Gardening Tips

Your Tomatoes and Cucumbers Slow Their Yields Late in the Season — Here’s the One Feeding Change That Doubles the Harvest

Watching your tomato and cucumber plants slow down in midsummer is one of the most frustrating moments in a Southern garden. Fewer flowers, fruit that…

By Ethan Brooks · Sep 1, 2026

Field Notes

Your Tomatoes and Cucumbers Slow Their Yields Late in the Season — Here’s the One Feeding Change That Doubles the Harvest

What It Really Means When Hummingbirds Keep Chasing Each Other Off Your California Feeder, and How to Give Them Peace

The 12 Nectar Swaps That Draw Hummingbirds In and 6 Mixes That Quietly Drive Them Off

Skip Annual Impatiens in Your Shady North Carolina Beds and Plant This Native Perennial That Comes Back Stronger Every Year

From the Garden

The Forgotten Texas Herb That Thrives in Triple-Digit Heat When Basil Gives Up

Your Peace Lily Leaves Turn Black Instead of the Usual Brown – Here’s What the Roots Are Telling You to Fix

What North Carolina Gardeners Do To Get Basil That Keeps Producing Long After the Summer Heat Tries To Bolt It

Simple Yard Habits That Pull Dragonflies Over Your Central Texas Garden All Summer Long

Something Keeps Digging Up Your Beds and Nibbling Bulbs – Here’s the Scent Strategy That May Reduce Squirrel and Chipmunk Visits

In Bloom

Your Petunias Turn Wilted, Thin, and Tired by Late Summer — Here’s the One Reset That Brings Them Back Full

What North Carolina Gardeners Should Do The Moment They Spot A Baby Fox Curled Up In The Yard

The Silvery Texas Native Shrub That Bursts Into Purple Bloom Right After a Late-Summer Rain

Gardener's Selection

Your Petunias Bloom Less and Less as Summer Winds Down – Here’s the One Mistake Quietly Behind It

7 Florida Native Shrubs Neighbors Are Quietly Planting Along Property Lines to Cool the Whole Yard Down

7 Florida Native Shrubs That Keep Blooming Right Through Fall While Plumeria Quits Early

Your Hollyhocks Grow Short and Sparse – Here’s the One Planting Choice That Builds Those Tall Towers

The California Flowers That Actually Thrive When You Plant Them Into Late-Summer Heat, and Bloom Fast

The Potting Shed

7 Florida Yard Features That Bring Eastern Bluebirds Back Year After Year Without a Feeder

The Native North Carolina Fruit Trees That Keep Feeding Your Family Decades After a Single Planting

Catnip and Mosquitoes: What the Oil Research Really Means for Your Florida Porch

The Tough Texas Plant That Shrugs Off One-Day-a-Week Watering Under Stage 2 Restrictions

7 Florida Native Plants You Can Set Out This September for a Yard That Comes Alive This Fall

Your Zucchini Suddenly Wilts and Collapses in the Late-Summer Heat – Here’s a Key Cause to Check and How to Respond

Your Christmas Cactus Wilts and Fades Fast – Here’s the One Watering Slip Quietly Behind It

Your Lawn Grows Thin and Patchy No Matter What You Do – Here’s the Real Cause and How to Fix It

Skip Thirsty Roses and Plant These California Beauties That Bloom All Summer on Barely Any Water

Your Geraniums Slow Their Blooming Before Fall — Here’s the One Routine Most Gardeners Miss

The Backyard Feeder Mistake That Quietly Harms California Hummingbirds in the Late-Summer Heat

Your Coneflowers Fade After One Season – Here’s the One Fall Task That Brings Them Back Fuller Every Year

The One Thing California Citrus Owners Forget to Do in Early Fall That Quietly Shrinks the Next Harvest

Your Tomatoes Slow Down and Stop Setting Fruit in the Late-Summer Heat — Here’s the One Mistake Blocking Them

Your Petunias Feed Fine but the Blooms Slowly Fade – Here’s the Fertilizing Slip Quietly Behind It

The Garden Almanac

Field Notes

What It Really Means When Bluebirds Suddenly Disappear From Your North Carolina Yard in Late Summer

7 Florida Flowers That Pull Ladybugs In to Wipe Out Aphids Without a Drop of Spray

Can Your California Neighbor Legally Cut Your Tree’s Roots Once They Creep Under Their Side of the Fence?

The Native Texas Plant Homeowners Are Quietly Swapping In for Fussy Hydrangeas

Your Tomato Leaves Curl While Still Green — Here’s What the Heat Is Telling You to Fix

Your Hydrangeas Quietly Stop Blooming Because of a Few Everyday Habits — Here’s What to Change Now