Gear up for a gardening experience that’s both familiar and fresh with Planter’s exciting new feature: TV Mode! Immerse yourself in a wave of vintage charm as your app transforms into a classic television interface, complete with a unique visual and auditory twist.

Step back in time: Remember the warm glow of an old-school TV? TV Mode brings that nostalgic aesthetic to your fingertips. Imagine crisp veggies displayed with a touch of fuzzy charm and even a subtle static hum to set the mood. It’s a delightful nod to the bygone era, offering a unique way to interact with your garden planning.

But don’t let the vintage vibes fool you! TV Mode isn’t just about aesthetics. It packs all the powerful features you know and love about Planter, presented in a charmingly pixelated package:

• Detailed plant information: Learn about growing conditions, companion planting, and potential pests – all displayed with a blurry TV-inspired font and layout.
• Intuitive garden planning: Drag and drop your veggies with ease, even if you’re more familiar with joysticks than touchscreens.
• Planting calendar: Ensure your harvest is pixel-perfect by knowing exactly when to sow those seeds. Your calendar will still work even though it looks like it’s 1989.
• Community sharing: Show off your pixelated garden creations and connect with fellow green thumbs who appreciate a touch of retro charm. Share your designs using the hashtag #TVGarden and see who gets the most likes!

Ready to channel your inner techie farmer with a vintage twist? Simply open Planter and activate TV Mode. It’s the perfect way to add a touch of fun and nostalgia to your gardening routine, whether you’re a seasoned planter or just starting out.

Remember, TV Mode is a limited-time experience, so don’t miss out! Download Planter today and unlock a world of pixelated veggies and a warm wave of nostalgia. Happy gardening!

Be Kind and Respectful:

• Treat others with the same respect you would like to receive. This includes respecting different viewpoints and opinions, even if you disagree.
• Avoid personal attacks, insults, and inflammatory language. Remember, there’s a real person behind every comment.
• Engage in constructive criticism instead of negativity. If you have feedback, express it thoughtfully and offer suggestions for improvement.

Stay on Topic:

• Comments should be relevant to the specific blog post you’re commenting on.
• Avoid promoting unrelated products, services, or websites. This is considered spam and will be removed.

Be Mindful of Your Content:

• Avoid posting offensive or discriminatory content. This includes hate speech, harassment, and content that is sexually suggestive or violent.
• Do not post copyrighted material without permission.
• Avoid posting false or misleading information.

Additional Notes:

• We reserve the right to remove comments that violate our policy.
• Repeated violations may result in temporary or permanent bans.
• Let’s create a welcoming and informative space for everyone!

By following these guidelines, we can foster a positive and engaging community around the Planter Growing Guide. Thank you for participating!

Additional Tips:

• Feel free to share your personal experiences and tips related to the topic of the blog post.
• Ask questions to clarify information or start a discussion.
• If you see a comment that violates the policy, please report it to us.
• We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to your contributions!

I tried growing tomatillos for the first time this year, and boy, did I get a bumper crop. I started 8 seedlings indoors in March and all survived. So of course I planted all 8 tomatillos. Afterall, it’s so hard to not plant a seedling that you grew, isn’t it!?

The tomatillo plants took off FAST. By mid-summer, they were a pollinator’s dream:

Here’s a video of what my tomatillo plants looked like in August:

Check out tomatillos in Planter for more growing information.

Tomatillo Salsa Verde

If you’ve ever had Moe’s green tomatillo salsa, this is it!

Ingredients

• ~40 medium tomatillos (enough to fill a baking sheet when sliced in half)
• 1 medium onion
• 1 medium bell pepper
• 1 spicy pepper (optional)
• Handful of fresh cilantro
• Juice of a lime
• 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp cumin

Start by husking your tomatillos. Unlike tomatoes, you don’t need to cut out the area around the stem or core them or anything like that. Just husk them. If this is your first time dealing with tomatillos, you’ll quickly notice how sticky they are. Just run them under some water to get rid of that stickiness.

Then, slice each tomatillo in half and place them cut-side-down on a foil-lined baking sheet or broiler pan. Broil on high for about 6 minutes.

