtub, whether that was due to advice from a doctor, massage therapist, or your mom. If you are like me, at the beginning, you probably had no idea why you were doing so or what those magical crystals even were.

Today, I want to break down some of the most common uses and benefits of Epsom salt, as well as debunk some myths surrounding the use of Epsom salts in the garden. When properly used, it can be a really great ingredient to have in the home!

This post will cover…

What is Epsom Salt?

Epsom salt gets half its name from where it comes from and the other half from its chemical structure. These salts are originally found in the town of Epsom in England, where the mineral waters are very rich in Epsom salts.

And while it does have salt in the name, it’s very different from table salt. Only the chemical structure is similar.

A chemical compound, Epsom salt is made of magnesium, sulfur, and oxygen. Hence, it’s also known as magnesium sulphate. Magnesium is key to the success of Epsom salts and why it makes people feel good. Most people do not get enough magnesium in their diet.

While you can technically eat it, most people use Epsom salts externally as a bath salt. It dissolves right in the water and is used to treat many ailments. It’s easily found at grocery and drug stores in either the pharmacy or cosmetic sections.

Epsom Salt Uses

Magnesium and sulphate can be absorbed through the skin, meaning you do not need to consume them to get all the Epsom salt benefits. However, you can apply it both topically or take it as a magnesium sulphate supplement or even as a laxative.

As the fourth most abundant mineral in the body, humans require quite a bit of magnesium but few get enough of it. Adding Epsom salt to your regular routine can help you boost your mineral intake. While the best way to enhance your magnesium intake is by ingesting it, Epsom salt baths can help.

I use magnesium as the base in many of my bath salt recipes. Combined with herbs and essential oils, my baths become very therapeutic as well as enjoyable to the senses.

I also apply magnesium topically in this magnesium lotion to help soothe aches and pains before going to bed. It really has helped and remains one of my most popular recipes as others have found the benefits of adding magnesium to their routine.

While there have been few studies as to whether or not magnesium can actually be absorbed through the body, I can only speak from personal experience. It definitely does the trick for me and I have made it a part of my daily routine.

Epsom Salt Benefits

So what happens when you use Epsom salts and up your magnesium intake?

Boosts Sleep

Sleep, something we could all use more of I’m sure, can be enhanced by getting enough magnesium. The mineral helps to produce neurotransmitters in the brain that reduce stress and stimulate sleep. Likewise, low magnesium levels can result in poor sleep quality.

Relieve Aches and Pains

Many people also use Epsom salt to help with muscle aches and even relieve cramping. In fact, athletes will often soak in Epsom salt baths after exercising as part of their recovery. Lots of magnesium in the body helps your body use lactic acid and glucose.

In addition to helping muscles relax, magnesium sulphate also helps to reduce pain and swelling. Many people who suffer from arthritis and fibromyalgia use Epsom salt baths to help with their pain management. This is why I also highly suggest my magnesium lotion to help with all kinds of aches and pains.

Helps Ease Constipation

What people don’t talk about as often is how much it helps with constipation. Drawing water into your colon, magnesium sulphate helps to encourage bowel movements. For this effect, you want to take it orally rather than absorb it topically. An FDA-approved laxative, 2-6 teaspoons dissolved in water should do it!

Epsom Salt in the Garden

When it comes to using Epsom salts for plants, there are a lot of recommendations for it on the internet and social media. People tote it as their best-kept gardening secret or miracle cure they learned from their grandma. Whether or not you should use it has turned into quite a divisive topic.

And I hate to be the one to burst your Epsom salt bubble, but I would not recommend using it in the garden. Here’s why.

Blossom End Rot

One of the most common things people like to say about Epsom salts is that it helps to prevent and stop blossom end rot. This can be caused by a lack of calcium in the plant and its inability to pull enough from the soil. As we now know, Epsom salt is a fancy word for magnesium sulphate. No calcium whatsoever.

In fact, adding magnesium to the soil can actually hurt your plant when it has a calcium deficiency. The magnesium and calcium ions in the soil compete to get into the plant.

It’s actually very rare to have calcium deficiency in the garden. Blossom end rot is most commonly from improper watering. Always water at the base of the plant so it gets deep into the soil.

Pests and Diseases

Some people also claim that mixing Epsom salt in water and applying it to plants can help eliminate all kinds of pests and diseases. In reality, there’s no real evidence to support this.

When it comes to pests and diseases, there is no blanket solution. You can learn more about different natural pest control methods here.

Fertilizer

In very rare cases, you can use Epsom salt as fertilizer. It’s a soluble method of adding magnesium and sulphur to the soil. But most home gardens are not deficient in these two minerals. Typically, only very acidic and sandy soils for commercial crops would require this.

Most of the time, gardens are deficient in macronutrients such as phosphorous, nitrogen, and potassium. While people say that Epsom salts can make your roses bloom more, result in fruit bigger and more prolific, and result in lusher gardens, most of these are typically associated with macronutrients rather the magnesium sulphate.

Since it’s so water-soluble, using magnesium sulphate in the garden when you don’t need it can actually pollute groundwater.

Frequently Asked Questions About Epsom Salt

How Does Epsom Salt Work?

Magnesium sulphate can be easily absorbed through the skin, increasing your body’s overall magnesium levels. Most people, especially those after exercise, take Epsom salt baths with the salt dissolved in the water and soak in it. This can help improve muscle function and pain in the body.

Magnesium sulphate can also be ingested for use as a supplement or laxative.

What Is Epsom Salt Good For?

Also known as magnesium sulphate, Epsom salt helps to increase the overall levels of magnesium in the body. Since most people are deficient in magnesium, increased levels of the mineral can help improve sleep, pain management, nerve and muscle function, and energy levels.

How Long Should You Soak in Epsom Salt?

To reap the benefits of an Epsom salt bath, you need around 2 cups of Epsom salts for the average-sized bath. Once fully dissolved, soak yourself in the tub for at least 15 minutes to receive the effects of mineral baths.

After your bath, keep well hydrated and try to relax for at least two hours. For this reason, an Epsom salt bath is best done in the evening once you’ve done everything you need to do for the day.

When Should You Not Use Epsom Salt?

Most side effects from Epsom salts result in oral use. If taken in extreme amounts, it can cause nausea, headaches, and lightheadedness. But if taken in the right amounts according to a package or doctor, you shouldn’t experience any intense side effects.

Epsom salts should not be consumed by pregnant women, children, and those with kidney conditions. If you’re ever unsure, it’s always a good idea to consult with your doctor first.

And of course, do not use them in the garden. They provide no real value to the average home gardener and can pollute groundwater.

Can Epsom Salt Help With Constipation?

It sure can! Epsom salt is actually listed as an FDA-approved laxative.

To use Epsom salt as such, dissolve 2-6 teaspoons into an 8-ounce glass of water. Drink the whole glass and you should experience laxative effects as soon as 30 minutes later upwards to 6 hours. Just make sure you’re using supplement-grade Epsom salt. You don’t want any of the cosmetic bath salts that have fragrance and colouring.

You may experience bloating and diarrhea, known side effects of consuming magnesium sulphate. Be sure to drink plenty of water to help reduce these symptoms. It also should not be a regular solution but an occasional laxative.

I hope you have learned something new today, whether that’s the benefits of Epsom salts or to keep them out of the garden. Let me know if you have any more questions about using Epsom salts in the comments down below!

More Ways to Use Epsom Salts

A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.

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Stephanie Rose

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February 7, 2026
Accessible Gardening: Creating a Garden That Supports YOUR Body – Garden Therapy
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Gardening is a joyful, therapeutic activity that everyone should be able to enjoy, no matter their capabilities. Accessible gardening allows you to create a space that works for you in a judgment-free zone. Here’s how to make gardening easier on the body and the mind.

We often talk about gardening being one of the most accessible hobbies. You can do it with relatively no experience, get free or low-cost supplies, enjoy it year-round, and find tons of support online.

But we don’t often talk about how physical gardening can be. I can get a serious arm workout just by using pruners for a half hour or work up a sweat with the number of times I squat while picking weeds.

Gardening is especially tough on the body for those of us who may be working with physical disabilities or aging bodies. Or, if you’re like me, both.

I’ve had to change my approach to gardening over the years to accommodate my body’s needs. As I’ve settled into my new house, I incorporated an accessible garden design to make things easier and hopefully allow me to garden for many years to come.

Let me show you how you can make your own accessible garden.

My wildflower lawn requires no mowing or watering, requiring less energy from me.

Letting Go of Expectations

Thanks to social media, we can see what other people are doing in their gardens at all times. I see people starting their seeds indoors in January when I’m still in recovery from the holidays. People are boasting about all the bulbs they want to plant when I can hardly bend over and put two packs of bulbs in the ground.

There are a lot of “shoulds” in gardening. You should be planting native species to support your local environment. If you don’t mow your lawn, your neighbours might give you the stink eye. Weed so your flower beds don’t look unkempt and wild.

Let go of all these shoulds.

All approaches to gardening are valid. If you want to do these things, then by all means do! If you envision your garden differently, then that’s what you should follow. Tailor your garden to your own needs.

We tend to be the hardest on ourselves, and the tyranny the shoulds only make us feel overwhelmed to get it all done. Try to do the best you can with forgiveness and kindness.

A food forest is an excellent, low-maintenance way to grow lots of food.

Understanding Your Own Needs

Before you get started, think seriously about your own needs and limitations. Getting a paper and pen and writing this down will help you really consider your unique situation.

Start with a self-assessment about what your physical abilities are. Personally, I often underestimate AND overestimate what my abilities are, and I think a lot of people might also.

I’ll think of everything I want to do and what I used to do. But if I’m having a flare-up or I’m struggling, I can’t get as much done. The same goes for the seasons. I can work more in the summer than in the winter because my body is more sore and stiff,

When I have an unrealistic expectation of what I should be able to do, I feel down and beat up because I’m not accomplishing it all—I don’t recognize all the work I’m actually getting done.

This is why doing an assessment of your physical abilities helps. Ask yourself…
- What is my energy like?
- How much time do I have available?
- What can I take on in this mental state?
- Am I in the right place to be doing these things?
- Why am I gardening? What am I hoping to get out of this?
Sometimes, you may be in a place that’s more suited to curling up with a blanket and sitting in the hammock chair in the garden as opposed to planting flowers and picking weeds. And that’s okay.

I have spent many afternoons enjoying my garden from my hammock chair.

Accessible Garden Design

Accessibility is very personal and changes from minute to minute, day to day, week to week, and year to year. Start off by looking at what you can handle now, how you can make things better for the future, and adapt as your body and mind requires.

Gardening Beds

The cornerstone of every garden is the gardening beds. If all your beds are ground beds, you may want to think about pivoting to some different gardening designs. Ask yourself if your garden is set up for ergonomic and body-friendly designs.

Raised beds can ease the need to bend down and kneel over. Perhaps you can start thinking vertically. In my last home, I made a completely vertical garden bed to maximize my small full sun area and to make caring for my vegetable garden easier on my back.

Container gardening is also an excellent choice. You can move pots and containers closer to the home so you don’t have to go far to reach them, and you can care for them even while sitting.

If you’re reading this and going Oh no, my garden is going to need a total revamp, then that’s okay. Whatever you do, don’t set out to try and completely renovate your garden all at once. That will be too overwhelming.

Instead, try to adjust your gardening beds over time and ask for help. I moved in the fall of 2022 and spent the next year and a half slowly changing the new yard to accommodate my needs. It was a HUGE project, and I had a ton of help by hiring contractors and reaching out to friends. It is only now, this year, that I’ll finally get to start planting everything (and I’m so so so so excited!).

Accessible Tools

Many of our daily gardening tasks require tools to get done, from pruning shears to water spray guns. There are ergonomic and accessibility-friendly versions of almost all of these tools designed to lessen the load on your body and make gardening easier.

I have a whole post dedicated to these ergonomic tools, which you can check out here.

There are also tools which you may not already have, such as kneeling pads or an auger drill bit for planting.

Once again, it can be pricey to fully revamp all the tools in your garden. Purchase these accessible tools as you need them and rehome your other tools to a new gardener’s home (I like offering items on my local Buy Nothing Group).

Tools can have extendable or longer arms so you can reach further while sitting or standing.

Mobility Friendly Design

Sometimes, just accessing gardening beds can be a problem. In my new home, they originally had one large gardening bed pressed against a fence. This meant that to reach anything in the back, I would have to climb and wade my way through the other plants.

Yeah, no. Not happening.

Have you made your garden easy to get around? It’s important to think about travelling around the garden while designing for accessibility.

Pathways are essential. While a pathway of large river stones may be beautiful, it will probably be difficult to walk on. You want pathways on which you can roll things, don’t have trip hazards, are wide enough, and are good for all seasons (frost can make things very slippery).

Also, consider adding a few seating options throughout your garden. You don’t want to go far if you need to sit for a moment to regain some energy.

Handrails are also important. Avoid covering them in decorative elements like planters, fairy lights, or garlands in the winter. You want handrails you can grip.

Do you have to go downstairs? Consider adding a grip to the staircase to avoid slipping. Long term, you may also want to consider adding ramps to your space as well.

Pathways can be both beautiful and safe.

Low-Maintenance Plants

Plant choices can make a huge difference in making your garden work for you. Low-maintenance plants will give you the leeway between having to garden and wanting to garden.

Native species will naturally thrive in your area, so if you’re looking for spaces to fill, consider adding some. You’re not looking for perfection, so look for species that can thrive in your area. For instance, you may be able to grow palm trees in Vancouver, but it will take a lot of work. So, it might be best to grow a different tree instead.

Other plants that can add to the workload are those that need to be overwintered. If you need to dig plants up or move them into a greenhouse, they might be worth skipping (or grow them in containers so you can move them into a garage easily).

Or perhaps you approach your garden with an oh-well attitude. Everything stays put for the winter—you’re prepared to lose the plant. If it happens to survive, then bonus!

Don’t set yourself up for a bunch of extra jobs down the road that will cause you stress since you don’t know when you’ll be able to get them done.

Allow the plant to support your needs. Plant the things you love, the flowers that make you smile, the scents that remind you of fond memories, the vegetables you actually like to eat, or the herbs you can use for your own beauty products.

It’s not about what you don’t plant; it’s about what you do plant.

Permaculture Zones

One of my last tips for you is to consider permaculture zones. This is a method of grouping plants (and other garden structures) together based on how often you use them.

For instance, if you cook with herbs often, you might want them right outside your patio door so you can easily snip them without wading into the garden. Or you might strategically grow your vegetables on the side of the house with the hose so you don’t have to haul it far.

While there are technically five permaculture zones, they’re not supposed to be a rigid structure to follow. They’re supposed to work for you, so they’re a great practice for those looking for a more accessible garden.

I have a whole post dedicated to using permaculture zones to create an accessible garden, which you should definitely check out.

And those are my tips for creating a more accessible garden. I’d love for you to share your own tips in the comments below so that myself and others can utilize them to make gardening as friendly as possible for all ages and bodies.

More Ways for Accessible Gardening

A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.
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Stephanie Rose

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February 3, 2026
Create a Wild & Free Garden Journal – Garden Therapy
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Create your own custom garden journal, adding your own personal touch using found materials. By putting creativity and intention into your garden journal, you’ll find yourself more enthusiastic and more inclined to fill its pages.

Journaling has become part of my morning routine as a way to start the morning off intentionally.

I know I’m not the first person to rave about journaling. In fact, I’m hopping onto the bandwagon rather late. I transcribe manifestations, gratitude, and ideas all into the journal. Then at night, I review them rather than scrolling on my phone.

For me, journaling isn’t a New Year’s goal or a way to practice creative thinking. It’s my way to slow down, which feels like a rebellion in this day and age.

This practice also applies to the garden. Creating a garden journal is a beautiful way to add intention to your garden. It’s a place to gather knowledge, but also musings and feelings that come from the garden.

This project is an excerpt from The Wild & Free Garden, my new book about creating a garden using found materials and free resources. It’s a book that will inspire you to grow a deeper connection to your garden, your community, and yourself. The book releases February 24, 2026, and is available for pre-order now!

The Neuroscience Behind Garden Journaling

Have you noticed that when you first discover something, you suddenly see it everywhere? Like when you spot a new-to-you plant at the garden centre, and the next day you realize it’s growing in all your neighbours’ gardens.

That’s your reticular activating system (RAS) at work, the network of neurons in our brainstem that acts as a gatekeeper for your awareness. It helps us notice what matters based on our beliefs, thoughts, and experiences.

