April 2025

Get Ready To Garden With Our Top Gardening Tips & Resources

Looking for gardening advice and inspiration? Check out our top gardening resources including tips on how to plan a garden, source seed, start seeds, improve soil health, choose the best gardening tools, companion planting and more.

Here in the Southeast, Spring is so close we can hear it, smell it and even taste it as the winter melts away and Spring peepers, blossoms and wild herbs start to break up the brown landscape.

If you’re a gardener, homesteader, or hobby farmer, this is a time of great joy and great angst as we hedge our bets on when we can plant our plants in the ground.

Do we wait for the official last frost date? Or do we risk it all to finally get our hands back in the ground?

Generally speaking, waiting until the last frost date is advisable, especially for those who live further North. But that doesn’t mean you can’t start seeds, prepare your soil and put in some cold-hardy plants.

Now is also an ideal time to beef up your gardening knowledge and know-how so you’re ready to hit the ground running.

In this spirit, we’re excited to share ten of our most popular gardening articles, from planning, seed starting and soil prep to how to plant a spring garden and the best tools and accessories to make your job easier.

Spring is nearly here, so let’s get this garden party started.

1. How a Soil Scientist Creates a Low-Maintenance Garden in the South

This is one of our all-time favorite articles, where a soil scientist shares exactly how to plan, source and execute a low-maintenance garden (including natural pest control) in the south.

Soil Scientitst Article

Topics covered include:

How to sketch out a realistic plan based on your skill level, time and goals
How many crops to plant if you’re a beginner
Thoughts on tillage, and when it’s helpful vs hurtful for soil health
Where to find high-quality Southern seeds
How to source the healthiest perennials and starts
Natural pest and weed control strategies
Gardening time management (less is often more if you space it out)
The best defense against garden losses
And much more

If you read one article on gardening this year—especially for beginners, let this one be the one!

Read it here.

2. Top 6 Seed Companies to Order Organic, Heirloom and Hybrid Seeds

Selecting high-quality seed is essential not only for professional growers but can also make all the difference to germination rates, quality, taste and yields for home gardeners and homesteaders.

Plus, if you want to save seeds, you’ll want to ensure you’re ordering the right original varieties (non-hybrid, non-GMO).

In this article, experienced gardener and farmwife, Catherine Pond, shares her favorite sources for high-quality organic, heirloom and hybrid seeds.

Learn all about it here.

3. How to Start Seeds: Comparing 3 Seed Starting Methods

March is an ideal time to start seeds for your spring and summer garden.

But, before you buy up those one-use standard cell plastic trays, consider the alternatives:

Reusable tray inserts
Waste-free soil blocks

In this article, a regenerative herb farmer shares the pros and cons of these three seed starting methods (standard cell trays, reusable trays and soil blocks) so you can choose the best method for your garden.

Read it here.

4. Soil Preparation for Gardening

A little soil preparation in the early spring, fall or winter will make all the difference to your crops come harvest time.

In this article, an experienced gardener and outdoorsman shares his formula for testing and evaluation, amending with compost and other inputs and creating healthy fertile soil.

Check it out in: Soil Preparation for Gardening

5. Companion Planting: Nature’s Free Organic Pest Control

Many of our readers choose to grow their own food for health benefits, including avoiding pesticides and pesticide residue through organic gardening.

But growing organic isn’t without its challenges. One of the biggest being, pests!

Fortunately, there’s a non-toxic and functional solution you can plant right into your garden that will attract beneficial insects, such as predatory bugs that eat the pesky bugs—and not your crops, while deterring other types of pests.

It’s called companion planting, and anyone can do it.

In this article, an organic gardener, Maine-based homesteader, writer and creator behind the Zero Waste Homestead shares how to combine certain plants within your garden to help keep pests away without harming your crops (or your family).

Get all the details on companion planting for natural pest control here.

6. Must-Have Tools and Accessories for Gardeners

Tools Article_Broadfork

Gardening has gone from practical to trendy, with endless “must have” items filling shelves and influencers' feeds.

However, while the right tools for the right job do make all the difference, the truth is you want to focus on quality and functionality over quantity and cuteness.

In these articles, a farmer and a tool dealer share their tips on the best tools and accessories for the modern gardener:

7. How to Plan and Plant a Southern Spring Garden

It is not too late to plan and plant your spring garden here in the South.

In this article, Kentucky farmwife, Catherine Pond shares everything you need to know to get your garden going including:

Determining your zone for annuals and perennials
Soil prep tips for new and established gardens
What to plant for the season
Special precaution to take
And more

With decades of gardening experience, Pond has a knack for making things simple. This article will leave you feeling empowered and ready to get started.

Check it out here and start planning your spring garden today.