Optionally drain any extra liquid. Then toss the tomatillos in a food processor with all the other ingredients.

Chop it all up and you’re done. Enjoy!

“But I don’t want to turn on my oven”

That’s okay! You can completely skip the broiling step and simply toss everything into the food processor. I’ve tried it both ways, and I’ve found that I prefer the broiled salsa a tad more. Tomatillos have a sweet but sour taste to them, and broiling takes some of the sourness away.

Patience: Cultivate Patience in the Garden

Gardening with kids requires an abundance of patience. As any parent knows, tasks that seem simple and quick can often take twice as long when children are involved. It’s important to set realistic expectations and remember that gardening with kids is about having fun, not just the end result. Embrace the slower pace, and like our gardening shirts say, “Romaine Calm, Lettuce Carrot On”.

Select Kid-Friendly Seeds

Kids love getting their hands dirty and sowing seeds. To make it easier for them, choose seeds that are large and easy to handle. Peas, beans, and seeds from the squash family are perfect choices. Their size and shape make them convenient for little fingers to hold and place in the soil, increasing the chances of successful planting.

We learned this lesson the hard way this year; first we planted peas which went super well. I dug a trough for the seeds and my son was able to plant them every couple inches and they grew super well! However, next to the peas we planted carrots, and nearly a hundred seeds ended up in the same spot.

Designate a Digging Spot

Kids love digging in the dirt, but that can sometimes pose a challenge in the garden. They might accidentally dig up your carefully planted seeds or seedlings. Rather than fight their natural digging nature, create a designated digging spot just for the kids. This can be a small section within the garden or even a separate container filled with loose soil. Now, they can dig to their heart’s content without worrying about affecting the main vegetable plots.

Give Each Child Their Own Garden Space

When I was a kid, my brothers and I each had a corner of the garden where we were in charge of growing cucumbers. It was great to see the whole process from sowing seeds to harvesting cucumbers.

Kids love having a sense of ownership and responsibility. Give each kid their own little spot in the garden where they can grow what they like. Friend-of-the-app Ben Gardner of the Backyard Gardens podcast, does just that. This year he gave his son an entire garden bed to grow what he wanted, and he chose potatoes. This is a great way to let kids grow their independence and gain an appreciation for gardening.

Discover Garden Critters

Kids love bugs. Whether they’re poking rolly pollies or try to burn ants with a microscope, they’re all about the bugs. But us gardeners….not so much, especially the ones that munch on all of our plants. But we can teach them about beneficial insects like ladybugs, bees, and earthworms.

Celebrate Harvest Time

Harvesting is perhaps the most exciting part of gardening for kids (and adults!). Involve them in the process of picking ripe veggies. Encourage them to taste their freshly harvested produce (after a quick rinse, of course) and try out simple, kid-friendly recipes. This hands-on experience teaches them where their food comes and it might even help a picky kid try something new. 

And if your harvest is a bit too bountiful, involve your children in sharing the harvest with friends, family, neighbors, or your local food bank. It’ll be extra rewarding, especially after all of their help in the garden.

Garden Crafts and Projects

Here are a few craft ideas for the garden:

1. Make plant markers using popsicle sticks or stones painted with the names or pictures of different plants.
2. Create a scarecrow to protect corn at harvest time.
3. Build a birdhouse.

Be Safe and Sun Smart

Gardening often involves being out in the heat and sun for extended periods. Make sure your kids are adequately protected by providing them with hats, sunscreen, and comfortable clothing. Encourage regular breaks in the shade to stay hydrated.

Wrapping it Up

Gardening with kids is a great way to get them outdoors and teach them where their food comes from. It’s also a great way to spend time together and create lasting memories. I hope these tips have been helpful, and that you and your little minions have a great time gardening together. Happy gardening!

If you don’t know who Gardener Scott is, you should go straight to his YouTube channel and binge-watch his excellent gardening videos. We had the pleasure of meeting up with Gardener Scott on a rainy day in Connecticut to chat about the Planter backstory, to brainstorm cool new features, and to test drive the Garden Summary. The Garden Summary is inspired by a prior conversation we had with Gardener Scott (as well as input from the Planter community!) so we are thrilled to have the opportunity to launch it together. Before we dive into the nitty-gritty on the Garden Summary, be sure to watch Gardener Scott’s behind-the-scenes video of our discussion:

Garden Summary

So, what is the Garden Summary exactly?

