In the Garden

If Your Tomato Leaves Curl and Turn Yellow While the Fruit Ripens Slowly in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Gardening Tips

If Your Tomato Leaves Curl and Turn Yellow While the Fruit Ripens Slowly in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Standing in front of a tomato plant with curled, yellowing leaves and fruit that refuses to turn red is one of the most frustrating moments…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 16, 2026

What It Really Means When Tiny Jumping Spiders Move Into Your California Garden Beds This Summer

John Miller CA · Aug 16

If Your Potted Peppers Keep Dropping Blossoms and Barely Fruiting in Late-Summer Heat, the Container Is Often Why

Ethan Brooks · Aug 16

The One California Plant That Pulls Dragonflies Into Your Yard and Quietly Thins Out the Mosquitoes

John Miller CA · Aug 16

From the Garden

Growing notes from every corner of the plot.

If Your Pepper Leaves Curl Up and Turn Leathery While the Plant Keeps Growing in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Gardening Tips

If Your Pepper Leaves Curl Up and Turn Leathery While the Plant Keeps Growing in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Pepper plants can throw gardeners a real curveball in late summer: the leaves start curling and feel almost tough to the touch, yet the plant…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 16

Gardening Tips

If Your Eggplant Flowers Keep Dropping Without Setting Fruit in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 16

Gardening Tips

If Your Tomato Plants Are Loaded With Leaves but Refuse To Set Fruit While Nights Stay Warm, Here Is Why

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 16

Gardening Tips

The Most Underrated North Carolina Native Shrub That Draws Fireflies Back To Your Backyard Edge At Dusk

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 16

Plant Care

How To Support the California Barn Owls That May Help Control Rats and Gophers in Your Yard

By John Miller CA · Aug 16

In Bloom

What's thriving right now.

If Your Squash Vines Wilt and Collapse Overnight While the Fruit Still Looks Fine in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Gardening Tips

If Your Squash Vines Wilt and Collapse Overnight While the Fruit Still Looks Fine in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

By Ethan Brooks

More Barn Swallows Nesting on Your Central Texas Porch Means Fewer Mosquitoes and Gnats, and Here’s How To Welcome Them

Texas Gardening

More Barn Swallows Nesting on Your Central Texas Porch Means Fewer Mosquitoes and Gnats, and Here’s How To Welcome Them

By Ella Brown T

What It Really Means When Carpenter Bees Start Drilling Into Your North Carolina Porch This Summer

Gardening Tips

What It Really Means When Carpenter Bees Start Drilling Into Your North Carolina Porch This Summer

By Jasmine Hughes

Gardener's Selection

The guides worth your time — handpicked by our gardeners.

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What It Really Means When California Quail Suddenly Start Nesting in Your Backyard This Summer

Plant Care

What It Really Means When California Quail Suddenly Start Nesting in Your Backyard This Summer

By John Miller CA

The Underrated Texas Porch Plant That Makes Roaches and Rats Less Welcome Around Your Door

Texas Gardening

The Underrated Texas Porch Plant That Makes Roaches and Rats Less Welcome Around Your Door

By Ella Brown T

If Your Fall Cabbage Transplants Keep Wilting in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Gardening Tips

If Your Fall Cabbage Transplants Keep Wilting in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

By Ethan Brooks

How To Support the California Alligator Lizards That Quietly Hunt Down Black Widows in Your Yard

Plant Care

How To Support the California Alligator Lizards That Quietly Hunt Down Black Widows in Your Yard

By John Miller CA

If Your Cucumber Vines Wilt by Afternoon Even After Watering in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Plant of the Week

Gardening Tips

If Your Cucumber Vines Wilt by Afternoon Even After Watering in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Walking out to your garden at 2 p.m. and finding your cucumber vines collapsed on the trellis is enough to make any grower reach for...