You can train your RAS through activities like journaling. When you write down your goals, intentions, and garden design ideas, you’re giving your brain clear instructions on what to prioritize. Journaling strengthens this effect by filling your RAS with information about what deserves attention.

When we combine this with gardening, there’s an additional benefit from the therapeutic act itself. Gardening helps us focus on the present and notice signs of growth and progress. We pay attention to what’s resilient and renewing, which rewires our thought patterns to help us see what’s becoming rather than what’s missing.

Garden journaling doesn’t just help us find what we’re looking for; it also helps reset our intentions and reconnect us with nature.

Create a Wild and Free Garden Journal

My mother’s garden journal, which I discovered after she passed away, was a modest spiral-bound school notebook. As I thumbed through the pages, I saw her garden come together with interesting magazine and newspaper clippings pasted alongside her notes. It was beautiful; a keepsake of her garden that was well-organized and deeply personal, yet it didn’t cost a penny to create.

Create your own garden journal with a found notebook and some decorative pressed flowers or images to make it your own. The act of creating a garden journal allows us to create a place for planning. The act of personalizing it, just as my mother did with her pasted articles, fosters value and attachment to the planning process and the record-keeping.

Dedicate as much time to the project as you like, but the more personal it is, the more you will treasure it for years to come.

Materials

Make It!

You probably have a notebook in your home or office that could serve as a garden journal. Often, we have books where we’ve jotted down a few notes or started a journal but never completed it; simply removing those pages can give us a fresh start. Or perhaps you have been given a promotional notebook from a business or event. If you don’t have something that can be repurposed, many other people do, so look for them at Little Free Libraries, paper and book recycling depots, second-hand stores, and free groups.
Once you have your notebook, take some time to personalize it. Decoupaging the cover with pressed flowers brings us into our creativity and attaches a value to the notebook that no money could buy. This decoupage project could also be done with printed photos, images from seed catalogues, or old gardening books. The instructions are the same whether you use flowers or paper.
Arrange pressed flowers or other decorative elements on a sheet of paper to map out the final design. When you’re happy with the arrangement, add another sheet of paper on top and flip the flowers so they are upside down. This will help to preserve the layers of the design while you apply the underside to the cover first.
Allow to dry, then apply two to three thin layers of the adhesive over your decorated cover, allowing each layer to dry completely before applying the next.
Create sections for different garden areas or seasons, or just begin filling the pages with notes. It will come together as you work through your garden. Add plant lists, interesting articles, seed packets, and growing tips with lots of room for notes, sketches, and pressed plants.
Expert Tip: Add the date at the top of each page you write and leave room for notes in the following years on those same pages. This way, you can see how your garden grows not just over the season, but over the years.

Fill Your Journal!

For inspiration on what to fill your gardening journal with, check out these posts. Better yet, order your copy of The Wild & Free Garden!

A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.
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Stephanie Rose

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January 21, 2026
Start a Gardening Club to Find Community and Connection – Garden Therapy

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Gardening is often seen as a solitary activity, but there’s also an incredible community to be found among people who love growing plants. Gardening clubs bring people together and provide a connection and community that we can all use more of. Whether you’ve just started gardening, recently moved to a new city, or you’re just feeling isolated these days, this is my personal take on the benefits of joining a gardening club and how you can find your fellow plant lovers.

Lately, it seems like clubs are making a big comeback. Whether it’s online or in-person, there’s a club for every interest—running, reading, knitting, and, of course, gardening!

And it makes sense. In an increasingly isolated world, people are seeking out community. We may not be able to find it as easily as we could at school club fairs, but adults benefit hugely from gathering with like-minded people who share our interests.

My fellow gardeners have truly changed my life and provided so much positivity and connection. If you’re in need of some community, I highly recommend joining a gardening club.

Not only is it a great way to share your hobby with others, you can learn from more experienced gardeners. It also provides a chance to trade plants and seeds and even tour other gardens for inspiration!

Here’s what I’ll be covering today…

I love speaking at gardening clubs and events.

Being Part of a Garden Club

When I first started my gardening journey, I was going through a period in my life where I felt very isolated and lonely. Gardening started as a coping mechanism for me as I was spending a lot of time at home, in great pain from my new disability.

My doctors recommended I join a support group, but I didn’t find talking about my pain all the time to be helpful. The meetings felt more like venting sessions than a supportive environment.

Instead, I decided to look for connection by joining a community garden. It was a much more uplifting environment, and all we ever chatted about was plants. Which was amazing! Soon enough, I could feel those feelings of isolation beginning to lift.

At first, Garden Therapy was just a way to connect with people and talk about plants. I wrote anonymously, and I didn’t share any personal details. Slowly that changed, and I’m grateful that I now have a huge gardening community here online. And yes, I always read the comments and emails I get!

Now, I do a lot of talks for more traditional garden clubs, and the community they create is amazing. I actually made some great friends through the Master Gardeners Club in Vancouver, and we still meet up regularly. To this day, the friends I have met through gardening are some of my nearest and dearest.

Me with two of my gardening friends, Emily Murphy and Tara Nolan.

What Does a Gardening Club Do?

Like any club, organization, or society, the main purpose of a gardening club is community. As I mentioned, I first joined a community garden during a very lonely time in my life, and it provided an amazing sense of connection.

As far as the actual activities and events go, it depends on the club you join. Seed and plant swaps are some of my personal favourite club events to attend, but some clubs also host other events like garden tours.

Another benefit of joining a club is the wealth of expertise and knowledge that other gardeners can share. If you’ve ever found yourself trying to use the internet to diagnose a problem with one of your plants, you can imagine how helpful it is to have a community of gardeners who can provide advice.

Plus, it’s nice to have people in your life to share the wins with, whether it’s a bountiful vegetable harvest or a new leaf on a plant you thought wouldn’t make it.

I recently hosted an eco-printing workshop at the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival.

How to Find Your Local Gardening Club

If your local gardening club is well established, you may be able to find it with just a quick Google search. But if not, local or provincial horticultural societies are great resources. They often have lists of gardening organizations available on their websites. You can also join local Facebook groups to find out about events and organizations to participate in.

If all else fails, you can always ask around at community gardens or even gardening centres. Just think about where your fellow gardeners might be spending time and go there! Even if you don’t find an already established club, this is a tried and true way to meet people who share your interests.

Community gardens are a great place to start for beginners or those with limited space.

Starting Your Own Gardening Club

If your community doesn’t have an existing gardening club or one that works for your schedule, you can also find fellow gardeners by starting your own group.

Find a Meeting Place

Logistically, there are a few things to consider. You’ll need to think about where and how often you’ll meet, as well as if there are any bylaws you need to abide by.

Local libraries and community centres can be great meeting places as they often have free meeting spaces that you can book. You might even find some of your members by advertising at local meeting centres as well as community gardens.

Facebook groups are another excellent place to find people to join your new club. Try posting in local community groups and see what happens. You might even be able to find a Facebook group specifically for gardeners in your area. You can also create an event page for your group to help advertise meetings.

The Purpose of Your Garden Club

Once you have the basic who, where, and when of your club figured out, you’ll need to decide what you’ll do and talk about. Maybe you want to host a more casual gathering where you simply chat about what you’re growing or a more structured Q&A style conversation.

Seed swaps can also be a fun way to break the ice by providing an activity for everyone to participate in, but keep in mind this might take a bit more planning.

Plant swap photo by Kristin Crouch.

Guest Speakers

Guest speakers are another great option if you want to provide more structure to your meetings and focus on gardening education. Speaking at events and garden clubs is one of my favourite things to do! Whether I join in person or via Zoom, I try to make my talks very personal and focus on encouraging conversation so that we can all learn from each other. After all, that’s one of the best parts of gardening clubs.

Whether you decide to bring in a speaker, or meet a few other gardeners for coffee once a month, remember that the purpose of gardening clubs is to find community. As long as you get to connect with people who share your passion for plants, that’s all that matters!

Having guest speakers can open up your gardening club to other perspectives and approaches to gardening.

Garden Club FAQ

What is the purpose of a garden club?

Like any club, the main purpose of a gardening club is to create a community of people with a common interest—gardening! Each one is a bit different depending on the needs and interests of its members, but some of the clubs I’ve participated in have held organized events for trading plants, seeds, and harvests. Others can be more casual, just a chance to meet up with fellow gardeners to chat about our plants and share tips.

How do I attract new members to a garden club?

Even if you’re planning to host an in-person garden club, I think the internet is the easiest way to find like-minded people. Facebook groups are an excellent place to start. Maybe your community even has a Facebook group for gardeners where you could look for members. You might also find members at places like a community garden or community centre.

A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.

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Stephanie Rose

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January 1, 2026
Burn Herbs In Your Campfire to Repel Mosquitoes Naturally

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Whether you are camping or enjoying a little backyard entertaining around a fire pit, you can easily repel mosquitoes by tossing in a few herb branches. Burning herbs is a natural and safe way to keep mosquitoes from making you their next meal. Read on to find out which fresh plants and herbs repel mosquitoes and how to use them.

Spending time outside is one of my favourite things to do. I can garden practically all day and not be the least bit bothered by insects. Then, the evening comes, and the mosquitoes come out. UGH! My least favourite insect of them all!

Without any mosquito intervention, I become the meal du jour, and my lovely day turns into an evening of waving hands and smacking myself in an erratic and awkward dance to prevent the inevitable itchy welts that are sure to follow.

As I have learned more about plants over the years, one of the things I have discovered is methods for using plants to naturally repel mosquitoes.

This allows me to appreciate the natural benefits of plants while also avoiding the use of potentially damaging chemicals in commercial bug sprays.

Over time, I developed my natural bug spray which is made with essential oils and has worked wonders when it’s mosquito season.

Another method that I use to deter mosquitoes is burning branches of herbs over the fire pit (or campfire). And I’m going to tell you how you can too!

Most herbs will work with this trick, some better than others.

History of Burning Herbs

Indigenous Peoples, healers, herbalists, religious leaders, and the spiritually devoted from all over the world have burned herbs as a part of their religious and cultural traditions for centuries.

Indigenous Peoples sustainably harvest sacred plants native to the land with appreciating and reverence. Drying and bundling them, and burning them in a cleansing practice called smudging. Smudge sticks are used for ceremonial and purification purposes.

These practices are steeped with tradition and deep spiritual meaning. With all that has been taken from Indigenous Peoples, non-native folks need to avoid culturally appropriating these rituals.

Burning herbs has a long and important history for many cultures and religions.

How to Burn Herbs With Appreciation For Other Cultures

In modern herbalism, so much of what we use today is based on the practices of many cultures. There is a deep appreciation for the history of using (and burning) herbs and allowing herbal studies to include both the past and the present.

Burning herbs over a fire for their herbal properties is a respectfully different practice than the use of smudge sticks for ceremonial or religious purposes. Smoke cleansing is the act of burning herbs without the cultural or spiritual, and is an enjoyable way to experience the beneficial herbal properties.

When I burn herbs over a fire to repel mosquitoes, I do so with appreciation and gratitude for both the ancient knowledge of herbs as well as the use of herbal plants (not sacred plants) to safely and effectively keep bugs at bay.

We can use and appreciate the ancient knowledge of herbs passed down.

Which Plants Repel Mosquitoes?

To put it mildly, I hate getting mosquito bites. My immune system reacts very strongly to their saliva, which means I end up with large, itchy, welt bites that bother me for days. I used to use large amounts of bug spray to save myself from mosquito bites, but the spray bothered me, too.

Fortunately, there are natural ways to successfully deter those pesky bugs!

Mosquitoes hate strong-smelling herbs like:

We can use these herbs in several ways to help deliver the one-two punch that will keep pesky bugs away so we can enjoy evenings outside.

A tool for your mosquito-repelling tool belt is to toss a few branches of herbs (fresh or dried) into the fire. Thankfully, what smells heavenly to you will send bugs packing. Let’s dive a little deeper into each herb to find out why.

You can use fresh or dried herbs for this trick.

Lavender

Lavender has a well-known and widely used pleasant scent that, fortunately, people love and mosquitoes hate. Burning lavender is highly effective at repelling flying insects.

Fun fact: you can also rub the plant directly on your skin to release its oils as another way to tackle pest control.

Lavender is best harvested just before the buds open.

Mint

Members of the mint family (peppermint, etc) all have a strong, pleasant smell that flying insects hate. Mint is also extremely prolific, so it’s easy to have a big bundle at the ready when you grow it in containers in your garden.

Pineapple mint.

Lemon Balm

Lemon balm is part of the mint family that has pleasant white flowers and a mild lemony fragrance. It works well to keep mosquitoes away.

However, lemon balm’s potential downside is that it grows fast and can quickly take over your garden. To keep it from running wild, it’s best to plant lemon balm in a container or other contained space.

This can be a great way to keep your lemon balm in control.

Sage

Burning sage emits pleasant aromatherapy that makes an evening outside even better. The other benefit is that the same smell deters mosquitoes and other flying pests.

Culinary sage is a perennial, so you can harvest from it every year for this trick.

Citronella

One very well-known and common ingredient in mosquito-repelling candles is citronella. Its strong smell does a great job of masking the very aspects that attract mosquitoes to us. Fortunately for us, citronella is easy to grow.

There are also citronella-scented plants, such as this geranium.

How to Burn Herbs in a Campfire

Burning these herbs is as easy as tossing them right into the fire. Place the herb bundle to the side rather than directly in the center of the fire so it doesn’t burn down too fast.

The smoke will carry the scent, so as long as they’re burning, the mosquitoes should leave you alone. Depending on the size of your fire, you can use a little or large bundle of herbs. Keep a few bundles handy to continually toss into the fire as needed.

Use fresh or dried herbs. Fresh herbs often have a stronger scent than dried.

Of course, just the smoke from the fire helps keep bugs away. But, by adding in some herbs that keep mosquitoes and biting insects away, they help to mask your smell. So, if you’re like me and seem to attract biting insects away from other people, the addition of herbs to your fire could likely be that extra step you need to REALLY keep the bugs away.

I often use dried herbs, as I dry them throughout the season and have them on hand.

How to Repel Mosquitoes Without a Fire

You can still create bug-repelling smoke even if you don’t have a firepit. Making your own citronella candles is easy and inexpensive if you use recycled materials. See how to make these Citronella Candles or these Terracotta Pot Citronella Candles to have throughout your garden.

I hate the smell of citronella in the store-bought candles and find these much more enjoyable.

For an extra line of defence, don’t forget to spritz on this all-natural bug repellent that really works (and I would know because even though I don’t love mosquitoes, they LOVE me)!

This bug spray only takes a few minutes to make.

I’ve also been dabbling and planting a few mosquito-repelling container gardens to have around the areas I tend to frequently be in and I have to say, they have been helping tremendously.

Between burning herb bundles and using these other DIY methods, you can finally (and safely) say “buzz off!” to pesky mosquitoes and get back to enjoying your evening outside.

Try These Other Pest-Repelling Tips

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Stephanie Rose

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July 9, 2024
Growing Gracefully: Make Gardening a Joy at Any Age or Health Stage
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Now, I believe everyone who told me about all the aches and pains that come with aging. As someone who suffers from chronic pain, I’m used to managing it on a regular basis. But now, it’s most definitely an everyday thing. Here’s how to make gardening easier as you age or your health changes.

When I saw that Perla Sofía Curbelo-Santiago of Agrochic was putting out a book, I instantly knew I would love it as I’ve always admired how she weaves Puerto Rican and American gardening culture together.

Her book ¡Verdura! – Living a Garden Life: 30 Projects to Nurture Your Passion for Plants and Find Your Bliss reminds me very much of my first book, Garden Made. When I was writing Garden Made, I wanted to make sure that the projects were uncomplicated and seasonal so that everyone could get some garden therapy year-round.

The projects in Perla’s books are also very accessible, and I know that Perla frames her gardening work for all kinds of gardeners to enjoy. The projects are great opportunities for those who struggle to keep up with the garden to stay involved.

I highly suggest you check out the book to see all of the projects. Today, I wanted to feature one of my favourite aspects of the book, which is how you can make gardening easier for yourself as you age or find yourself limited due to health reasons.

Perla is an inspiring person, who always finds a way to make things work. She’s terrified of heights and married to a pilot after all! So read on for both of our tips for making gardening work, no matter your abilities.

Quotes reprinted with permission from ¡Verdura! – Living a Garden Life: 30 Projects to Nurture Your Passion for Plants and Find Your Bliss by Perla Sofía Curbelo-Santiago © 2024. Published by Cool Springs Press.