As passionate gardeners ourselves, we understand the challenges of planning and managing a garden. To make this easier, we wanted a way to view key details about your garden quickly and easily in Planter.

Plant Quantity Breakdown

Ever found yourself in a nursery, scratching your head, wondering how many plants or seeds to buy? Worry no more! With the summary view, we provide you with the exact quantity of each plant and variety in your garden bed. It takes the guesswork out of your shopping list, making sure you get just the right number of plants to thrive in your garden.

Notes and Events

In addition to plant quantities, the Garden Summary shows all of your garden’s notes, allowing you to have a quick and comprehensive overview. At the moment it only includes garden-wide notes, but we plan to add plant-specific notes in the future (once we figure out a nice way to indicate which plant the note belongs to).

Export and Share

(Exporting is a Premium feature)

We know how important it is to have your garden plan easily accessible. That’s why we’ve included the ability to export your Garden Summary to PDF or CSV format. You can print it, save it on your device, or share it with friends and fellow gardeners. 

Looking Ahead: The Future of Planter

We never stop improving Planter, and a future update will allow you to compile multiple beds into one summary. This means you’ll be able to manage larger garden spaces effortlessly, no matter how many garden beds you have.

But that’s not all! As Gardener Scott said, we are actively listening to your feedback and ideas and taking them into consideration for future app updates.

Whether it’s managing your seed inventory, enhancing the calendar with reminders and planting tips, or exploring other exciting possibilities, we’re committed to evolving Planter into the ultimate gardening companion- not only for planning but also for managing your garden.

So stay tuned for future updates, and be sure to watch Gardener Scott’s video for a candid conversation about the app and what we’re planning. Happy gardening! 🌱

I’ve got 6 raised beds in my garden, and 4 of them use this exact method. It works! And it’s easy and cheap.

Prefer to learn via video? Friend-of-the-app Gardener Scott has a great video using this exact same method:

Materials Needed:

• 3 2"×8"×8’ regular pine boards (or 2×6, 2×10, 2×12. See our article on soil depth requirements)

• Exterior-grade wood screws. I used these deck screws.
• Drill, drill bit, and driver bit for screws.
• Saw
• Level
• Tape measure

Regular vs Pressure-Treated Wood

Some people suggest using cedar boards or pressure-treated boards. Both of these options will certainly last longer than regular, kiln-dried pine. However, cedar boards can be hard to find and expensive. And pressure-treated boards are treated with chemicals that could potentially end up being absorbed by your plants. And like cedar, they’re more expensive.

I prefer to use the safer and cheaper option: untreated kiln-dried pine, which is what you’ll find at your local hardware store. My oldest raised bed is 5 years old and is holding up well, with no obvious signs of rot or decay. I’m guessing I could get another 5 years out of it, and that’s good enough for me.

How long your raised bed lasts depends primarily on moisture. I live in New England where we get a decent amount of rain and some humidity. In drier climates, your raised bed may last even longer!

Instructions:

1. Choose a level, sunny spot for your raised bed. If the spot has grass or weeds, lay down some cardboard to prevent the weeds from growing up through the raised bed. The cardboard will decompose after a season or two.

2. Use a saw to cut one of the boards in half. Afterward, you should have two 8-foot boards and two 4-foot boards.

3. Arrange the boards so that the 4-foot boards are on the ends.

4. Put 2 screws in each corner. It’s best to pre-drill the screw holes so that the wood doesn’t split.

   Tip: Make sure to screw through the short boards into the end of the long boards. The reason behind this is there is more pressure from the soil pushing on the long boards than the short boards. Along with that, screws are more likely to pull out of decaying wood than they are to break from shear force.

5. Check that your raised bed is approximately level. It doesn’t need to be precise. You can dig out some soil or raise corners with some rocks until it’s level.
6. Fill your raised bed with soil and start planting!

