Brent & Becky's Blog — gardening tips

At this most wonderful time of year, you might be thinking less about your spring garden and a little more about gifts for friends and family. We love anything that brings a smile to a loved one’s face, and for gardeners, there’s no shortage of options! Whether you’re making a shopping list or a wish list, these great gift items are sure to brighten someone’s day—not to mention next year’s garden.

Right now, it’s winter prep time for us in the mid-Atlantic. As much as we don’t want to hear it, we’re fixing to get a frost soon. But, while it may mean we’ll want to be spending more time inside away from the cold, there’s still plenty of care that needs to be done in the garden before the snow falls. Here’s what you’ll need to do:   Feed Your Soil Now is the ideal time to prep your beds, so let’s start by feeding your soil! Remember, though, it doesn’t want a “red bull” chemical fertilizer—it wants organic matter. Organic matter, like...

When both the temperature and leaves begin to drop, we know that it’s time to start getting those fall-planted bulbs in the ground. And certainly one of our all-time favorites that bridges spring and summer together has got to be Alliums. Offering bright color, unique form, and fantastic pest-resistance, they’re undoubtedly one bulb you won’t want to forget in your fall planting!   Why You Should Grow Alliums Of course, one of the most apparent benefits of Alliums is their beautiful appearance. Like something straight out of a Dr. Suess book, these plants sport pretty, pom-pom-shaped clusters of tiny florets...

  When fall comes around, and spring-flowering bulbs are ready to make their way into the ground, hands down one of the most commonly asked questions for new bulb gardeners is “how deep do I plant?” And with a quick Google search yielding a whopping 30 million answers in seconds, we can’t blame them for being a little confused. Thankfully, though, the answer isn’t nearly as complicated as it may seem.    How Deep to Plant Bulbs When planting bulbs, the trick is to plant them not so deeply that it takes them too long to appear in spring, but...

  As long as we have been planting fall bulbs, we have been bothered again and again by those not-so-friendly visitors: squirrels. Anxious for a nibble of our freshly-planted tulips and crocuses, they ransack our fall plantings and leave us empty-handed in spring. So, what do we do to protect them?   Why Squirrels Eat Bulbs While their ruthless scavenging may be frustrating to wake up to the day after careful planting, the truth is, their excavating escapades are actually far more than just a tasty treat. In fact, bulbs are one of the few ways that squirrels can get...