My Changing Garden

I didn’t grow up as a gardener. It wasn’t until I became severely disable overnight that I turned to gardening as a form of therapy. It started so small, with just five minutes a week, which turned into five a minutes a day, then ten minutes, and so on.

It took years, and it wasn’t something that just happened overnight. But since I didn’t come from a gardening background, the first garden I created was incredibly accessible and designed with my disability in mind.

As I have evolved my gardening style over the years, I have prioritized a regenerative garden model. This is a garden that is mostly self-reliant, meaning I have very little maintenance to do, which is great for my body.

I recently moved into a new home and am starting from scratch. It’s a big project, as the yard has been neglected for quite some time. The big difference this time around is that I’m aging and facing my disability.

Changing your garden is a constant thing, as it should adjust based on where you live, what you like to grow, how you enjoy your garden, and your own capabilities.

“As we grow older or health circumstances push us to adjust our daily routine to be able to continue functioning physically, mentally, and emotionally, there are certain changes that can take us more time to accept. Sometimes, we come quickly to our senses; other times, it takes a minor accident to make us face reality,” says Perla.

How to Make Gardening Easier as You Age

As I mentioned earlier, Perla is also a big proponent of changing things up rather than giving up gardening. “Because I want to keep gardening, I’m happy to make the necessary adjustments to stay on that path instead of throwing in the towel and quitting a hobby that brings me so much joy and well-being,” she says.

“Remember that the more comfortable we are doing what we like, the more time we will spend on it and with greater satisfaction, regardless of what life brings.”

So, if you find yourself needing to change your garden, whether that’s due to age or health, here are some of the top ways you can make things easier for yourself.

Paths

“Consider leveling and paving the area where you walk daily to get to garden beds, ponds, or rooms around the garden. Reduce the potential to trip or fall on bumps or slippery zones,” says Perla.

In my new house, it came with a raised bed that was backed up against the fence. This meant the only way to access the back was to climb into the raised bed. This won’t do! I’ll have to redesign the garden, starting with removing this raised bed.

If you want an easy and fun weekend project, check out my concrete stepping-stone ideas.

With stepping stones, I’m able to easily adjust and move my pathways as needed.

Branch Down

As we age, it can become difficult to maintain taller trees and shrubs. Consider this for future plantings, and consider getting assistance with pruning from a family member or friend or by professional landscapers.

“Reduce the height of trees and shrubs to make them easier to trim or harvest without ladders,” says Perla. “Remove branches or plans that interfere with visibility when passing from one area to another.”

Avoid needing to step on a ladder when it comes to your pruning.

Transportation

Consider where you garden vs where you store your materials and if you could make transportation easier by moving your storage area.

“Use a small wheelbarrow to transport heavy materials, such as bags of soil, potted plants, or things for disposal,” says Perla.

Gardening Tools and Accessories

“Switch to ergonomic and colourful tools as you replace those you already have,” says Perla.

Here are a few ergonomic tools you can try out:

Beyond handheld tools, you can also adjust your watering systems. “Add reels for hose storage and install smart water systems of accessories instead of carrying heavy watering cans around,” suggests Perla.

Comfortable Seating

“Add more seating areas in which to rest and that provide comfortable respite as you go through your garden activities,” says Perla.

In my last garden, I had this hammock chair which was a little sanctuary for Kiddo and I. Even when I was sore or not in the mood to garden, this still allowed me to get outside and enjoy the therapeutic qualities of nature.

Make sure you have at least one comfortable seating area in the shade so you can sit outside at any time of day.

Adjust Your Favourite Gardening Activities

One of my favourite recommendations in Perla’s book is to adjust the tasks that you enjoy most in the garden. Ideally, you shouldn’t have to stop doing what you love most; instead, you should adjust them so they’re still comfortable and manageable.

Start off by listing all the activities you like to do in the garden, then ask yourself:
- When do I enjoy it most?
- What adjustments are required?
- When should I have someone help and delegate this task?
“Changes in our gardening lifestyle don’t need to be drastic, if there is no need,” says Perla, “but we do have to be aware of how decisions made today, regarding the purchase of a tool, the addition of certain plants, or the choosing of hardscapes, will affect our quality of life in a long term.”

Let me know how you’ve adapted your gardening tasks and activities in the comments below, and maybe you’ll help out a fellow gardener!

Be sure to check out ¡Verdura! for all the projects and Perla’s insights. It’s available in both Spanish and English.

More Ways to Rethink the Garden
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Stephanie Rose

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May 20, 2024
Can I Save My Dying Plant—or Is It Time to Say Goodbye? – Garden Therapy

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After pouring plenty of love and water into your beloved plants, it can be heartbreaking to see them start to die. A dying plant can actually tell you a lot about what is wrong, and you can use this opportunity to learn or even save your plant from being just another addition to the compost bin.

Have you seen the comic of the dying plant? The plant is so happy to get picked to go home, only to get placed in a graveyard of dead plants and is left horrified.

If you’ve got yourself a graveyard of plants, you’re not alone. Some people call this a brown thumb when you have quite the opposite of a green thumb.

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t also get to enjoy the joys of having greenery in your life. After all, it’s one of the easiest ways to make a home more colourful and calm.

Here’s what you can do about those dying plants and how you can relinquish this gardening guilt that may affect you anytime you accidentally kill a plant.

While this post focuses primarily on houseplants, everything can apply to garden plants as well.

The Rise of the Plant Parent

I’m very much guilty of referring to my plants as my babies, but I’m really not alone. #PlantParent has almost 1.3 million posts under it on Instagram, and millennials, in particular, are completely obsessed with their plant babies.

During the pandemic, gardening became one of the most popular hobbies. Plant sales boomed, and people found beauty at home. 93% of millennials believe that houseplants make them happier.

The trend has continued with rising food costs and those looking for ways to feed their family healthy food at an affordable cost. The average millennial is less financially secure than when their baby boomer parents were the same age.

Many individuals don’t have access to their own backyards or green spaces to call their own, finding it difficult to obtain affordable housing. And we can all agree that plants aren’t as demanding or costly as pets or children.

So plants become their babies, using it as a way to liven up their home and bring in colour, even if they’re renting. Millennials account for about 1/3 of all houseplant sales in the US. And I’m all here for it!

I rented a home while I searched for a new place, and plants were the #1 rental-friendly way to liven up the white, stark space.

What is Gardening Guilt?

This past spring, I did a panel discussion on gardening and wellness at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. It was moderated by Kim Stoddard and had a few other amazing gardeners as speakers.

While on the panel, Kim’s daughter asked us how we dealt with garden guilt. That is when your garden or house plant is dying, and you guilty for not being able to care for it.

Everyone on the panel was a really experienced gardener, educator, and communicator, and not one of us felt that we were prone to garden guilt the same way that newer gardeners are.

As we gain experience, we lose our guilt.

As more and more people start to fall in love with plants, they build a relationship with them. The plants become their allies. But once you start seeing those plants as beings, you feel some grief and sadness when they die.

I think this is really important! Recognizing plants as a gift and acknowledging how much they give to us means we’ll bond with them. And yet, we’re always going to have these losses in gardening.

Dying air plants are among the most common plants to be killed, as they require different care than the typical air plant.

Can I Revive a Dying Plant?

If you catch it early enough, you can definitely revive a dying plant. The first thing you want to do is try to diagnose the problem. From too much water to not enough, or burnt leaves to soggy ones, there can be many reasons why a plant is upset.

I suggest you check out this post on diagnosing what is wrong with your plant.

The next thing you’ll want to do is clean up your old plant. Remove any dead or dying leaves—those aren’t going to come back. Instead, they’re just zapping energy that could be going to other parts of the plant require to revitalize it. So get snipping!

This could also mean removing dead or soggy roots. Remember, half of the plant is beneath the soil and shouldn’t be forgotten

If your plant was very injured, there’s a good chance that it will look scraggly or even like a single stem at this point. Don’t lose the faith. I’ve had some plants come back better than ever after they looked like they were on the brink of death.

Make sure your newly cleaned plant is in its preferred conditions, changing whatever it doesn’t like.

This Chinese money plant has a dead leaf that should be removed to direct energy to the growing parts of the plant.

Turning Your Brown Thumb Around

All you can do is try to revitalize a dying plant, and cross your fingers. Turning a brown thumb into a green thumb all comes from learning from your mistakes.

Back at my discussion about gardening guilt, I immediately said, “I have no guilt at all about a dying plant. Those plants should have tried harder.”

Yes, we can be bullies in how we learn by getting a bunch of plants that aren’t great for our area, and we try to grow them and then beat ourselves up by it not thriving. Or we go, maybe we shouldn’t grow those plants again…let’s try something else!

I talk about this mindset with my Kiddo (my real one, not a plant baby). Making mistakes is normal, and rather than beating ourselves up for trying to be perfect, we can use them as an opportunity to get better.

Without mistakes, we would never be able to grow. Our gardens can literally grow after we have our greatest mistakes!

So yes, guilt has no place in my gardening tool belt. Every time I lose a plant, I respect the plant that I lost. But I grow as a gardener.

I didn’t grow up gardening, which is proof that anyone can learn how to have a green thumb.

FAQ About Reviving Dying Plants

When is it too late to revive a sick plant?

If the stems are brittle and easily snap off, there is likely no hope for your plant. The stem should not be black or brown. When cut into it, it should show some greenery.

Likewise, mushy roots have succumbed to root rot and are no longer good.

But if you cut back all the stems and leaves, the main stem is still alive, and there are still some healthy roots, your plant could come back.

What kills plants?

The most common way that plants die is by receiving improper care. This can include too much sunlight, not enough sunlight, too much water, not enough water, not enough nutrients, too much fertilizer, a lack of humidity, etc. As you can tell, it can get confusing! That’s why it’s important to know what exact conditions your plant favours.

Pests and diseases can also kill plants. These are best prevented, with, once again, the proper care. It’s harder to get rid of them than to stop them from coming in the first place.

Can you revive a dead plant?

If it’s truly dead, you can’t revive the plant. If there are any signs of life, it could regrow new shoots and leaves. If the main stem/trunk or the roots are still healthy, it may come back from the brink.

Do you ever feel garden guilt? Let me know down in the comments.

More Tips for Helping Dying Plants

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Stephanie Rose

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April 24, 2024
Sun Safety for Gardeners: How to Stay Safe in the Sun – Garden Therapy
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From avoiding the sun to bug bites, our skincare routine requires a little more effort in the summer to keep our skin happy and healthy. Sun safety is often one of the more overlooked health aspects, but it is super important for people like gardeners who spend lots of their peak sun time outside. Here’s how to stay safe in the sun without cutting back on your gardening time.

As a fair-skinned, freckly gal, I have all the risk factors for skin cancer, including skin cancer, in my immediate family. Sun safety is no joke for me, so I have done quite a bit of research on what works best for my skin and me.

I love to be outside gardening and soaking up vitamin D, but I am always conscious about sun exposure. Yes, I can’t deny that feeling the sun’s rays directly on my skin fills me with joy and literal warmth, but these moments must be quick and measured.

If sun safety has never been much on your mind as a gardener, let this summer be the time to change that. It’s something we all should be talking about more and practicing year-round.

Here’s what I wish all gardeners would know about sun safety.

If you do get a sunburn, aloe vera is one of my favourite ways to treat it and provide relief.

Effects of UV on the Skin

Once we got past rubbing baby oil on our skin into the era of the Coppertone Girl, parents everywhere have been asking their kids, “Are you wearing sunscreen?”

We are all very familiar with the SPF labels on bottles and know that the higher the number, the more sun protection. However, most sunscreens are only protecting against UVB rays and not UVA rays. So, what exactly is the difference between the two?

UVB rays damage the outer layers of the skin, causing sunburns, while UVA rays penetrate deeper into the skin, causing aging. Both are causes of skin cancer. Ideally, you want protection from both. While you may be outside and avoiding a sunburn, long sun exposure will put you at risk of UVA rays.

Some commercial sunscreens protect against both and are labelled as broad-spectrum sunscreens, but they still only provide minimal protection against UVA rays. Mineral sunscreen with zinc oxide is often broad-spectrum, sitting atop the skin rather than into the skin.

I have naturally freckly skin with just a few minutes of daily sun exposure.

How to Protect Skin From the Sun Naturally

Many moons ago, I wrote a blog about sunscreen and didn’t end up publishing it because the truth is that I don’t rely much on sunscreen. While it does protect the top layer of skin, it doesn’t do much for the skin underneath. This means there can still be underlying damage.

In fact, a sunburn is a good indicator that you’ve been in the sun for too long and need to step out.

A while back, I had low Vitamin D levels, so I ended up taking a supplement. But after a few months of it disagreeing with my stomach and not making me feel much better, I opted for safe sun exposure instead.

My doctor recommended that I head outside and expose my skin to the sun without sunscreen in the cool weather months and at the cool times of the day.

It really doesn’t get all that warm here in Vancouver so that meant that for June, July, and August, I avoided the sun between 10 am to 3 pm, but that 15-20 minutes of exposure in the morning or evening was just fine.

Before I say more, I should note that I don’t take skin safety lightly, and I don’t think you should either. It’s essential that you also consult with health care professionals about what is best for you and your family.

And just so it’s 100% clear, I do use sunscreen when I can’t avoid sun exposure. But I try to follow the following suggestions first.

Our plants sure do love the sunshine, though!

How to Stay Safe in the Sun

In addition to wearing sunscreen when I’m outside for a long time, there are many ways I keep my skin protected while in the garden.
- Check the UV index. The same way you might check the weather, look at the UV index for the day. Anything 3 or higher is when you need to be extra careful.
- Avoid the highest peaks of the day. Typically, 10-3 is when the sun is at its strongest. Avoid gardening during these times. The UV index will confirm the best times of day to go outside. The safest time to be in the sun is early morning and late afternoon.
- Wear protective clothing. Put on a wide-brimmed hat that will cover your face, ears, scalp, and neck. Wear long sleeves (in a light colour to stay cool) to cover your arms, and don’t forget to protect your eyes with UV-protected sunglasses.
- Invest in UPF clothing. If you find yourself outside for a very long time, I would recommend buying some clothing that is labelled to have a UV protection factor (UPF)
- Work in the shade. Whenever possible, find protection in shady spots. Umbrellas can help with this!
- Wear sunscreen. If exposed to a long period of time, put on some broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher.
- Keep hydrated. Always drink lots of water when it’s hot out to avoid dehydration and heat stroke.
You’ll always find me outside in my hat and long sleeves.

Take Inspiration From Around the World

Many of our current sun safety practices stem from different cultural practices that have long been in place.

In ancient China, silk parasols were very popular amongst the higher classes to stay protected from the sun. I still see many people practicing this today. In Southeast Asia, people wore and still wear conical leaf hats.

The indigenous people of the Arctic were the first to have “sunglasses” made of leather, bone, or wood to shelter their eyes from snow blindness. Further south, indigenous people used sunflower oil and pine needles as natural sun barriers.

The Mediterranean and most of Latin America participate in siestas, a mid-day nap or rest when the sun is at its peak. During this time, people retreat inside to shelter themselves from the sun.

In my post about SAD, I mentioned that today’s society forces us to live by a certain timeline rather than follow the sun. We’re told that midday is one of our most productive hours, so we need to be out and about getting stuff done. But what if we used this time to be in the shade and rest instead?

Get under that umbrella!

FAQs About Sun Safety

How long does SPF 50 sunscreen last?

The SPF number refers to how well a sunscreen protects against UVB rays (not UVA rays). It tells us how long the UV rays would take to redden our skin compared to if we weren’t wearing sunscreen.

With SPF 50, UV rays would take 50 times longer to burn your skin than if you weren’t wearing any sunscreen. Compared to SPF 30, SPF 50 is about 2% more effective.

How many minutes in the sun is safe?

Between 15-20 minutes of exposure in the morning or evening sun is just fine without protection.

What is the most harmful time to be in the sun?

The peak sun hours are between 10 AM to 3 PM. Check your UV index for peak times, as you would the weather. Anything 3 or higher should require all sun protection measures. The safest time to be in the sun is early morning and late afternoon through to the evening.

In the end, we want to avoid the sun at its peak time when the UV rays are the strongest, wear a hat, enjoy the shade whenever possible, and take steps to wear skin protection. Together, you’re keeping your skin happy and healthy!

More Natural Sun Care Tips
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Stephanie Rose

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April 22, 2024
Nothing Grows in My Yard. What Can I Do? – Garden Therapy
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Space is the number one thing gardeners want more of. But what happens when you have the space, but nothing grows in it? Front yards are notoriously difficult to grow in for urban areas, and there are actually quite a few reasons why your garden or yard may be struggling. But not all hope is lost!