Taller Beds

Perhaps you are putting this raised bed on top of concrete or nutrient-deficient soil. Or you simply don’t want to bend down as much. You might want to create an extra tall raised bed. My oldest raised bed is built using this same method, but doubled. Simply create two regular raised beds using the steps above. Then, secure both layers of the garden bed together.

Many people use a 4x4 post in each corner and screw through the sides. This is what Gardener Scott did in his video:

I took a different approach, which requires a special “pocket hole” jig that is typically used for furniture making. Using this jig, I was able to screw directly from the top layer into the bottom layer:

Yet another approach that I don’t recommend is what I did on my very first raised beds. I notched the boards and assembled them like Lincoln Logs. This was a lot of effort and the wood was very weak around the notches. But it did look pretty cool 😎:

Another thing to consider with taller beds is the additional pressure from the soil. To counter this, you can add a reinforcing board in the middle (similar to the above photo, although I wouldn’t suggest this notch technique, just screw it in place). This board will need to be 3" shorter than the end boards, so 45".

Other Materials

This is just one way to make a raised bed. Raised beds can also be constructed of many other materials, including corrugated metal, cinder blocks, bricks, timbers, and more. If it can hold back soil, you can probably make a raised garden bed with it. I won’t go in-depth for each of these materials, but I will show you the other raised beds I constructed:

Logs

I live in the forest, and in that forest there are a lot of dead, fallen pine trees. So I decided to build two raised beds from these pine trees!

To put them together, I used 8" long timber screws. At nearly $3 each, these screws were kinda pricey, which nearly negated the cost savings from using free lumber. But the end result is so cool, I think the effort was worth it.

For the bottom logs, I notched the end pieces so that the logs rested flush against each other. This also let the screws go further into the wood.

I filled them with a mixture of soil, compost, and a little peat. I think they turned out great!

Note: These changes are being rolled out over the next week, so you might not have access to them yet. We like to do slow roll-outs for big features like this, in case there are any bugs. If you’d like to get access to them immediately, checkout the web app or join the Android or iOS beta programs!

New Plant Actions Pop-Up

When we were thinking about where to put the rotate button, we wanted it to be somewhere easily accessible. We also wanted to improve the deletion mechanism, since it’s tricky to drag large plants like tomatoes and squash onto the trash icon. You might say we wanted to sow two seeds in one square (another highly-requested feature that we’re working on 😉). In version 3.3.0, simply tap on any plant and a variety of actions will appear:

↺ Rotate

If the plant isn’t square, you’ll be able to rotate it! This option won’t appear for square plants, obviously.

📝 Add Note

Quickly add a note for the plant, without leaving the garden view.

✂️ Copy

Copy and paste the plant, as many times as you want. This is a less-requested feature, but hey, it’s still useful! This works just like quick-plant mode. If the plant has notes on it, you’ll also be given the option to copy those.

and finally

Compost!

Big thanks to Laurie R. who suggested this idea. Why have a trash can when it’s a gardening app, it should be a compost bin! This button will remove the plant so that you don’t need to drag and drop it onto the old delete icon. But you can still drag and drop it to remove it! This is just another way to do the same thing.

Info

Last, but certainly not least, if you want to view the plant info, just tap the center button. You can also double tap a plant and it’ll take you straight to the plant info, no need to wait for the actions to appear.

Filters

No, we didn’t add Instagram filters (although that is an interesting thought experiment 🤔). We added new ways to filter the plant and calendar lists. Now, you can filter by several important plant properties, including:

• Frost tolerance
• Season (feature request)
• Sun (feature request)

These filters will be very useful during the early spring or when deciding what to plant for a fall garden. Also, gardeners in extremely hot or cold climates can use these to help them judge what will do well in their area.

That’s all folks

We’re very excited about all of these new features and hope you’ll like them! As usual, new features tend to bring new bugs, so if you find one please send us a bug report so we can squash it. In the meantime, we’ll be heads-down working on more articles and new features (and we’ll sneak outside to do some actual gardening too 😉). Happy gardening!

So this year, I set out to fix the problem by ripping out the old, dilapidated garden fence and replacing it with a brand-new, (hopefully) rabbit-proof fence. Check out the YouTube video below or keep reading if that’s your learning-style.

