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Plant of the Week

Your Beets Grow Fatter Roots When These Neighbors Share the Bed, and a Few Others Keep Them Puny

You pull a beet expecting a fat, purple root, and instead you get something the size of a marble. Often the soil is fine and...

By Ethan Brooks · Oct 8, 2026

Field Notes

Roseate spoonbills wading near your Florida yard this fall are telling you something about the water

Why California Gardeners Are Planting Pomegranates Again for Fruit That Handles Inland Heat With Little Water

7 Florida Native Plants That Bring Rat Snakes and Hawks In to Clear Rodents From Your Yard by Day

Your Fig Tree Is All Leaves and Barely Any Figs, and These Fall Fixes Turn Next Year Around

From the Garden

Where Copperheads Hide in North Carolina Yards This Fall and How to Spot Them Before You Reach In

The Fire-Resistant Trees California Fire Agencies Actually Recommend Near Your Home, and Why They’re Not What You’d Expect

Plant Your Texas Spinach and Kale Now So You’re Still Picking Greens After First Frost

Overfeeding May Be One Reason Your Geraniums Stay Leafy With Few Blooms, and Smarter Feeding Can Help Support Flowering

Your Hostas Look Ragged and Yellow Right Now, but Fall Care Decides How Full They Return in Spring

In Bloom

Could a Salamander Be Beneath Your Leaf Pile? How to Rake Gently in North Carolina

What Your California Citrus Trees Need Before the First Winter Rains to Hold Their Fruit Through Cold Nights

When to Plant Garlic in Texas and When to Expect a Harvest

Gardener's Selection

Pruning Your Hydrangeas This Fall Feels Tidy, but It Quietly Cuts Off Next Summer’s Flowers

Moles Keep Tunneling Through Your Lawn This Fall, and Your Kitchen Cupboard Already Holds What Drives Them Off

The One Thing North Carolina Gardeners Must Do to Bearded Irises Before Winter or Spring Blooms Disappear

Crossvine on a Texas Fence: Spring Hummingbird Nectar and Fall Planting Advice

Your Beets Grow Fatter Roots When These Neighbors Share the Bed, and a Few Others Keep Them Puny

The Potting Shed

Skip the English Ivy on Your North Carolina Fence: Try Crossvine, a Native Vine That Is Often Leafy in Winter

7 Florida Native Ground Covers That Replace Ivy Beds Where Rats and Roaches Hide

Could a Skunk Be Digging Up Your Central Texas Lawn This Fall?

Your Spring Tomatoes Grow Bigger When You Feed the Bed These Single Kitchen Scraps This Fall

Your Hydrangeas Flower Better Next Summer When You Do These 3 Fall Jobs and Skip 2 Common Mistakes

The California Native Shrubs That Replace Juniper Around Your House Without Turning Into Fire Fuel

Your Hostas Bounce Back Bigger Next Spring When You Do These Two Things Before Winter

Why a Red-Tailed Hawk Keeps Choosing the Same Perch Over Your California Yard

Stink Bugs on Your Porch and Windows This Fall? What Actually Helps (and Why a Kitchen Spray Falls Short)

Why Your Fall Beets Have Big Leafy Tops and Tiny Roots: Diagnostic Steps and Possible Adjustments

Some Healthy, Well-Draining Used Potting Mix May Be Refreshed for Reuse in Next Season’s Pots

Root Basil Cuttings Before Cold Hits to Start an Indoor Plant This Winter

What North Carolina Muscadine Vines Need This Fall to Stay Healthy for Next Year

Why Your Central Texas Live Oak Leaves Have Yellow Veins This Fall, and What It Means for the Tree

Those Brown Lawn Rings After Rain Could Be Fairy Rings, and Here Is What They Can Tell You About Your Soil

The Garden Almanac

Field Notes

Before You Knock Down Those Joro Spider Webs in Your North Carolina Yard, Here’s What They’re Catching

Finding a Corn Snake Near Your Florida Shed: What a Native Visitor Means

What It Means When Your Central Texas Lawn Suddenly Has Torn-Up Strips of Sod Overnight

7 Florida Native Shrubs That Replace Your Overgrown Hibiscus Along the Driveway Without Yearly Hacking Back

Mowing a Light Layer of Leaves Can Recycle Them and Cut Collection, but It Won’t Replace Lawn Care

Blanketflower Can Reseed a Sunny Florida Bed Into a Recurring Display