Not so long ago, I received this question and photo from a reader…

“I live in Houston, Texas, in a subdivision. We have two large oak trees in the front yard that we trim every spring. But my front flower bed will not grow anything!! We cut the tree limbs back further to help let In sunlight. Still, nothing grows. We have removed all the soil and planted new things several times. I even left roses in the pots ( I gave up and moved them to the backyard, and they are beautiful now). What can I do??”

This is such a frustrating experience that is, unfortunately, way too common. Many people struggle to get their yards to support the growth of plants, especially those in the front.

If your house faces similar issues, not all hope is lost. Read on to see why your yard might have issues growing plants and what you can do about it.

Don’t let this discourage you from growing large trees! This dogwood tree was very beloved to me in my old garden.

Caught Before It’s Too Late

Back when I was house hunting, I found a really lovely house for sale in my neighbourhood. At first, it ticked off all the boxes. It had these beautiful old-growth trees on the front street, a nice little backyard, and a great interior layout.

But then I looked at the soil, and my heart sank. I knew nothing was going to grow there.

I couldn’t tell you exactly why that is, as I don’t carry a soil test kit wherever I go, but I suspected that those old-growth trees were causing a bigger issue for surrounding vegetation.

Sure enough, I looked at all the houses on the street, and none had gardens. While someone might be able to do raised beds and containers, that isn’t my preferred way of gardening. I wanted a place where I could landscape entirely.

And so, as a gardener, I couldn’t imagine myself living there anymore despite it being a lovely house.

While we all wish our front yards could look like this, it helps to work with what you have rather than against it.

The Problem With Large Street Trees

The old growth trees were a big indicator for me. Of course, they provide plenty of shade which can make it difficult for some plants to grow underneath.

They also have extensive root systems. When you look up at the tree, think about how the root system will be equally as big—oftentimes even larger.

That’s an oldie. A tree of such a large size will need to gather lots of nutrients and water from the surrounding soil to feed the entire tree. This makes it really, really hard for smaller plants to compete with a giant like that.

In some cases, turf grasses can’t even grow. You’ll end up with moss and lichen as companion plants, as they grow well with trees.

So you’re left with a front yard that struggles to grow anything.

At my previous rental house, we had very large oak trees, which made it difficult to plant under. But I persisted, which you can read about here.

Allelopathic Trees That Produce Chemicals

Some trees are even bigger bullies (or geniuses—however you look at it). These trees produce chemicals that will prevent other plants from growing. They don’t want to compete with other trees, so this can really prevent growth in small urban areas. They’re known as allelopathic.

For instance, black walnut trees (Juglans nigra) and butternut (Juglans cinerea) produce a compound known as Juglone. It prevents plants from germinating and causes plants to look wilted.

Allelopathic plants release these chemicals through their roots or as they decompose. These chemicals can affect a plant’s ability to germinate, develop roots, or take in nutrients. Some plants are sensitive to these chemicals, while others might not be affected at all.

Here are some more allelopathic trees and shrubs to be on the lookout for:
- Bearberry
- Elderberry
- English laurel
- Forsythia
- Junipers
- Rhododendron
- Sugar maple
- Sumac
It should be noted that most large trees are allelopathic in some sense, as they take in so much water to stop other plants from competing.

Research if any of the larger trees or shrubs in your yard can affect other nearby plants.

So, You’ve Got Soil Issues

Beyond large trees, it’s also important to look at the soil. In my previous house, there was so much debris in the soil that was left behind by builders who knows how long ago. It took me years to get rid of it all and rebuild the soil into something rich and grow-worthy.

You also will want to know what type of soil you have. Is it overly clay and compact? Is it gritty and dries out quickly? Is it soggy nearly all the time? Good soil needs to be able to both retain water while still having good air circulation for the roots.

I highly recommend you do a soil test to determine your soil’s pH. Adding organic amendments is the best way to turn bad soil into good soil, but it takes a lot of work and patience.

Toxic Substances

It could also be likely that someone has dumped something toxic into the area, such as herbicides. These are very toxic substances that will kill anything, not just weeds. It can have long-lasting residual effects long after the substance is used.

Pollution

If you live on a busy street, pollution could also be a very real issue. Pollution directly harms plants, entering through the stomata of the leaves and injuring them. It also settles in the soil, making it quite acidic and making it difficult for plants to take in nutrients.

Animals

There could be animals living underground that are also an issue, such as moles or voles. These animals might eat the vegetation or roots or damage them simply by habiting the area.

Compost is garden gold and the best way to fix poor soil.

What to Do if Nothing Grows in Your Garden

Let’s get down to what you can actually do about the problem! If you want to fix it immediately, your best bet is to use raised beds.

By bringing the soil up or working in containers, you’ll create your own little ecosystem, which can help solve some of the other issues. Be mindful that if the issue is tree roots, they can grow up into them. Trees will always strive to find nutritious soil and well-watered areas!

If the issue is soil, it will take a lot of time and patience to turn it into something grow-worthy. You’ll need to aerate the soil, continually add layers of organic matter to build it up, and bring in cover crops to help fix it. Weeds are great for turning bad soil into good soil!

Acceptance

What many people don’t want to hear is that maybe you need to take a different approach to your garden. If you want a very landscaped garden, you might have to accept the fact that garden beds with perennials, vegetables, or fruits may not be in the plan.

Instead, treat the area like it’s a concrete slab where nothing grows. Opt for a rock garden with hints of potted flowers or a lovely patio.

You can add some nice flagstone, put some moss in between, perhaps put in a fountain, and add some furniture to create a welcome space.

You can accept that you have this big, beautiful tree and get to work with it rather than fight with it. An outdoor space you can enjoy is still very much possible!

This was my old front yard, which was very shady and grew little. So I embraced it with a fountain and sitting space!

More Tips for Front Yard Gardening
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Stephanie Rose

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April 17, 2024
How to Germinate Seeds: 4 Steps to Master Germination – Garden Therapy
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It all begins with a seed. The very first step to having a lush garden begins with successfully learning how to germinate seeds. When you’ve got all the right conditions in place, germinating seeds is actually quite easy! Here’s what you need to know.

Spring is such a giddy season for gardeners. Even before Mother Nature is ready for us, we can get a head start inside by starting seeds.

But have you ever potted up a whole bunch of seeds only to have a few—or even NO—seeds actually sprout?

Germination is when a seed sprouts, and while it is fairly easy, you still need to ensure you have the four growing conditions cemented in place to have a tray full of successfully germinated seeds.

This post exclusively covers how to germinate seeds. For a full guide on how to start seeds, including containers, growing conditions, and transplanting tips, head to my seed starting 101 post.

Let’s get into germinating seeds!

All plants have different number of days until germination occurs. So, if it’s been a week, don’t lose faith!

How to Germinate Seeds

These are the four conditions you must consider if you want to germinate seeds. Get them all right, and you’ll have seeds sprouting galore.

1. Soil

Moisture is a critical part of the germination process, and good-quality soil is needed to keep things moist but not soggy.

In most cases, regular potting soil will work fine for your seeds. But if you struggle to get seeds to germinate or have plenty of seeds to start, it’s worthwhile to invest in or make a seed-starting soil mixture.

A seed starting mix is sterile and offers balanced moisture retention and drainage. It also has fine particles that allow seedlings to root easily.

Seed starting soil doesn’t require any additional fertilizer or nutrients, as the seed will have everything needed for germination. But once the seedling has developed its “true leaves,” it’s time to move it into a transplant soil mix, which will have more nutrients.

You can find both my seed starting and my transplant mix soil recipes in this post.

Your seed starting soil should be able to retain moisture while also not getting soggy.

2. Moisture

Seedlings need plenty of moisture to germinate. Even plants that will one day be drought tolerant are very delicate when young and will die off quickly if they dry out.

Check your moisture levels daily, and always start off with damp soil before planting seeds. Water the seedlings from the bottom to prevent disrupting them.

A plastic dome acts as a mini greenhouse and is very efficient at keeping up humidity levels for seedlings. Most seed starting trays come with a plastic lid, but you can easily make one with a recycled salad container or any other clear plastic container with a lid.

Cut a few holes in the lid for airflow. Remove the lid daily to allow air exchange, and remove it completely when the seedlings emerge. Air circulation is important to prevent damping off.

Daily venting is essential to prevent any soil fungus that thrives in cool, wet conditions.

3. Light

In most cases, seeds actually don’t require any sunlight to germinate. The seed has stored all the energy it needs to emerge once the conditions (moisture and temperature) are right. You can germinate your seeds away from sunlight or a grow light, moving them into light upon germination.

But in some cases, the seeds will actually need light to germinate. This is usually indicated on the seed packet, but if not, anything that sits on top of the soil or is very shallow in the soil often needs light for germination.

Grow lights can be extremely handy for starting seedlings.

4. Soil Temperature

For those who struggle to get seeds to germinate, I often ask them if they have considered soil temperature. It often gets pushed to the wayside in favor of other conditions like water and light.

Most seeds have a desirable soil temperature for sprouting. Solanaceous vegetables prefer higher temperatures, like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. Meanwhile, Brassicas, such as broccoli and cabbage, like cool soil to germinate.

Greenhouses are very efficient at keeping higher temperatures, but they often require space and materials the average gardener doesn’t have. That’s where seedling heating pads come in handy. They’re fairly inexpensive and will really speed up germination. Keep the mats on 24/7 until germination to maintain stable, warm soil.

Just remember that most seedlings like cooler temperatures, so remove the seed mats once the plant has germinated.

Peppers like warm soil, and it can affect how spicy the peppers will be.

Germination Tests

Packaged seeds are tested for their germination rates (the percentage of seeds that will sprout). Germination rates decline as seeds age, vary by variety, and can be altered by storage conditions and other factors.

Newly purchased seeds do not need germination testing. Overall, you don’t need to do a germination test. Seeds are cheap, but your time is not! However, if you have seeds that are many years old or that you have collected yourself give a germination test a try.

To perform a germination test, follow the instructions listed below in germinating seeds in a paper towel.

Any new seeds won’t require a germination test. They’re only for older seeds.

How to Germinate Seeds in Paper Towel

Germinating seeds in paper towel is quite simple and a good way to test out older seeds before committing to using up other materials and space to grow them.

Here’s how to germinate seeds in paper towel:
1. Fold a paper towel in half and wet it with a spray bottle of water. Place ten seeds inside the fold of the paper towel and cover it.
2. Place the paper towel in the plastic bag (it can be folded). Close the bag partly to create a mini greenhouse. The bag needs to have some airflow, so keep part of it open. Label the bag with the seed variety and date.
3. Set the bag in a warm spot such as on top of the refrigerator.
4. Each day, check the seeds for signs of sprouting and mist the paper towel. Seeds should sprout within 3 to 10 days or as indicated for the variety.
If you’re performing a germination test, low germination rates are less than 85%. In this case, you’ll want to plant extra seeds when you sow them. If it’s quite low, compost the seeds altogether and purchase new ones.

If you want to plant these seeds, place smaller seeds on top of moist soil. Plant deeper seeds as indicated on their seed packet. Use tweezers if necessary to move the seeds. If the paper towel is stuck to the root, cut it and plant it with the seed rather than trying to remove it.

Make sure to label your germination test with the seed variety and date.

More Tips for Starting Seeds
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Stephanie Rose

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April 3, 2024
Raised Beds vs. In Ground—Which is Better for Gardening? – Garden Therapy

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Raised beds have taken the gardening world by storm, and just about every vegetable gardener claims at least one raised bed in their design. But are raised beds better for gardening? People feel passionate about gardening in raised beds vs in ground beds, so let’s talk about the benefits and the drawbacks of each.

In my old garden, I used a combination of raised beds and in ground beds. All of my perennials and herbs were in the ground, while I reserved one large raised bed for my vegetables.

Just a sliver of my garden had full sun to grow my vegetables. So my solution was to make a unique stacked raised bed where I could optimize my growing space. It worked perfectly for someone with a small garden and as someone with mobility issues.

As for my home, there is one big raised bed left behind by previous owners that is completely impractical. It’s goes right up against a neighbour’s fence, meaning it’s difficult to access. So I’ll actually be removing it this summer!

There is always going to be a case for both sides of growing in raised beds vs in ground ones. So let me break down what you can expect from either option.

Raised Bed vs In Ground Beds

In ground beds are what’s more traditional, and what I’m sure most of your existing gardening beds are. This is when you grow your plants straight into the native soil. There is no turf or lawn, just soil ready for you to plant in.

Raised beds have four walls, creating an enclosed space. These edges can be made of wood, brick, plastic, concrete, or other building materials. They vary significantly in size, with some being small and portable and others large and fixed to the ground.

In ground beds can handle plants of all sizes.

Are Raised Beds Better for Gardening?

When it comes down to it, it all depends on the soil quality. For some, their backyard has wonderful beds of soil, whether you put your all into making it so or inherited some darn good soil already.

For some, they don’t have great soil. Perhaps they have drainage issues or compact, clay soil. In some of these cases, it’s easier to start from scratch with a raised bed rather than try to fix the soil. Leave it to the perennials to fix it up instead!

There are many pros and cons for raised beds vs in ground ones. It all depends on what your current issues are, what you hope you grow, and what space you have. I’ll break this down further, so you can figure out what kind of bed is best for you!

Raised beds are great for communal spaces to ensure everyone has designated space.

Pros of Raised Beds

Raised beds are very trendy in gardening right now. They have a distinct neat and orderly look that many home gardeners appreciate. Even when there’s nothing growing in them, they can provide some winter interest. But there are a lot more positive things to consider besides the orderliness of a raised bed.

Space Saver

These raised beds can give you extra space in your gardening. If you have limited existing growing space, say from a paved patio or large deck, you can grow plenty in raised beds.

They’re also great for small spaces that need to perfectly manage their space, such as balcony growers or small urban gardens.

See this guide on square foot gardening for tips for maximizing space.

Keep Pests Away

While no garden is going to be completely pest free, raised beds can give you a leg up in keeping the pests away. Since the raised bed isn’t on level ground, it’s out of stomping and chomping range for specific pests like snails, slugs, and rabbits. I grow my lettuce in a wine barrel to keep them away from slugs!

If the raised bed has a bottom or is lined, it can also protect from underground dwellers like gophers or moles.

And if you have small kiddos running around, it can also keep the garden away from curious hands and stomping feet. Same goes for dogs! Though cats seem to be able to reach wherever they set their heart on.

More Accessible

One of the biggest draws of raised beds vs ground beds is that they can be more accessible. Those who have injuries or disabilities may have difficulty in reaching and tending to ground beds.

If you have a raised bed that is higher up, you don’t have to bend or lean as much. It can make gardening much more accessible for anyone.

It’s also great for children who are helping you in the garden. They’re less likely to step or kneel on things when there is that separation.

This stacked planter allowed me to harvest and tend to vegetables with limited bending.

Less Weeding

For most people, they will find that they have to do less weeding with a raised bed. With new weed-seed-free soil, less weeds are likely to pop up. The soil is sterile when taken care of properly.

The borders also help to keep out new weeds, especially those that spread easily through roots like crab grass or clover.

However, it should be noted that if you place a raised bed over top of where turf or weeds used to be and don’t have a lined bottom, the weeds can still creep their way in.

Of course, you’ll still get weeds no matter what—many are carried in the wind. So it’s not a fool proof solution!

High-Quality Soil

When you start a new raised bed, you’re immediately going to have some top-grade soil. If you are starting a ground bed, it can sometimes take a few years to build up the soil to be of high-quality.

Soil can be difficult for many reasons, like lots of roots from a tree that make it difficult to plant into or lots of debris and rocks that make it difficult to use.

Soil Temperatures

Raised beds heat up much more quickly than in ground beds. You can get an earlier start outside in the spring when temperatures begin to warm up in raised beds.

Raised beds (and containers, which are essentially small raised beds) are great for heat loving vegetables as they stay warmer in the summer than the ground.

It should be noted that it goes the opposite way in the cooler season. The ground will be slower to freeze and cool, while raised beds will cool quickly. So if you have anything sensitive to the cold, raised beds are not as well insulated in the fall and winter.

Better Drainage

If a raised bed is set up properly, it can have better drainage than in ground beds. This is especially helpful in super rainy areas or if your yard has drainage issues and can collect soggy soil.

That being said, raised beds can pool water at the base if it isn’t set up for proper drainage. So make sure you set it up right to take advantage of this pro.

Peppers grow well in containers and raised beds since they like higher soil temperatures.