In my research, one thing I learned fast is that rabbits love to dig, so putting the bottom of the fence right at ground level won’t do much good. Rather, it’s suggested to bury the bottom of the fence, as deep as you can (or as deep as the rocks let you!).

But that still won’t stop all critters from getting into your garden. Some will still dig under the buried fence. To solve this problem, the key is to bend the bottom of the fence into an L shape, so that the bottom of the L splays out and away from your garden. This way, critters that dig down along the fence will hit the horizontal portion of your fence and be stopped.

The other big thing to consider is how big the holes in the fence are. Bunnies can squeeze through holes as small as one inch, and full-grown rabbits can fit through holes as small as 2-3 inches. To counter this, I chose two fences; the larger fence has gaps 2 inches wide by 4 inches tall. This is the sturdier of the two fences and is 4 feet tall. Hopefully, this will deter any larger animals such as deer from getting into the garden (although deer can jump higher than this, it’s certainly better than nothing).

At the bottom of the fence, I chose hardware cloth with half-inch square gaps. Not even the tiniest of bunnies would be able to squeeze through. However, mice and other small rodents will still be able to get through, but trying to stop mice would be a very tough task.

I secured the hardware cloth to the larger garden fence with galvanized wire. You can also use zip ties or string for this, it doesn’t matter.

The next important thing is the gate. After all, I still need a way to get into the garden. My old gate was simply a portion of garden fencing, and it didn’t do anything to keep rabbits out.

I decided to construct the new gate from a pallet I had lying around. I also fashioned a sturdy frame for it to swing on. I used the knowledge I gained from my mechanical engineering degree when designing it. The diagonal board is key to keeping the bottom corner of the gate from sagging. Likewise, the diagonal 2x4 on the gate’s frame is key to keeping the pivot board vertical.

I also hammered a fence post at a 45-degree angle to keep the entire gate structure vertical when the gate is opened.

The gate frame has a continuous board on the bottom. I stapled hardware cloth to this board and buried it, similar to the rest of the fence. No rabbit will be digging under the gate!

By now, I had the new fence in the trench and a spiffy gate! All I need to do is fill in the trench and be done…

While the trench is dug, I might as well try to make my least-favorite gardening chore a little easier. You know what I’m talking about: weeding. Weeding is the worst, and getting weeds out from a fence is nearly impossible.

So I cut up some landscape fabric, doubled it up and slid it underneath the fence. Then I covered it with some of those rocks and a whole bunch of woodchips. Hopefully this will keep the weeds from growing around the fence.

That was a lot of work, and I didn’t even re-do the other two sides of the garden. Luckily, my garden neighbors (I garden at a community garden plot) have pretty solid fences, so I’ll probably take my chances with it this year and reinforce those fences if I encounter any issues.

If you liked this post/video, please subscribe to us on YouTube! This is the first video I’ve shot of my personal garden, so if you like this type of content, please let us know with a 👍 and subscription on YouTube!

Peat Moss

Peat is partially decomposed organic matter that forms in wetlands. It is made up of mosses, sedges (think tall grasses), and other plants that have died and accumulated over time. Peat is a dark, brown or black material that is often used as a soil amendment.

To make things confusing, there is also sphagnum moss. Adding to the confusion, sometimes peat moss is referred to as sphagnum peat moss 🤯. Both sphagnum moss and peat moss begin life the same way, from the same plant. Sphagnum moss is simply the living top layer of moss from peatlands. It is then dried out and sold without much more processing. On the other hand, peat moss is sourced from the lower, dead layers. It is then ground up into finer particles and is typically sold in compressed bags.

Peatlands, or peat bogs, are a type of wetland that are home to a variety of plants and animals. They also play an important role in the water cycle. Peatlands store massive amounts of carbon, so when peatlands are drained for agriculture or development, the peat decomposes and releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This contributes to climate change.

