Seed starting, raised beds, planting calendars, and fixes for common garden problems.
| Title | Date | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| The 7 Easiest Vegetables for a First-Year Garden | November 9, 2026 | Pick five or six easy crops, time your planting to your last frost date, and your first vegetable garden will actually feed you by midsummer. This guide covers the best beginner vegetables, real spacing numbers, and the timing mistake that kills most new gardens. |
| Raised Bed Soil Mix: The Right Ratio and How Much to Buy | November 8, 2026 | Get the raised bed soil ratio right the first time: 60% topsoil, 30% compost, 10% aeration material. Includes the simple math to figure out exactly how many cubic yards your bed needs before you order. |
| Fill a Raised Bed Cheap: The Layering Trick That Saves Money | November 8, 2026 | Skip the bags of garden soil and fill your raised bed with free logs, leaves, and bulk compost instead. This layering method (a version of hugelkultur) cuts costs dramatically and builds better soil over time. |
| The Best Raised Bed Size and Layout for Beginners | November 8, 2026 | A 4-foot-wide, 8-foot-long raised bed is the sweet spot for first-year vegetable gardeners because you can reach the center from either side without stepping on the soil. Here's how to size, fill, and lay out your first beds so you're not fighting the design all season. |
| Grow Lights for Seedlings: How Close, How Long, How Bright | November 8, 2026 | Learn exactly how far to hang grow lights above seedlings and how many hours a day to run them, so you get sturdy, stocky transplants instead of pale, leggy ones. Includes the one mistake most first-year seed starters make with timing. |
| Seed Starting Schedule: Count Back From Your Last Frost Date | November 8, 2026 | Stop guessing when to start seeds indoors. Use your local last-frost date and each seed packet's timing to build a week-by-week starting schedule that actually fits your zone. |
| A Cheap Seed-Starting Setup That Actually Works | November 8, 2026 | You can start seeds indoors for under $20 using stuff you probably already own, like yogurt cups and a shop light. Here's the exact setup, timing by frost date, and the one mistake that kills most beginner seedlings. |
| The first guides are on their way. New posts arrive twice a week. | ||
Start indoors, transplant, direct sow, and harvest dates for 20 crops, counted from your zone's last frost.