Cons of Raised Beds

For every pro, there is a con. Many of these pros have other considerations that should also be noted. In some cases, in ground beds are a better option than raised ones. Here are some of the not-as-great aspects of growing plants in a raised bed.

More Expensive

You don’t need much to start growing in the ground. You can get started instantly, and don’t have to worry about buying extra building materials or bucket loads of soil.

Speaking of soil, it can get pretty pricey when you’re filling a whole raised bed (or two) full of it. I always suggest adding a layer beneath of other organic material such as branches and leaves. But even then, it will degrade and you’ll find yourself topping off with soil the next year.

While you have the initial building costs of the raised bed, it may also require upkeep down the road. Especially if you use wood, you may find yourself needing to replace panels just a few years after constructing it.

This space would work better as an in ground bed since it’s right against a wall and not very accessible.

Requires More Resources

Plants in the ground have a big leg up on the competition for being low maintenance. They have access to endless soil beneath them where they can access all the nutrients they need and plenty of water.

I never add any supplemental fertilizer to my in ground beds. Everything they need is already in the soil. I add layers of compost when I have some ready and allow leaf mulch to degrade in the fall. And that’s all they need!

Meanwhile, plants in raised beds and containers will require supplemental fertilizer to get the nutrients they need. And oftentimes, watering will wash away a good chunk of the nutrients too.

In ground beds also retain water much better. They can access moisture from deeper in the ground during droughts. Raised beds dry out quite quickly, and you’ll find yourself watering them almost daily in the peak of the summer.

Raised beds can also be difficult to irrigate. You’re working against gravity after all.

Adding a layer of compost to my in ground beds are all they need. No fertilizer required!

Limited Growing Space

When designing a raised bed, it’s important to consider how deep you make it, as this will limit what you can grow. Anything that has deep roots will have difficult growing in raised beds. With edges and bottoms, plants has difficult getting the horizontal spread and depth they need.

See this guide for how deep a raised garden bed should be.

More Permanent

In some cases, raised beds can be portable. This is great for moving plants around as your design changes and to optimize growing conditions such as amount of sunlight.

But in most cases, raised beds are actually quite permanent. As your design changes, you get stuck with a large and immobile structure. For new gardeners, the first design doesn’t always stick. You learn how other designs and systems work better for you.

When you spend time and money building a raised bed, many are hesitant to take it all down and start from scratch. But sometimes that’s the only solution for a new, better working garden design.

Most raised beds are too large to be moved if you want to change your garden design or layout.

Time and Energy

Depending on what your biggest problems are, a raised bed vs an in ground bed can take more time or energy. Besides the initial build of a raised bed, they also will require more daily watering and fertilizer than a raised bed. But, you may find yourself not having to fight weeds or pests as much.

Likewise, an in ground bed doesn’t require much set up. You save time on watering and requiring little fertilizer. But you may end up spending more time weeding, amending soil, and fighting slugs and snails.

Take the time to think about your space, what you plan on growing, and your individual needs. Weigh these pros and cons I’ve outline in raised beds vs in ground beds, and see what fits your garden best!

FAQ About Raised Gardening Beds

What vegetables should not be grown in a raised bed?

Avoid any large vegetables. This means those that sprawl above ground and below ground. Vegetables with large root systems, such as pumpkins or watermelons, may have difficulty if the bed isn’t deep enough.

Anything vining can also be difficult. Make sure you have a trellis to encourage these plants to grow up, not across the bed.

Also avoid any vegetables that may be difficult to access, such as potatoes or corn.

What veggies do best in raised beds?

Veggies with shallow root systems do exceptionally well in raised beds. They’re quite versatile, so you can even put them in containers.

Root vegetables like loose soil, which also makes them a great candidate for raised beds since there is no foot traffic to compact the soil.

Heat loving vegetables may also benefit from raised beds as the soil temperature is warmer in the summer.

Is it cheaper to make or buy raised garden beds?

If you’re handy, it’s usually cheaper to make your raised garden beds yourself. If you can use reclaimed wood, even better. Here’s how you can make your own raised garden bed.

Do you have a preference for raised beds vs ground ones? Let me know in the comments below.

Tips for Growing Vegetables in a Raised Bed

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Stephanie Rose

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March 27, 2024
7 Ways to Reduce Water Usage While Gardening – Garden Therapy
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Have water, will thrive. We must do our part in limiting our water usage when it comes to our backyard plantings. Try these seven ways to reduce water usage through a diverse effort of water catchment systems and clever planting.

In our current environmental crisis, we’re all trying to do a little bit more. From encouraging biodiversity to helping support local wildlife, these are all small switches that hold the power to create big change.

Reducing your city water usage is another step to practicing sustainable, regenerative gardening.

For over 25 years, I’ve lived in Vancouver, British Columbia, known for its gray skies and relentless rainy days. During this time, I’ve witnessed a drastic change in water preserves, with caches not large enough to fulfill the city’s needs through the summer months.

Coupled with the raging wildfires that plague each summer season, doing our part to limit city water usage is more crucial than ever.

Today, I’m sharing 7 ways to reduce water usage with storage hacks that work for any yard or garden of any size.

Hand watering is more mindful than most irrigation systems.

Principles of Efficient Water Use

Before we get started, I thought it might be useful to review the basics of what we’re trying to achieve. I outline these ideas in my book, The Regenerative Garden, as the foundation for efficient water use.
- Step 1: Capture and store rainwater for garden irrigation.
- Step 2: Recycle this water as many times as possible.
- Step 3: Know your local water budget and stay within it. Never use more than your rainfall.
Even places with known rainfall should collect and store rainfall for future use.

7 Ways to Reduce Your City Water Usage

To reduce your city water usage, you’ll need to diversify your efforts. A combination of catching, storing, recycling, and smart planting can help you reduce your city water usage in a major way.

These are a few strategies to get you started.

1. Get Rid of Thirsty Lawns

Lawns use a truly outrageous amount of water. While they have become the norm in most communities, there are plenty of lawn alternatives that use far less water.

If you don’t need your lawn, replace it with a low-maintenance ground covers like micro clover or a native, drought-tolerant grass species. Many seed companies have an eco-lawn alternative that you can try out.

I’m in the midst of revamping the lawn at my new house with a new alternative lawn mix. Check it out below.

2. Plant Native and Drought-Tolerant Plants

Xeriscape principles, or conserving water through landscaping, go beyond the lawn.

The plants you choose to include in your garden can majorly affect your city water usage.

Choose plants that are native to your area, as they can survive on natural rainfall with little to no supplemental watering. Choosing drought-tolerant plants will also help you through the summer months when rainfall lessens.

Sedum and lavender are both great drought-tolerant plants.

3. Capture and Store Rainwater

One of the basic principles of sustainable water use is capturing and storing rainfall for the drier months.

Rain barrels with overflow pipes directly to your garden are an efficient way to capture rainfall. Barrels can be made from plastic, metal, or wood drums—all food-safe materials.

An average rain barrel can hold 50 gallons of rainwater, enough to water 80 square feet of garden.

You can set up drip irrigation directly from your rain barrel for easy watering with low consumption.

4. Redirect Drain spouts

Have plants that love extra water? You can redirect your drain spouts to feed directly into your garden, giving your plants the extra water they crave without digging into the city’s water supply.

Do note that not all roof runoff is recommended for our gardens, depending on the material of the roof. Roofs made from non-porous metal are ideal, while untreated wood shingle roofs are also acceptable.

Avoid roof runoff from asphalt, rubber, and galvanized zinc roofs.

Solid, non-porous roofs work best for water collection.

5. Build a Rain Garden

Designing a rain garden sounds complicated, but it’s surprisingly low-maintenance and simple in concept. These gardens are designed to filter and release stormwater runoff, keeping water to the soil and creeks.

Rain gardens use moisture-loving plants that act as biofilters to purify the water, along with drought-tolerant plants with deep roots.

These gardens range from simplistic to elaborate, redirecting natural water sources through drain spouts, gravel troughs, and an overflow area packed with rocks.

6. Use an Olla Water Catchment System

Self-watering planters are an efficient way to save on city water usage while also saving you time.

Ollas are one of my favourite self-watering systems; they’ve been used for thousands of years to provide slow irrigation and deep root watering.

This ancient watering practice teaches plants to reach down and find this water source, limiting the need for supplemental watering.

You can even attach your ollas to a rain barrel, drawing water when needed.

You can set up a rainwater catchment or greywater recycling system directly toward the ollas.

7. Build a Wicking Bed

Want to take self-watering to the next level? A wicking bed is essentially a giant self-watering container. It may resemble a classic raised bed, but there’s much more below the surface.

These beds have a water reservoir under the soil, dramatically reducing the need for supplemental watering.

The reservoir is made with an impermeable barrier to hold water, gravel to store the water, and drainage pipes for water flow; it can be filled manually, by rainfall, or through overflow spouts.

Through the hottest summer months, your wicking bed will only need a weekly top-up, with less manual care through the rest of the year.

Use recycled materials to build your wicking bed.

FAQ About Reducing City Water Usage

Have more questions about reducing your city water usage? These are the questions I get the most. If I don’t answer your question here, please leave it for me in the comments below.

How can I reduce my city water usage in a small yard?

It’s easy to have grand plans for water conservation when you have acres of space to work with. But when you’re dealing with a small city yard, you may feel more limited.

The good news is that all of these water-reduction strategies are designed to work in any space, with scale options for any yard.

A single rain barrel with redirected drain spouts is small-space-friendly, and can make a major difference in your water usage.

Planting lawn alternatives and native or drought-tolerant plants is another useful solution, possible in any size garden.

What are the best drought-tolerant plants for my garden?

I recommend choosing plants that are native to your area; they use the least amount of water because they are equipped to survive in your specific region.

With this said, there are plenty of drought-tolerant plants that would make good additions to your garden. Some of my favourites include agave, aster, columbine, delphinium, echinacea, lavender, phlox, sedum, statice, sunflower, yarrow, and zinnias. Find the full list in this post.

More Helpful Tips on Water Usage
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Stephanie Rose

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March 6, 2024
How to Make Enough Compost for My Garden: Urban Composting Fix
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Adding compost to your soil is one of the best things you can do for your garden. So, no wonder you want to produce as much of it as possible! When it comes to urban composting, you want to think beyond the traditional, small compost bin so you can get as much of the garden gold as possible.

I gush about composting the same way someone gushes about their partner. Compost is pure garden gold. It’s one of the easiest, most affordable ways to improve your garden’s soil. All while preventing more waste from ending up in the landfill.

In my garden, I don’t use any fertilizer. Most of my garden beds have all the necessary nutrients already in the soil, with compost improving the organic matter, microbes, and soil structure. When using compost, your soil will be able to hold more moisture, be more aerated, and have more nutritional value for your plants.

Compost is pretty cool hey?

While many think composting may be as easy as tossing all your kitchen waste in a pile, it’s not that simple. It’s also not hard to do when done right.

If, like me, you need lots of compost to kickstart a new gardening space, here’s how you can maximize your small space composting system.

Amend soil with compost annually or more often when you have compost readily available.

How to Make Compost

To make compost, you need four key ingredients: nitrogen, carbon, air, and moisture.

Nitrogen is full of “greens” like kitchen scraps, grass clippings, and trimmings from your gardens. You need one part of nitrogen.

Next, you need two to three parts of “browns” as the carbon source. These are typically dry and bulk, like paper, straw, or other shredded woody material.

Compost needs to be turned regularly to encourage air (oxygen) to help speed up composition, as well as moisture.

You can learn more about how to master making compost in this post. This method is what you traditionally use in a compost bin or pile for your backyard.

But unless you have lots of space, it’s hard to make enough compost to feed a new garden with poor soil. And even if you do have lots of space, that probably means you need even more compost than the average gardener!

Spread compost in a thick layer over the soil when the garden is unproductive. It does not need to be turned into the top layer of the soil.

How I’m Managing My Urban Composting System

I’m in my first spring in my new home. The yard is quite neglected, full of poor drainage and patchy grass.

In the back is a large raised bed left behind by the previous owners. About 10 ft by 7 ft, it goes right up against the neighbour’s fence. Because of this design, getting to the back corner without climbing into the bed is impossible.

I built pathways in it last summer, but it is wasted space. So, I’m ripping the whole thing out this upcoming summer to create a more functional gardening bed.

Right now, I’m dumping every ounce of greens and browns I have in the raised bed in hopes that I’ll make tons of compost. I have plans for a food forest, and I’ll need all the compost I can get to feed my neglected soil.

This compost pile is topped with coffee grounds, a great kitchen scrap addition.

How Can I Make Enough Compost for My Whole Garden?

The secret to making lots of compost is to use as many different methods as possible rather than relying on one traditional, small compost bin. Rather than removing any organic matter from your garden or throwing out kitchen scraps, find ways to use it in your garden.

Here are some of the methods I’ll use to utilize compact composting.

Mulching

Mulches are incredibly popular with permaculturalists and gardeners because of the regenerative properties they provide for the soil. The protective layer of organic material keeps the soil temperatures more consistent, deters surface evaporation, and decomposes slowly to add nutrients.

Here’s what you can use in your garden as mulch deriving from nature:
- Leaf mold
- Wood chips (nothing dyed)
- Pine straw/conifer needles
- Straw Cardboard (broken into smaller 6–12-inch pieces)
- Grass clippings
- Seaweed
As a form of urban composting, add a layer of mulch over any of your garden beds in the fall. It will insulate the soil and eventually break down into the soil.

Sheet mulching is the process of building a new garden bed or soil in layers or sheets using various carbon and nitrogen source materials.

Chop and Drop

Chop and drop is a form of mulching where you cut back the plant material in your garden and leave it on top of the soil surface to decompose in place.

This will feed the roots of their own kind, mimicking how they fertilize the soil in nature. Avoid plants that have gone to seed and only use disease- and pest-free materials.

This is an excellent form of compact composting that you can do during the growing season as you work in the garden.

Wild plants and volunteers make great chop-and-drop mulch. Cut them before they go to seed.

Green Manure

Also known as cover crops, green manures are plants that are grown with the sole purpose of going back into the soil. The plants typically are nitrogen-fixing crops.

The plants are pulled or cut down and then chopped into smaller pieces. The top layer turns into mulch on the soil surface (it’s no longer suggested to till it into the soil). Below ground, the remaining roots are left to decompose. As the top and bottom decompose, they provide nutrients and soil-conditioning effects.

To use green manures as a form of urban composting, they work best in larger gardening beds, or if you want to feed a new lawn.

Legumes such as lupines (Lupinis spp.) offer many benefits, such as nitrogen-fixing, erosion control, and attracting pollinators.

Spot Compost

With only one small compost bin, it can fill up quickly. Rather than continuously piling in more, you want to let the green waste sit and fully decompose before adding in more scraps.

Spot composting is an easy way to get into composting. To do so, you can dig a hole directly in your gardening bed, add in your green scraps, and then cover it up.

Kitchen scraps can include raw or cooked food.

Worm Bins

I have pet worms, and so could you! Worm bins are one of my favourite urban composting methods, and they are great for those with minimal space. Vermicomposting is where you use worms to decompose your kitchen scraps alongside carbon materials like straw and paper.

Here’s how you can make your own worm bin and upkeep it to keep your worms happy and eating.

Worm castings (worm poop) look much finer than soil and is very good at holding moisture.

Do you have more compost questions? Leave them in the comments below, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

More Tips for Improving Soil
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Stephanie Rose

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February 28, 2024
Seed Starting 101: Your Step-By-Step Guide for Starting Seeds

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Organic gardens are as good for the earth as they are for its lucky inhabitants. The secret to growing a healthy, lush garden all begins with a single seed. This guide covers all the basics for starting seeds so that you can revel in your gardening wizardry this spring.

Are you planning to start a garden this year? Congratulations! It’s a big deal! Whether you are a seasoned gardener or a beginner, growing a garden is good for everybody. It feeds the soul and the soil and can even feed your family.

Starting a garden off right with healthy seeds sets the roots for how the garden will grow for the rest of the year. Sure, you can help manage sick plants and dried-out leaves, but starting seeds with good intentions and mad skills will make the rest of the year’s jobs a whole lot easier.

Some of you may think I’m crazy, but I believe that how you care for seedlings will be reflected in the plant that grows and the fruit that ripens. The garden is resting now. Perhaps even covered by a blanket of snow. Now, there is ample time to slow down, plan, and nurture the very best plants to grace your garden beds.

Let’s get this gardening season started with this guide on starting seeds.

