Lower or outer leaves are a smart way to harvest collards again and again
Collards are a fall and winter favorite across the South, and a few good picking habits can keep them coming back to your table. You…
By Ethan Brooks · Nov 3, 2026
In the Garden
Skip Burning Bush in Your North Carolina Yard and Plant This Native That Turns Brighter Red Every Fall
Jasmine Hughes · Nov 3
Firebush Gives Florida Yards Months of Fiery Orange Blooms
Aria Moore F · Nov 3
These California Wildflowers Bloom Right in Heavy Clay Soil, No Bags of Amendments Needed
John Miller CA · Nov 3
From the Garden
How to Protect Your Texas Citrus Tree and Reduce Freeze Risk Before a Hard Freeze
A lemon, satsuma, or orange tree can take years to bring into fruit, and one hard freeze can undo that work in a night. The…
By Ella Brown T · Nov 3
Hard frost is coming, so dig your sweet potatoes this week or the tubers rot in the ground
By Ethan Brooks · Nov 3
November snapdragon transplants can bring cool-season color to suitable Texas and Florida yards, though nonstop winter bloom is not assured
By Ethan Brooks · Nov 3
California Native Plant Swaps Hand Out Free Cuttings and Seedlings, and Here’s How to Find One Near You
By John Miller CA · Nov 3
Can Geraniums Dug Before Frost Make It Through Winter Bare-Root? What to Know First
By Ethan Brooks · Nov 3
In Bloom
What's thriving right now.
Mâche in North Carolina: A Cold-Season Salad Green Worth Trying
Horned Lizards Return to Central Texas Yards Where Gardeners Stop Killing Harvester Ants
By Ella Brown T
Loose Brussels Sprouts? Topping the Stalk Is an Optional Timing Tool, Not a November Rule
By Ethan Brooks
Leafy Tops, Split Roots, or Woody Radishes? How to Diagnose Your Fall Row
By Ethan Brooks
Plant of the Week
Checking Moisture and Preparing North Carolina Pansies for Winter Cold
Pansies can brighten a North Carolina yard all winter, but cold snaps test them. A few simple checks before a long stretch of freezing weather...
By Jasmine Hughes · Nov 3, 2026
Read MoreThe Potting Shed
Field Notes
Your Christmas cactus blooms right on time for the holidays when you give it these 8 conditions starting this week
Few things feel more disappointing than a Christmas cactus that stays green and bloomless while the holiday lights go up....
By Ethan Brooks on Nov 2
Could a Red-Tailed Hawk Be Hunting Gophers in Your California Yard This Winter?
A big hawk sitting on a fence post or tree limb above your garden can make you wonder what it...
By John Miller CA on Nov 2
Why Your Potted Meyer Lemon Drops Tiny Fruit When the Heater Starts: Clues to Check
You walk past your potted Meyer lemon and spot tiny green fruit on the floor. The heater just came on...
By Ethan Brooks on Nov 2
Garden Spiders Strung Across Your California Yard This Fall Are Catching the Pests Chewing Your Winter Greens
Every fall, big round webs show up between fence posts, porch rails, and garden stakes across California. Many homeowners sweep...
By John Miller CA on Nov 2
Carrots left in the ground under a thick leaf blanket taste sweeter after every frost, so stop rushing to dig them
Plenty of gardeners have heard that carrots turn candy-sweet once frost hits them. The truth is a bit more tangled,...
By Ethan Brooks on Nov 2
Deer start stripping your shrubs and fall greens in November, and a few strong scents near the beds send them elsewhere
Walk out one morning and find your shrubs nibbled down to ragged stubs, and it is hard not to blame...
By Ethan Brooks on Nov 2