Planting guides & growing advice

Practical guides for growing your own food: timing, beds, rotation and storage. Looking for dates? See the planting calendar for your city.

October 15, 2026
Days to Maturity: From Seed or Transplant?
Penn State gives celery 120 days in one guide and 89 in another. Same crop, same county. Here is why, and how to count backward.
September 23, 2026
What to Harvest, Cover or Pull Before Frost
Your first frost is a sorting event, not one deadline. How to put every crop into harvest, cover or pull, counted back from your own frost date.
September 16, 2026
How to Cure and Store Winter Squash and Potatoes
How to cure winter squash and potatoes, which squash you should never cure, and how to keep peppers and green tomatoes, timed to your own first frost date.
August 24, 2026
Fall Planting in Zone 5b: What You Can Still Sow in Late August
In Zone 5b, late August still leaves room for a real fall harvest, so here is exactly what you can sow now and how to protect it before the first frost.
August 12, 2026
Best Garden Planner Apps for 2026: An Honest Comparison
A fair, hands-on comparison of the top garden planning apps in 2026: GrowVeg, SeedTime, Planter, and GrowSmart. Real strengths, honest trade-offs, and which one fits your garden.
April 22, 2026
Companion Planting for Tomatoes: What to Grow Alongside and What to Keep Away
Not every plant belongs next to your tomatoes. Here's what the science says about companion planting, and what's just garden folklore.
April 22, 2026
GrowVeg vs Seedtime vs GrowSmart: An Honest 2026 Comparison
Honest side-by-side comparison of GrowVeg, Seedtime, and GrowSmart. Pricing, features, and who each garden planner is actually best for in 2026.
April 15, 2026
When to Start Seeds Indoors: A Zone-by-Zone Guide
Stop guessing your seed starting dates. Here's exactly when to start seeds indoors based on your frost dates and growing zone.