Experienced gardeners can save the seeds from their plants to use the next year.

The 10 Steps for Starting Seeds

“I made this!” I gloat while serving up a dish made entirely of food that I grew in my garden. Well, “gloat” is probably not the right word. I prance around like the fantastical wizard I am, cheering about my mad skills in making real food from tiny seeds.

It took me months. I had some fatalities. But overall, it’s fairly simple to grow from seeds. And more importantly, it’s awesome. Here are some basics for how to start seeds at home.

Make sure to label your seeds so you know exactly what they all are. Trust me, you will forget.

1. Choose Your Seeds

Starting seeds in the spring (or even winter) is one of the best ways to save money. While you could buy a pack of snapdragons at the garden centre to fill your containers, why not start them from seed at a fraction of the price? You also get way more varieties when you go the seed route.

This list covers my favourite annual flowers to grow from seed, while this list covers some of my go-to perennial flowers. Keep in mind that starting perennials from seed is often more difficult and time-consuming, so it is better suited for those with a few gardening seasons under their belt.

Seed companies in your area should sell the right seeds for your climate but do make sure that you pick the right plants for your experience level. If you’re a seedling yourself when it comes to propagation, don’t bother starting watermelons in Northern Ontario. Many seed companies will also list a difficulty rating that will help to guide you.

You might even be able to find some seeds in a seed library.

2. Read the Packet

If you want the best possible start for your seeds, your best bet is to read the packet. Most seed packets will list everything you need to know to start the seeds and their special requirements, like how deep to plant the seed, how much light they need, how long they’ll take to germinate, soil temperatures required, etc.

I cover all the basics of reading a seed packet in this post if you want to ensure you’re buying the right seeds and those that will actually thrive in your garden.

3. Choose a Container

You can start seeds in just about anything you can find around the house that will create a mini-greenhouse, or you can buy all sorts of interesting setups to best suit your needs.

Greenhouse Kits

Many different greenhouse kits are available now. Most will have a plastic tray with a clear plastic greenhouse dome. Some come with a soilless mixture for starting seeds, like peat pellets that expand to a mini seed pot when soaked in water.

Others may have coconut fibre pots that you can transplant right along with your seedling. Others may even have a heat mat that gently warms soil to improve germination.

The beauty of these kits is that you can start a large number of seeds individually in one tray (up to 72) and many are made for small spaces like windowsills. The drawback is that the seedlings will need to be replanted, either in the garden or a larger pot, in a few weeks. Leaving seedlings in small pots with no nutrition will cause unwanted stress to the plants.

Seed Starting Trays

Garden retailers will sell many different types of professional-grade seed-starting trays, domes, and inserts with features like root training, moisture control, automatic watering, and grow lights. Certainly, many of these features have value in starting the year’s plants off on the right foot and can be used over and over.

Household Items

An inexpensive and creative way to start seeds is to use household items as seed containers. Lining a seed tray with pots made from toilet paper tubes, newspaper, or egg cartons will cost nothing

At times, your family may think you’ve gone mad, given how excited you will become when you get to take home the plastic cake dome from the party. But come on, that’ll make a really great greenhouse dome, right?

Search for biodegradable paper products you can plant right in the ground or food-safe plastic containers that you can use as mini-greenhouses for your containers if you are on a budget.

Paper egg cartons are one of my favourite inexpensive household items to use as a seed starting container.

4. Growing Medium

You can buy a pre-made seed starter soil, or you can make your own with a mix. I make my own mix using a peat-moss alternative, sterilized compost, perlite, and vermiculite. This mixture is light and holds moisture well, so it is wonderful for helping seeds germinate.

All growing mediums will need some time to absorb water, so add moisture and let it soak in for an hour before planting.

Be sure to use a sterile mix if you are starting seeds indoors. Soil or compost from the garden will bring in all sorts of critters, like soil gnats, which will drive you freakin’ crazy as you run around your propagation trays like a mad person swatting and squashing an endless supply of teeny tiny flies.

Seed starting mix needs to be sterile.

5. Water Your Seeds

Germination will be best in a moist environment for most seeds, so keeping the soil damp and a greenhouse dome on top will keep the right amount of humidity for optimal germination.

Keep the soil from drying out by checking it daily. Water gently, from the bottom where possible, so as to not damage the seedlings about to emerge.

When learning how to start seeds, having just the right amount of water is important. You never want the seeds to dry out, nor do you want the soil to be soggy.

Make sure to vent your container regularly to prevent fungal growth.

6. Get the Right Lighting

Seeds won’t need light until they emerge from the surface of the soil, but then they will need strong sunlight for most of the day to prevent them from becoming leggy (overly tall and spindly = weak).

You can supplement a lack of sunlight with fluorescent lighting, either by buying a set of grow lights made for seed starting or by making your own with fluorescent shop lights.

You don’t need fancy lights to help your plants grow. This was my DIY set-up!

7. Treat Damping Off

“Damping off” is a term for a fungal growth that looks like fuzzy hairs on the seedling stem. This fungal growth will kill the seedling, so it’s bad, really bad.

To prevent damping off, occasionally spray the greenhouse dome with a bottle of 3% food-grade hydrogen peroxide and vent it on a regular basis to regulate humidity.

I also recommend watering with my chamomile fungicide spray. Chamomile naturally prevents diseases such as damping off.

It’s almost impossible to get rid of damping off, so prevention is best.

8. Thin Your Seedlings

Generally, the seed instructions will suggest that you plant 2-3 seeds per pot and thin out all but the strongest. This seems to be the thing that some gardeners have the hardest time with.

If three strong tomato seedlings have popped up in one tiny peat pot, then the gardener rushes off to get tweezers to separate out the three wee plants and re-pots them all.

More inexperienced gardeners will damage each plant, giving none a strong chance at survival, so it’s best that you grab a clean pair of scissors, snip all but the strongest seedling in each pot and be done with it.

Choose the strongest seeding and snip any remaining seedlings in the same container.

9. Hardening Off

As the seedlings grow into plants and the date to plant outside gets near, it’s time to start hardening them off or toughening them for their natural environment.

I like to start by opening a window a few hours a day so they get a breeze. Then, start moving the trays outside, out of direct sunlight, for a few hours. Start at one hour and gradually increase to a full day outside.

By the time your plant date has arrived, you can safely transfer your tough little soldiers directly into the ground, with some delicious compost and a thorough watering, to brave the elements on their own.

Seedlings are used to indoor conditions, so make sure to gradually transition them to outside.

10. Set Your Expectations

Starting seeds is such an interesting and magical process, especially for children, so it’s the perfect activity to do as a family this coming spring. The months that you’ve spent germinating and raising seedlings will be a series of trial and error, so expect some loss.

Not every seed will germinate, not every seedling will survive being transplanted, and not every kind of plant will do well in your garden.

The gains will be clear when you have piles of leafy greens taking up every inch of your windowsills, bursting to get outside. Starting the plants off yourself ensures that you are in charge of the health of the plant and can control what goes into it. And the satisfaction you’ll feel from starting your own seeds is tremendous.

My kiddo loves starting seeds with me and planting them in the garden.

FAQ About Starting Seeds

Should you cover seeds with plastic?

Yes. This helps to keep the moisture in and increase temperatures. It essentially acts as a mini greenhouse.

Cover your seeds with a clear plastic container (I like salad boxes) right after you’ve planted and watered your plants. Every day, vent the dome and clean it with food-grade hydrogen peroxide to prevent damping off. Leave the dome on until the seedlings reach it.

Do seedlings need sunlight to survive?

Yes. Seeds don’t need sunlight until they’ve germinated (sprouted above the soil). Prior to this, the seed carries all the energy the plant will need to sprout. But once it has germinated, the seedling will need lots of sunlight to grow well. Otherwise, they get leggy and weak trying to reach for more sun.

Consider using a grow light if you can’t get enough sunlight in a windowsill for your seedlings.

More Tips for How to Care for Seedlings

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Stephanie Rose

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February 14, 2024
The Seed Shopping Handbook: Tips for Buying Seeds for Gardening
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If I could have every seed in the world, I would. But I know that when it comes to seeds, less is more. The key is knowing what you can actually grow, what you truly want to grow, and managing your expectations. Here are the nitty-gritty details about buying seeds for gardening.

Reading a seed packet can be like reading a whole other language when you first begin. Gardening has a TON of jargon and specialty terms that can make getting started a little daunting.

And I’ve been there! I didn’t grow up gardening, so it was a steep learning curve when I began my gardening journey.

We’re in the midst of seed starting season, and I wanted to go back to the basics. I’ve had people ask me things like how you pick what to plant (especially when you want to grow everything!) and what all the information on the back of a seed packet even means.

I’m going to explain it all, so sit back and let’s talk about what you need to know about buying seeds for gardening.

Rather than buying seeds for gardening, you can also save seeds from your existing garden to plant next year.

Today, I’m sharing some excerpts from my ebook Get Growing! Expert Seed Starting for the DIY Gardener. Be sure to check it out for the full guide and everything you need to know, from sowing to thinning to transplanting your seeds.

Choose Your Seeds

Combing through seed catalogues and seed websites can be a fun adventure if done properly, but if you don’t prepare, you may end up with more than your garden (and you) can handle.

It is important to first think about what kind of plants you want (Flowers? Herbs? Vegetables?). Is it warm enough to grow watermelons in your garden or cool enough to grow kale? Do you really have space for three varieties of squash, or will one do?

Make sure to label your seedlings so you know what is what!

Perennial vs Annual Seeds

Starting seeds early in the season is a great way to save money on annuals like flowers, herbs, and vegetables that will flower or fruit in the first year. For beginners, annuals are typically the best garden seeds to buy.

More advanced gardeners could also start perennials from seed in many cases, but it is a more difficult and time-consuming process as perennials may need many months or even years to reach the size of a nursery plant.

Some perennials are easier to grow from seed than others, so if you want to try your hand at starting perennials from seed, be sure to read up on which ones are your best bet in this post.

It’s important to keep in mind that some plants do better than others from seed. This does not mean that what you sow has to be severely limited. There are plenty of flowers, vegetables, annuals, and perennials that will grow easily from seed and thrive. With so many options, you might even have a hard time choosing what to plant.

Of course, your unique location will have its own limits in terms of climate, so be sure to check the seed packet before you buy to see if your area fulfills the seeds’ requirements to succeed.

Only Buy Your Favourites

When buying seeds for gardening, it can be easy to buy every colourful, enticing seed packet you see. But try to stop and think about how much you will use.

The best garden seeds will be different for each person, depending on what you like to grow and where you live.

Make a list of your absolute favourites, and only sow the amount of veggies you will eat or the flowers you need to fill the beds.

This will make the growing process simpler and more fun, and you won’t find yourself overwhelmed by crops you can’t keep up with later in the season.

Herbs are one of my favourites to grow, so that’s what I prioritize in the garden.

Heirloom vs Hybrid vs GMO Seeds

These are terms that can get confusing for new gardeners. And they can easily get mixed up with one another! Learning the difference between the terms heirloom, hybrid, and GMO is key. This will help you in your seed selection process and ensure you buy the best garden seeds for your preference.

I have a whole post on the difference between these types of seeds and all of their pros and cons. Check that post out here.

How to Read a Seed Packet

I can’t stress this enough. Following the instructions on the seed packet will give you the best possible start. Unless, of course, the growing directions read like the radicchio I once started, “Sow seeds a few days after a moonless night.” There is a long history of growing plants with the cycles of the moon, which you can read about in this post. But for this post, we’ll stick to using the last frost dates and the Gregorian calendar.

The majority of seed instructions will list everything you need to start seeds, like when and where to sow, planting depth and spacing, special watering requirements and the number of days to germination.

Some will list special information like germination temperatures, repeat sowing, transplanting, and thinning. Following the instructions gives you the best chance of success, so those map-hating, instruction-scoffing types out there best pack away their stubbornness for seed packets.

A good seed packet will give you all the information you need to begin growing the plant.

Key Seed Packet Terms

Here are some terms you might encounter on your seed packet and what they mean.
- Germination rate: the likelihood of a seed germinating, represented as a percentage.
- Plant type: answers whether the seed is a perennial, annual, or biennial.
- Seed spacing: how far apart you should ideally place each seed from one another.
- Plant spacing/spacing after thinning: how far apart the plant should be from other plants.
- Height: the height the plant will be upon maturity.
- Days to maturity: how many days from planting until the plant is ready for harvest/blooms.
- Planting depth: how deep to plant the seed.
- Days to germination/sprout: how many days you can expect to pass before the seed begins to grow.
- Bloom period: when the plant will be flowering.
Read the packet and the growing instructions before buying the seeds.

Determining Your Growing Conditions

Before you can plant or even buy your seeds, you should have a fair grasp of your growing conditions. Each plant has specific needs to germinate and grow, so you need to make sure your garden can meet those needs if you want to grow a specific plant.

Timing

On the seed packet, it will usually tell you when to plant your seeds based on frost dates. Finding your average frost date for your area is crucial. To do this, you can use the calculator from the Farmer’s Almanac.

You can then use this date to count forwards or backwards or know when to begin certain seeds indoors.

I also encourage you to try and implement succession planting. By carefully timing when to start seeds, you can extend your harvest and space it out.

Avoid having all your vegetables ready for harvest at the same time.

Lighting

All plants will have specific lighting requirements, which are listed on the seed packet. These are usually described as full sun, partial sun, partial shade, or shade. Before buying seeds for gardening, ensure your garden has the right amount of sunlight (check out this post for how to measure the sunlight in your backyard).

Seeds will also need a specific amount of light when germinating. Seeds with a low planting depth that only have a thin layer of soil overtop will require lots of light to germinate. Likewise, those planted deeper in the soil will require less light.

Sunny windowsills or grow lights are a must for starting seeds indoors.

Temperature

Some seeds require certain soil temperatures to germinate. A heating mat can help achieve this supplemental heat indoors for certain plants like peppers or tomatoes. Others, like carrots or radishes, prefer the temperature of the outdoor soil.

For more on soil temperature, check out this post.

Soil

Most plants prefer well-draining soil, but not all do! Your seed packet may provide some information on the type of soil or location the plants prefer. If not, do a little research beforehand for the plant’s soil needs.

For seed starting, you want potting soil with sterile ingredients that won’t promote fungal or bacterial growth. You can find my go-to seed-starting potting soil recipe here.

Moisture

Some plants are considered drought tolerant and do better in areas that won’t receive supplemental watering or hot climates. Others prefer lots of water, doing best in places close to the house where they will receive extra water or areas that receive enough rainfall.

When selecting your seeds, consider your garden’s moisture conditions and how much extra watering you want to do.

This olla watering system slowly waters plants in my raised bed.

Best Places to Buy Seeds

If you’re like me, you get giddy when the seed catalogues arrive in the mail. It feels like Christmas is coming, and you can’t help but circle all the best garden seeds you want.

But for most people getting started, the first step is finding a reputable sources for buying seeds online. My favourites for Canada include West Coast Seeds and Richters.

Avoid buying seeds online from across borders or anything that could be invasive to your area. When in doubt, don’t buy the seeds. The local garden centre will always carry good-quality and safe seeds.

Also, see if there is a little seed library in your neighbourhood! Some libraries even offer seeds as well. Because who could say no to free seeds?

FAQ About Buying Seeds for Gardening

Is it better to buy seeds online or in person?

Either is a fine option. When buying seeds online, you get a wider range of seeds available. You can find many varieties and rare plants that you couldn’t get at the garden centre. You do have to double-check and perhaps do some extra research to ensure the seeds will germinate and grow in your area.

How do I choose the right kind of seeds?

The most important factor when buying seeds for gardening is ensuring your garden has the right growing requirements for the plant. Look at the seed packet for its sunlight, water, soil, and space requirements. If your garden matches, then the seeds are good to go.

The other main aspect you want to look at is gardening zones. This will give you a quick indicator of whether or not the plant can handle the temperatures in your gardening zone.

What’s the best way to store seeds?

Seeds should be stored in airtight packaging and then labelled with the plant name and variety, where you grew it, and the date. This information will be very helpful when you decide where to plant it the following year.

Keep the seeds in an area where they won’t get damp and at a relatively stable temperature. They should be in a cool, dry place. Most seeds are good for two years. After, their germination rate decreases with every additional year in storage.

Coriander seeds.

More Seed-Starting Resources

This is just the beginning of all the seed-starting info I have to share. Check out these posts for more information about the next steps in growing plants from seed.
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Stephanie Rose

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February 5, 2024
The Celestial Garden: A Guide to Planting by the Signs – Garden Therapy

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Your zodiac signs can do more than rule your destiny. They can also control the outcome of your garden! For centuries, people have been using the moon phases and zodiac signs to govern when to do certain garden activities. Here’s how we can utilize those traditional practices in a modern garden by planting by the signs.