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 16, 2026

The Potting Shed

If Your Tomatoes Split and Crack Open Right as They Ripen in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Gardening Tips

If Your Tomatoes Split and Crack Open Right as They Ripen in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Gardening Tips

Eastern Redbud: A Native North Carolina Tree Worth Planting Alongside a Smarter Spotted Lanternfly Strategy

Plant Care

How To Support California Fence Lizards That Quietly Cut the Tick Population Around Your Yard

That Purple Weed Taking Over Your Central Texas Lawn Is Actually a Native Pollinator Gem

Texas Gardening

That Purple Weed Taking Over Your Central Texas Lawn Is Actually a Native Pollinator Gem

Gardening Tips

If Your Cucumber Fruit Grows Fat at One End and Pinched at the Other in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Gardening Tips

The Most Underrated North Carolina Native Shrub That Blocks Ticks Along Your Wooded Backyard Edge

The Native Texas Vine That Draws Dragonflies In and Sends Mosquitoes Looking Elsewhere

Texas Gardening

The Native Texas Vine That Draws Dragonflies In and Sends Mosquitoes Looking Elsewhere

Gardening Tips

If Your Cucumber Leaves Turn Yellow From the Bottom Up While the Vine Keeps Growing in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Gardening Tips

The Most Underrated North Carolina Native Tree That Feeds Pollinators From Spring Right Through Fall

More Green Anoles On Your Central Texas Fence Means Fewer Mosquitoes and Roaches, and Here’s How To Bring Them In

Texas Gardening

More Green Anoles On Your Central Texas Fence Means Fewer Mosquitoes and Roaches, and Here’s How To Bring Them In

Gardening Tips

If Your Pepper Plants Drop Every Blossom Before Fruit Sets While Nights Stay Warm, Here Is Why

Gardening Tips

If Your Fall Broccoli Transplants Are Opening Yellow Flowers Instead of Forming a Tight Head in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

What It Really Means When Praying Mantises Take Over Your North Carolina Yard This Summer

Gardening Tips

What It Really Means When Praying Mantises Take Over Your North Carolina Yard This Summer

Texas Gardening

More Roadrunners Near Your Central Texas Yard Means Fewer Scorpions, and Here’s How To Bring Them In

Gardening Tips

If Your Okra Pods Turn Woody and Tough Before You Can Pick Them in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Field Notes

If Your Bean Plants Flower Heavily but the Pods Never Fill Out in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Gardening Tips

If Your Bean Plants Flower Heavily but the Pods Never Fill Out in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

You walk out to the garden expecting a big harvest, and instead you find a tangle of vines covered in...

By Ethan Brooks on Aug 15

How To Support California Orioles That Return To Your Yard Every Season Once They Find the Right Nectar Plants

Plant Care

How To Support California Orioles That Return To Your Yard Every Season Once They Find the Right Nectar Plants

Bright orange-and-black orioles showing up in your yard feel like a reward for doing something right, and more California homeowners...

By John Miller CA on Aug 15

What It Really Means When Tree Frogs Start Showing Up in Your California Garden This Summer

Plant Care

What It Really Means When Tree Frogs Start Showing Up in Your California Garden This Summer

Spotting a small frog clinging to a tomato cage or tucked behind a pot on a warm July evening can...

By John Miller CA on Aug 15

The Most Underrated North Carolina Native Shrub That Cuts Mosquitoes Down Around Your Patio

Gardening Tips

The Most Underrated North Carolina Native Shrub That Cuts Mosquitoes Down Around Your Patio

American beautyberry is a North Carolina native shrub that catches your eye every fall with clusters of vivid purple berries,...

By Jasmine Hughes on Aug 15

Native Switchgrass: A Texas Habitat Plant That May Support Fireflies In Your Central Texas Yard

Texas Gardening

Native Switchgrass: A Texas Habitat Plant That May Support Fireflies In Your Central Texas Yard

Fireflies flickering across a warm Texas evening feel like something out of a childhood memory, and many Central Texas homeowners...

By Ella Brown T on Aug 15

If Your Squash Plants Set Female Flowers but the Fruit Rots at the Tip in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Gardening Tips

If Your Squash Plants Set Female Flowers but the Fruit Rots at the Tip in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Watching a tiny squash turn soft and brown at the tip is one of the more frustrating sights in a...

By Ethan Brooks on Aug 15