Even if you don’t believe that the time of year you’re born influences your personality or destiny, chances are you still know your zodiac sign. Who isn’t tempted to check their horoscope when it pops up?

While I can’t fully convince myself that the zodiac plays a part in my day-to-day life, our ancestors have been using astrology to help them make decisions about their gardens. From the best time of year to harvest wheat to when to expect the first frost, gardening by the signs was essential to making informed predictions.

I’m thrilled to share some great insights from Jane Hawley Stevens’ book, The Celestial Garden: Growing Herbs, Vegetables, and Flowers in Sync with the Moon and Zodiac.

Celestial gardening is fascinating because you can take as little or as much from it as you want. You can use it practically to organize your gardening activities and energy or to decide what and when to plant.

Let’s dive into gardening by the signs!

Reprinted with permission from The Celestial Garden: Growing Herbs, Vegetables, and Flowers in Sync with the Moon and Zodiac. By Jane Hawley Stevens © 2023. Published by Chelsea Green Publishing.

What is Planting by the Signs?

I’ve talked a little bit about planting by the signs in my post about moon gardens. While I talked about how to plant a garden that glows in the moonlight, I couldn’t help but dive into moon folklore as well.

Planting based on the moon cycle is a very old practice and hasn’t really been proven or disproven. The moon and the sun have long been a way to tell time and keep track of the days.

But you can take moon gardening even further. It’s a fact that the moon controls the tides, but some believe it can also affect the amount of moisture in the ground and, therefore, water intake in plants.

In every monthly cycle the moon completes circling around the earth, the moon will pass through all 12 zodiac signs. Each of the signs will be in effect for a few days, in which case it’s a good idea to do certain gardening activities.

“The premise of celestial gardening is to plant, transplant, and propagate under moist influences—Water and Earth signs—and to cultivate, harvest, and dehydrate for storage under dry influences—Air and Fire signs,” says Jane.

You can use the signs to help guide you when to do what in your garden. “Planning activities by the Moon’s influence helps to organize a schedule: when to envision new beginnings, start new projects, expand, then wrap up old projects,” says Jane.

Even if you’re not directly planting or harvesting, you can do many gardening tasks every day.

Practicing Planting by the Signs

There are a few ways to practice gardening by the signs. The moon will go through each of the 12 zodiac signs throughout the year, spending a month in each zodiac. For instance, a Virgo occurs between August 23 and September 22.

This can give you an overarching idea of what the month is like, but you can also apply this day by day.

As Jane explains, “The moon orbits around the Earth once a month, passing in front of all twelve astrological signs during that time, changing its zodiac sign every two and a half to three days.”

This can tell you which days are best for planting, watering, pruning…you name it! If you want to know what zodiac the moon is currently in, I recommend downloading an app such as Moon and Garden.

There are 12 zodiac signs. Photo provided by Jane Hawley Stevens.

The Four Elements

Each of the 12 zodiac signs also falls under an element: earth, air, fire, and water.

Earth signs Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn are great for planting. They encourage root growth, which also makes them ideal for transplanting. Fertilize and water during this time.

Air signs Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius are considered barren. During this time, you shouldn’t do any planting or transplanting. Instead, you want to use this power as a tool, weeding and pruning. It’s also a great time for harvesting.

Fire signs Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius encourage fruit and seed production. Also barren, you can use this time for pest and weed control.

Water signs Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces are great for leaf and above-ground growth. Feel free to plant and transplant during this time and to water deeply and fertilize.

This picture shows the different signs and their elements. Illustration by Jerry Chapa.

The Three Modes

A sign can be described as a cardinal, fixed, or mutable sign. As a cardinal sign, they are a symbol of a fresh beginning. These signs represent the beginning of a new season.

Fixed signs do not bring in any more energy; instead, they sustain what is already happening. They are fixed in the middle of the season.

Mutable signs are at the end of the season, changing from one to another. They’re flexible and can easily shift.

The moon’s position plays a big role in planting by the signs.

The 12 Zodiac Signs for Planting

Now that you know a little bit about how much goes into using the signs, here’s what each of the 12 zodiac signs represents and how you can use them to guide your planting and gardening.

Aries

Element: Fire

Sign type: cardinal (ushers in spring)

Activities: cultivating, pest control, weeding, harvesting fruit and root crops

Zodiac Plants: cabbages, peppers, ginger, nettles, St. John’s wort

Aries, the ram, is a barren sign but encourages quick maturity. So, if you need a final push for a plant, you can use this to your advantage.

“Aries is the ultimate initiator, bringing in spring with the energy of Fire, as in the extended day lengths of spring,” says Jane.

Nettle is very nutritious and loses its “sting” after it has wilted.

Taurus

Element: Earth

Sign type: fixed (mid-spring)

Activities: planting cut flowers and leafy vegetables, planting root vegetables, transplanting, composting

Zodiac Plants: apples, grapes, peas, potatoes, spinach, feverfew, mallows

Taurus is one of the most fertile months outside of the water signs. It’s a great time for planting root vegetables, as it encourages sturdy and short growth.

Jane says, “Taurus, the bull or cow, represents the middle of spring, with seeds established and getting on their way (depending on your zone). A Taurus Moon fosters material comfort and stability.”

Feverfew is a well-known herb for treating headaches.

Gemini

Element: Air

Sign type: mutable (finishes spring)

Activities: cultivating, weeding, mowing, pest control, pruning, harvesting fruit and root crops

Zodiac Plants: carrots, daffodils, lily of the valley, oats, calendula, lavender, dill, marjoram, parsley

Represented as the twins, it’s not recommended to plant or transplant under this sign. Use this time to care for your garden or focus on communications like Jane suggests: “Gemini, an Air sign, is all about communication and gathering information.”

Daffodils are always a cheery sight for sore eyes in early spring.

Cancer

Element: Water

Sign type: cardinal (ushers in summer)

Activities: watering, planting seeds, transplanting, irrigation, fertilizing

Zodiac Plants: sap-rich plants, aloe, blue vervain, lemon balm, lily, peppermint, sage

The most fertile of all the signs, cancer (the crab) is favourable for the growth of nearly all plants. “Cancer, as a cardinal Water sign, is the number one choice for starting seeds,” says Jane. “Cancer holds the momentum to create and nourish life.”

Aloe is an amazing skincare plant, especially in treating sunburns.

Leo

Element: Fire

Sign type: fixed (mid-summer)

Activities: weeding, pruning, controlling unwanted growth, pest control, harvesting herbs

Zodiac Plants: citrus, corn, palm trees, peppers, celandine, marigold, motherwort, sunflower, hawthorns

Leo, the lion, is one of the least fertile signs. But it’s a powerful time to handle noxious weeds. Jane says, “A Leo Moon brings the enthusiasm of Fire with the sustained energy of a fixed sign. Leos integrated Fire into itself and can use its sunny personality to move a project forward.”

Virgo

Element: Earth

Sign type: mutable (finishes summer)

Activities: potting plants, cleaning and organizing your garden, ornamental gardening

Zodiac Plants: root vegetables, small bright-coloured flowers, eucalyptus, fennel, lavender, myrtle

Virgo, the virgin, is the only earth sign considered barren (she is the virgin, after all). “Virgo brings in beauty and love in its changeable forms,” says Jane. “Use this power to change your surroundings or partnerships to enhance beauty.”

Libra

Element: Air

Sign type: cardinal (ushers in fall)

Activities: flower planting, harvesting medicinal herbs, planting full bulbs

Zodiac Plants: broccoli, eggplant, juniper, flowers, elderberry, lilac, mint, parsley, yarrow

Out of all the earth signs, libra (the scales) is the most fertile and is the best sign for planting flowers.

“A Libra Moon is a great time for throwing parties or planning a gathering in your garden to foster community and partnerships,” says Jane. “Harvest your crops, prepare them into delicious and beautifully displayed dishes to share.”

Yarrow comes in many colours beyond the traditional white.

Scorpio

Element: Water

Sign type: fixed (mid-fall)

Activities: planting, transplanting, irrigating, harvesting medicinal herbs, canning and preserving

Zodiac Plants: bushy trees, mushrooms, aloe, basil, ginseng, wormwood

You can’t go wrong planting in Scorpio, the scorpion, as it’s the second-best all-purpose planting sign. Just don’t harvest roots during this time!

“Scorpio holds deep emotions and is meticulous with details. Scorpio, as a Water sign, is a good time for planting seeds,” says Jane.

You can grow basil indoors or outside during the warm months.

Sagittarius

Element: Fire

Sign type: mutable (finishes fall)

Activities: planting fruit trees, drying fruits and vegetables, pruning

Zodiac Plants: ash trees, asparagus, beets, oak trees, rhubarb, tomatoes, hyssop, clematis, borage, horsetail, nutmeg, sage

Sagittarius, the archer, is one of the barren signs. During this time, it’s recommended to harvest with long-term storage in mind.

Jane says, “Sagittarius is a Fire sign and opens you to a continually adaptive view of things. This mutable sign’s keynote is observation.”

Even after they’re done blooming, clematis are still lovely to look at, thanks to their unique seed heads.

Capricorn

Element: Earth

Sign type: cardinal (ushers in winter)

Activities: plant root crops, fertilize, compost, tree and shrub planting, create paths and fences

Zodiac Plants: beets, parsnips, pines, willows, comfrey, onions, rosemary, rue, thyme

Represented as the goat, Capricorn is a notable planting sight. It’s great for root growth and planting herbs from seed.

“Capricorn is the cardinal Earth sign, a favourable sign for starting seeds, planting root crops (especially during the last quarter), and initiating garden and farm activities or other activities that build and control the material environment,” says Jane.

Aquarius

Element: Air

Sign type: fixed (mid-winter)

Activities: cultivation, weed control, pest control, harvesting

Zodiac Plants: most fruit trees, flowers on all plants, orchids

Aquarius is known as the water bearer and is not to be confused as a water sign. It’s a good time for cultivating and weeding.

“Aquarius, governed by Air, is intellectual but fixed in opinion,” says Jane. “This Moon would be a good time to hoe your garden while expanding your thoughts to craft your position on a subject you need to defend.”

Pisces

Element: Water

Sign type: mutable (finishes winter)

Activities: planting, root growth, watering, fertilizing, making jams and jellies

Zodiac Plants: tulips, leaves of all plants, water plants, basil, lemon balm, water lilies

Pictured as the fish, Pisces is a great time for planting and transplanting, encouraging root growth. “Pisces is a mutable Water sign and governs emotions,” says Jane. “Pisces is also a good planting sign, favouring leafy growth. It is deep and thoughtful, like the fish in the ocean.”

Lemon balm has antiviral properties, making it a go-to for treating cold sores.

And that covers the basics about planting by the signs! If you want to learn more about using the moon and zodiac signs as guidance for your garden, I highly recommend you check out Jane’s book, The Celestial Garden.

Quotes from Jane Hawley Steven’s new book The Celestial Garden (Chelsea Green Publishing December 2023) were printed with permission from the publisher.

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Stephanie Rose

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January 22, 2024
What is Chaos Gardening? And Why You Should Try It – Garden Therapy
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Chaos gardening is one of the easiest ways to start a garden from scratch. If you don’t have the time, money, or knowledge to start a garden at your house, chaos gardening is a great solution. Here’s how you can embrace a little bit of chaos and scatter beautiful seeds in your garden.

Chaos gardening is the latest gardening trend to take over social media. And it’s one that I quite like! It embraces the idea of wild, natural spaces and makes gardening even more accessible.

But what you may not realize is that the ideas behind these social media trends, like chaos gardening or No Mow May, are rooted in regenerative and permaculture practices…what if we let nature take the lead?

Chaos is not only a fun approach to gardening, but it’s very affordable and requires low effort. Here’s how to do it!

Chaos gardening works well even with perennials and shrubs.

What is Chaos Gardening?

Forget keeping a tidy row of vegetables or a crisp, perfect green lawn. Chaos gardening embraces the idea that our gardens can be a little wild and crazy. And that’s a good thing.

Chaos gardening involves taking a handful of seeds, tossing them sporadically into the soil, and crossing your fingers. It’s really that simple.

You can use any seed, from vegetables to flowers, as long as they don’t need to be dug down deep.

Chaos gardening is the response to the overly meticulous, strictly planned garden. You don’t have to worry about spacing requirements or try to maximize a yield based on your square footage.

In my first house, I had a very good friend who lived across the alleyway. As a renter, her budget for making a garden from scratch was minimal.

While it may not have been called chaos gardening at the time, it’s exactly what she did. She bought a few packets of native wildflower seeds and tossed them into the garden. As the plants grew, she would slowly transplant and organize her garden a little, but she still embraced that wild and natural look.

This is chaos gardening in its simplest form. But it can also mean just allowing your plants to grow as they like, letting native plants take the lead, and embracing a more natural space as a whole.

This home uses plenty of grasses and flowers as part of its “chaotic” design.

Benefits of Chaos Gardening

Chaos gardening saves time and money. If you want to enjoy a garden but don’t want the work of maintaining and planting it or the hefty price tag of filling it with plants, seeds are the way to go.

In my opinion, one of the biggest benefits is how the planting will mimic the natural world. Nature is inherently chaotic and wild, and we don’t always need to organize it perfectly.

Depending on what seeds you plant, it can also promote biodiversity in the garden. For the most effective and low-maintenance garden, it’s best to plant native plant seeds. These plants are already accustomed to the growing conditions in your area and will require less work on your end to ensure they thrive.

Better yet, these native plants are already key players in the local ecosystem, providing food and shelter for wildlife and pollinators. The plants can self-seed at the end of the year, continuing to grow and regenerate naturally every season.

Chaos Gardening is Not Everyone’s Cup of Tea

I won’t lie; chaos gardening can sound horrifying to some people. A wild, more natural look is definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. Even in my own slightly curated but natural space, I get comments and looks from people about my more messy approach to gardening.

Rewilding is a big topic in the plant space right now. While chaos gardening isn’t necessarily about being wild, it embraces the way that nature naturally grows.

Why are we always trying to control these green spaces in our lives? Do we really need perfectly manicured lawns and gardens? There’s an assumption that neat and orderly are good, but anything messy is bad. But context really is everything.

My friend Laura and her husband Sam have a beautiful, chaotic garden. I featured their wildlife hedge in my book, The Regenerative Garden. To the untrained eye, their garden may look like an overgrown mess.

But I see so many beautiful plants working together in guilds and as a food forest. The whole garden produces a ton of food and is full of bees and birds, but it does look wild and overgrown.

On either side, their neighbour’s lawns are the complete opposite. They even complained about the appearance of Laura and Sam’s garden because they saw it as messy.

But when I saw it, I absolutely loved it. As I see it, these wild lawns represent the chaotic good, while those perfect lawns represent the lawful evil.

Laura and Sam’s wildlife hedge.

How to Do Chaos Gardening

Chaos gardening can be as simple as tossing a mix of seeds into your soil and seeing how it goes. You can get as chaotic as you like, but you can also add some thought and maintenance to it. It’s your garden. It’s your prerogative!

Here are some general tips to try out:
- Group plants with similar needs. AKA plants that like full sun and well-draining soil can be grouped together, ensuring they get scattered in the right areas.
- Opt for native species. These seeds are much more likely to germinate and thrive on their own as they’re used to the area’s sun, water, temperature, humidity, and soil.
- Consider local regulations. Things like plant height bylaws or strict HOA rules can limit what you plant and how you plant them.
- Stomp your seeds. After you scatter your seeds, walk and squish down the seeds into the soil. This helps the seeds not get blown away.
- Water your seeds. After you scatter your seeds, give the area a good watering to kickstart the germination.
- Aftercare. You can choose to leave it as is and let it be as wild as possible, or you can go in and thin the seedlings, water the plants, add compost or fertilizer, etc.
- Try chaos gardening with vegetable seeds. Scatter seeds like lettuce or carrots into your already established vegetable garden and watch these veggies fill in the extra spaces.
These floral seed bombs from my book Garden Alchemy are a fun and beautiful way to embrace chaos gardening.

Seeds to Plant

If you need some inspiration on what seeds to grow, here are a few of my curated lists.

I grew these purple coneflowers from seed.

My Final Thoughts on Chaos Gardening

Never let anyone tell you that you have to garden in a single way. Whether you like the look of something neat and orderly or love the look of a wild meadow, you do what you want.

Your garden is your happy space. It doesn’t have to be someone else’s happy space.

My advice is to embrace the little outlier here and there. It may be a weed that’s helping to fix your soil or a volunteer native species that just decided to grow in your garden one day. Things don’t have to be perfect!

More Ways to Embrace the Chaos!
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Stephanie Rose

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January 8, 2024
Growing Pains: Dispelling Old Wives’ Tales About Gardening – Garden Therapy

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Before the internet, or even the printing press, we relied on the knowledge passed down through to learn about gardening. While there is so much to know from our ancestors, some old wives’ tales about gardening just aren’t true. There are still a handful of gardening myths that people still use today. Instagram and TikTok are full of them! Let’s get to the truth behind these common gardening misconceptions.

Bees are only attracted to the colour yellow.

Peeing on a jellyfish sting will alleviate the pain.

Turkey makes you sleepy.

If you swallow gum, it will take 7 years to digest.

These are just a handful of old wives’ tales I’ve heard over the years.

When it comes to gardening, some of these old wives’ tales about gardening can have a hint of truth to them. They’re all rooted in some science, even if they didn’t realize it.

BUT (and this is a big but), most of them are said to work better than they actually do. Or they at least started with good intentions. You’ll see what I mean when you keep on reading!

Here are the gardening myths I’ll be talking about today…

A Note on Listening and Experimenting

When it comes to old wives’ tales about gardening, some of them can actually be true. Making them not an old wives’ tale at all!

I’ve always sought to find a balance between science-based and grandmother methods that have been passed down.

While writing Garden Alchemy, I analyzed permaculture, herbalism, indigenous learning, and current science to develop organic concoctions for the garden. It’s all about striking a balance between these claims and fact-based evidence.

This review from Frau Zinnie sums it up. “[Garden Alchemy] empowers the reader to experiment with ways to fix common garden problems with minimal effort — and showing how there are so many things the home gardener can do before deciding to buy a “problem-solving” product at the store.”

From peat-free soil alternatives to using alfalfa as a fertilizer, there are many ways you can use organic elements effectively in the garden using Garden Alchemy as your guide.

And now, onto some myth busting!

Adding Coffee Grounds to Soil

The gardening myth: coffee grounds are a great soil amendment, and you can mix them right into your soil.

While coffee grounds do have plant nutrients, they’re not a significant source. People add them directly to the soil; while you can do this, it’s better to use them as a compost ingredient. They’re a great compost ingredient and will provide more benefits to your plants once decomposed.

Read more on using coffee grounds in the garden.

Coffee grounds are a great addition to the compost pile, but not right in the garden.

Vinegar as a Weed Killer

The gardening myth: vinegar is a natural herbicide that is better for the garden than commercial herbicides.

Vinegar burns plants upon contact, and it is gentler than most commercial herbicides. BUT it doesn’t discriminate against which plants it will harm, burning anything it comes into contact with. It also may kill the leaves, but not the root system below. So, while it may be a weed killer, it’s not as effective as you might like and could hurt your neighbouring plants.

Read more about the reality of using vinegar in your garden.

Banana Peels as Fertilizer

The gardening myth: you can soak bananas in hot water to create a potassium-rich fertilizer tea to pour on your houseplants and in the garden.

Very little of the banana peel decomposes when you soak it in water. As a result, the water doesn’t have much nutritional value. If you put a banana peel directly in the soil, it will take a long time to break down before it becomes useful to your garden. They’re not an immediate nutrient boost and work best when added to the compost pile.

Read more about how to use banana peels in the garden.

Eggshells in the Garden

The gardening myth: eggshells are a calcium-rich garden amendment that can help prevent blossom end rot from occurring.

Calcium deficiency is actually quite rare for soil. While blossom end rot occurs due to the plant’s lack of calcium, it’s not because there’s a lack of calcium in the soil but rather the plant’s ability to absorb the calcium. Furthermore, eggshells need to be fully broken down to provide calcium, and following a theme here, it takes a while to break down. They’re better off in the compost or in your worm bin.

Read more about using eggshells in the garden.

Dish Soap as Insecticide

The gardening myth: dish soap works as an insecticide spray.

Most commercial dish soaps are actually detergents, which contain ingredients that aren’t actually that healthy for the garden and your soil. Instead, you want to use fragrance-free castile soap. When mixed with water and other pest deterrent ingredients, it can help make your deterrent more sticky and useful when spraying it on pests.

Read more about how I use dish soap safely in my garden.

Cinnamon as a Fungicide

The gardening myth: you can sprinkle cinnamon in your potting soil to prevent damping off from affecting your seedlings.

Cinnamon is actually quite a powerful spice and has antibacterial and antifungal properties. Many studies have proven these properties in combating illnesses for humans, and some show this for plants as well. However, many of the studies use cinnamon from different species and in different forms than the powdered version we get at the grocery store.

Learn more about how to use cinnamon as an antifungal.

Talking to Plants

The gardening myth: if you speak kind words to your plants, they can actually grow better.

Sound vibrations are proven to affect plant growth positively. Does it have to be a positive affirmation? No. Your plant won’t know whether your words are good or bad. Music can actually have a greater effect on your plants. All in all, it doesn’t matter what kind of sound plants listen to, but they like noise!

Read more about the science behind talking to plants.

Using Epsom Salts in the Garden

The gardening myth: Epsom salts can prevent and cure blossom end rot and stop pests and other fungal diseases.

Epsom salts won’t help your plant when there’s a calcium deficiency, which is why your plant has blossom end rot. In fact, Epsom salts are a high source of magnesium and that can actually hurt your plant when it’s trying to get more calcium. There is also no real evidence to support that it can stop other pests and diseases.

Read more about the ways I DO use Epsom salts.

I love to use Epsom salts in the bathtub after a long day out in the garden.

Houseplants as Air Purifiers

The gardening myth: having houseplants in your home can help to purify the air and improve air quality.

Without a doubt, plants are powerful tools to combat pollution and filter through harmful toxins. Many large studies (like the famous NASA one) proved that plants effectively filter air. However, most of these studies were done in small, enclosed spaces. Large, open houses will make it difficult for a few houseplants to purify the air to a point where it’s positively affecting your health. But they certainly don’t hurt!

Learn more about using houseplants as biofilters.

If you’re a crazy plant lady like me, you might have enough houseplants to have better air quality.

Gardening by the Moon Phases

The gardening myth: the lunar cycle can affect plant growth and can be a useful tool for planning planting and maintenance.

Since the moon can affect the earth’s tides, some believe it can also affect the water intake in plants. Depending on the moon’s phase, you can determine the best time to plant, cultivate, and harvest plants. There’s no real evidence to support this, but that hasn’t stopped other old wives’ tales about gardening and the moon to pop up.

Get inspired by planting a moon garden, a garden that is designed to be enjoyed in the moonlight.

Using Compost Tea

The gardening myth: diluting compost and using compost leachate can be useful ways to improve soil and plant health.

There’s a big debate about whether or not compost tea is actually helpful for the garden. Compost tea is something I use in my own garden, and I have written about it quite a bit in Garden Alchemy. Those who are against compost tea say there’s not enough evidence to support the positive claims behind compost tea.

Learn more about compost tea and decide for yourself if it’s a worthwhile pursuit.

Plants Die of Old Age

The gardening myth: like us, plants experience aging and will eventually die as they get old.

Plants do not age the same way that we do. In theory, plants have infinite growth potential as they produce more leaves, flowers, stems, and roots. A plant can keep producing new parts to replace their old ones as long as they like. But as they age, they often get damaged over time and become weaker. This means the older a plant is, the more likely it is to fall victim to a pathogen.

Learn more about the science behind aging plants.

Plants Feel Pain

The gardening myth: when you snip or damage a plant, you’re hurting it.

Plants have no pain receptors; they don’t feel the same way we do. However, they do experience stress and will react to poor conditions. For instance, I’ve seen how my garden reacts after lots of forest fire smoke has been in the air. Plants will respond to their environment but don’t have feelings.

Read more about the science behind plant stress and even how they communicate with each other.

Don’t worry about cutting your plants. They’re not going to feel pain.

Plants Don’t Need Oxygen

The gardening myth: plants take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen.

This one isn’t actually a myth per se, but only half of the full story. During photosynthesis, plants take carbon dioxide from the air alongside water from the ground to turn it into sugars and oxygen. The plant uses the sugars, and the oxygen is a by-product. However, during the photosynthesis process, plants do use some oxygen. They just need a fraction of it compared to us.

Learn more about the science behind plant respiration.

Plants also need oxygen, just not as much as us.

More Old Wives’ Tales About Gardening

What is the old wives’ tale about thanking someone for a plant?

An old gardening superstition is that when you thank someone for gifting you a plant or a flower from someone’s garden, the original plant will die or won’t bloom again.

What other old wives’ tales about gardening have you heard? Let me know in the comments below. I’d love to add to this list and do some more digging.

More Fun Facts About Gardening

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Stephanie Rose

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January 1, 2024
Cinnamon for Plants: Can It Be Used as a Natural Fungicide for Plants? – Garden Therapy

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Using cinnamon for plants as an antifungal is an old wives’ tale I’ve heard about for years. Like magic fairy dust, gardeners sprinkle cinnamon in their potting soil to help their seedlings. I wanted to know just how much truth there was to this claim, so I did some digging. Here’s what I found out about using cinnamon for plants.

If there were a popularity contest for the best spice, cinnamon would be in the running. It reminds me of Christmas, tasty baked goods, and as a woody but spicy cleaning ingredient.

Based on scent alone, cinnamon holds a special place in my heart. But it also has plenty of robust health and cleaning properties.

It’s a proven fact that cinnamon has antibacterial and antifungal properties. Many studies have shown cinnamon as a powerhouse spice for human health, but how much does it help plants?

Many gardeners have used cinnamon as a natural fungicide for plants. There’s lots of anecdotal evidence to suggest that cinnamon for plants is a great antifungal agent, but let’s dig a little deeper into the effects of cinnamon in the garden.

This post will cover…

What Does Cinnamon Do for Plants? The Myths in Question

When it comes to cinnamon, there are a handful of claims about its benefits for the garden.

Perhaps the biggest is that cinnamon is a natural fungicide for plants. You can use it as a spray to help prevent fungal disease, especially for damping off. When planting seedlings, people will sprinkle cinnamon in their potting soil.

Another common way to use cinnamon for plants is as a rooting hormone. People will use it alongside honey when they take clippings to encourage root growth. They roll the ends of the plants in cinnamon powder.

Finally, people also use cinnamon as an ant repellent. They will sprinkle it in the garden or as a border to stop them from entering the home.

Now, let’s see how true all of these cinnamon claims are!

What is Cinnamon?

It may seem like a simple question, but there’s more to the cinnamon you find at the grocery store than you might think.

Cinnamon is a spice that comes from the inner bark of Cinnamomum trees. There are over 300 species in the Cinnamomum genus, and a handful of them are used to make cinnamon.

To gather cinnamon, they cut stems and branches from the tree and then extract the inner bark into strips. Once dried, it curls and rolls and turns into the cinnamon sticks we find at the store. Then, those sticks can be ground into powder.

Cinnamon powder comes from grinding cinnamon sticks.

The Different Kinds of Cinnamon

You’ll want to be aware of two main types of cinnamon. Ceylon (also known as Sri Lanka) cinnamon is known as the “true cinnamon,” and it’s only found at specialty stores. It comes from Cinnamomum verum trees. True cinnamon is more fragrant and has a light brown colour. It’s slightly sweeter in flavour, though most consumers can’t tell the difference.

The other kind of cinnamon is called cassia or Chinese cinnamon, which is called “fake” cinnamon. It’s made from Cinnamomum aromaticum trees. It’s what you find for sale at the grocery store and is more inexpensive. It has stiff, dark, and thick rolls.

There are a few more cinnamons you might find for sale, including C. burmannii, C. loureiroi, C. citriodorum, and C. tamale. These are also considered “fake” cinnamon varieties.

Now, the problem with all these different kinds of cinnamon is that they’re all called, well, cinnamon! This can make it confusing when reading about all the different benefits of cinnamon as they’re not all equal in their benefits and uses.

Cinnamon can also refer to the plant, the powder, the essential oil, or an extract. These can be important distinctions when using cinnamon for plants.

Several kinds of cinnamon can be found at the grocery store as “fake” cinnamon.

Cinnamon’s Antifungal Properties

The distinctive smell and flavour of cinnamon come from the oils in the plant. The plant’s derivatives, cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic acid, and cinnamate, give it powerful health properties. Cinnamaldehyde is the sure standout.

Many studies have proven the antifungal and antimicrobial properties of cinnamon for humans. It can kill fungi that cause respiratory tract infections and inhibit the growth of bacteria, including listeria and salmonella, amongst other kinds of infections. It even has anticancer properties.

There have been fewer studies of cinnamon as a natural fungicide for plants, but there is still good evidence to support that these antifungal properties work in the garden, too.

One study tested 49 essential oils against grey mould (Botrytis cinerea), and cinnamon leaf was the strongest antifungal. It also has been proven to have antifungal activity amongst other fungal diseases such as powdery mildew (Oidium murrayae) and Colletotrichum gloesporioides.

Damping off is a horticultural disease caused by mould or a fungus that commonly affects new seedlings.

Does Cinnamon Work in the Garden?

It would be easy to suggest that all these studies prove that cinnamon’s antifungal properties would translate as magic in the garden.

The only problem is that these studies were in a controlled environment and done in a way very different than home gardeners. The study may use a specific type of cinnamon in an extract form, tested in vitro tests (in a test tube). Meanwhile, you’re using a cinnamon that comes from a different plant in powder form in a spray bottle. It’s not the same thing!

The reality is that most of these studies aren’t studying the powders we find at the grocery store. More often, they’re a more expensive cinnamon in an oil form.

Does that mean cinnamon powder won’t work in your garden? No. Does that mean it will work? Maybe. It’s definitely worth exploring and will likely have some effects on your garden. Just don’t expect it to be the miracle antifungal the internet may suggest!

If you’re looking for a natural fungicide for plants, I recommend making my chamomile fungicide as a base and adding some cinnamon. This way, you’ll be doubling up on your efforts with two potentially powerful antifungal ingredients.

Studies have shown cinnamon oil to be effective at killing mosquito larvae, controlling thrips, and the bean weevil. It has strong potential as a pest repellent, and I could see it being a great ingredient for my natural pest control spray.

How to Stop Damping Off and Other Fungal Issues

I also like to remind people that it’s not about treating fungal issues but preventing them from happening in the first place. It’s a much more effective strategy.

Here are a few tips for preventing fungal disease.

Sterile Ingredients

Use sterile ingredients that won’t stimulate fungal or bacterial growth. Most soil ingredients do not have active biology except compost. If you want to use compost inside the home, you must bake the moist soil in the sun or the oven at 180° F for at least 30 minutes. Store any leftover compost in an airtight container for future indoor and seed-starting potting mixes.

Water Correctly

Avoid overhead watering. Instead, focus the water at the base of the plant, where it will soak into the soil and the roots rather than get the leaves wet. Also, water early in the day so excess moisture will evaporate in the later sun rather than sitting overnight.

Location

Try to place plants in their ideal location as much as possible. While you may want to put some pretty annuals in a shady spot rather than the full sun they ask for, don’t force it. The reality is that the area might be too damp for them and encourage fungal growth.

Also, don’t crowd plants. Give them the right spacing requirements to promote airflow. Air circulation is essential for preventing fungal growth.

The proper sunlight requirements are among the best ways to prevent horticultural disease.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cinnamon for Plants

How often should you use cinnamon on plants?

Cinnamon powder or oil is best added to potting soil before planting seeds.

If you’re diluting cinnamon, like you would if you add it to my chamomile fungicide spray, you can spray it daily to water your seedlings or mist your established plants and soil as often as daily.

Will cinnamon hurt plants?

Cinnamon oil can affect plant growth in high concentrations. The use of cinnamon oil could be a possible natural herbicide. However, this is only in high concentrations, and the normal use of cinnamon shouldn’t affect plant growth, but there have been few studies on this. I always recommend applying a test in your garden before using it everywhere.

Can cinnamon act as a rooting agent?

I could find no evidence to suggest that cinnamon works as a rooting agent. You can use it in the water to prevent bacteria from growing, which can aid in the root developmental process, but it won’t encourage it. Try adding a drop or two of cinnamon essential oil alongside my willow water rooting hormone.

More Kitchen Ingredients to Consider

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Stephanie Rose

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November 1, 2023