So peat moss is terrible and we should never use it…

Not quite! It depends where your peat comes from. Most of the bad rap for peat comes from the peat bogs in Scotland and Ireland, where nearly 95% of peat bogs have been depleted, primarily being used as a fuel source. However, peat moss that is harvested from Canada, which is what you’ll find at stores in the United States, is naturally replenished at a rate higher than it is harvested, so it is actually a renewable resource. Canada, which is the biggest peat moss producer, contains more than 280 million acres of peatlands. Of that amount, only 73,000 acres have so far been harvested, a fraction of the quantity naturally generated in undisturbed bogs. According to the Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA), they work to restore peatlands that have been damaged by harvesting. After harvesting, each bog is reflooded and reseeded with shredded moss grafts, which cover the harvested site within 5 years. The peat bog is naturally restored in 10-15 years. As with any industry group, you’d be right to be skeptical of these claims, but the situation in Canada does seem to be very different than in other countries.

Coconut Coir 🥥

Coconut coir has been touted as a sustainable alternative to peat moss. It is a byproduct made from the husks of coconuts. Like peat, coconut coir is also a good soil amendment, as it is absorbent and helps to retain water. However, coconut coir is also not without its environmental impact. The production of coconut coir can be energy-intensive. Additionally, the transportation of coconut coir from the tropics to your doorstep can also have a significant environmental impact.

Benefits in the garden

Here are some tips for using peat moss and coconut coir in your garden:

• Use peat moss and coconut coir in seed starting mix to help provide retain moisture, to help seeds germinate.
• Amend raised garden bed soil with peat moss or coir to help improve soil quality. Both help retain moisture and improve drainage, helping your plants grow better. However, neither peat nor coir provides nutrients; for that, you’ll need to add compost!
• Peat moss is slightly acidic, which means it is great for plants that require a low pH. There are many plants you may wish to grow that prefer slightly acidic soil, including blueberries, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, garlic, sweet peppers, pumpkins, winter squash, and tomatoes. If your garden soil is not acidic, add a bit of peat moss to help these plants thrive.
• Use peat moss or coconut coir in potting soil to help provide a moist, well-draining environment for plants. Both are also lightweight, making it nice and easy to lift hanging baskets. Check out our soil blocking post for a good potting soil recipe.

Which to choose?

So, is coconut coir really a better alternative to peat moss? The answer is complicated. Both coconut coir and peat moss have some environmental drawbacks, but both are great for starting seeds or as a soil amendment. Ultimately, the answer depends on your situation, including where your peat comes from and the availability of peat and coir in your local area.

Are you a gardening enthusiast with an idea for a Growing Guide article? Great! We’d love to have you share your ideas with our audience. But before you sit down to write the article, you should take a moment to understand our audience and read our guidelines for writing a successful article.

Target Audience Personas

Anna Carlson

• Age: 32
• Location: Toledo, Ohio, USA
• Experience level: Beginner
• Background: Has house plants, but this is her first time doing vegetable gardening.
• Motivation: Gardening for fun and trying to eat fresher food
• Garden: Small raised bed and several patio pots

Leroy Jenkins

• Age: 56
• Location: Sacramento, California, USA
• Experience level: Advanced
• Background: Has had veggie gardens for 20 years, but still learning and hoping to make his garden more productive each year.
• Motivation: He gardens mostly as a hobby, but also to supplement his family’s diet.
• Garden: Half a dozen raised beds, along with a few fabric grow bags. Also has an apple and a pear tree.

Overall Vibe

Our customers are gardening enthusiasts and so are we. We try to be positive, informative, and help gardeners learn and advance in the hobby.

Best Practices

When writing for Planter, please follow the best practices that are outlined below.

Use Clear Language

Write common English words, not jargon.

Examples:

• Write “use” not “utilize”
• Write “buy” not “purchase”
• Write “because” not “due to the fact that.”

Write Short Sentences and Paragraphs

As with words, shorter sentences also promote comprehension. Short paragraphs make your piece more readable, especially on the web.

As a general guideline, keep paragraphs limited to three sentences or less.

Write in Active Voice

Active voice makes writing shorter, clearer, and more lively. Passive voice, while sometimes necessary, tends to clutter the page and distract from the message.

Example:

• Write: “Gardeners hate weeding their gardens."  not “Weeding their gardens is the least favorite chore of gardeners.”

Get To The Point

We respect our audience’s time and we don’t want to bore them. Hence, we prefer to get to the point as fast as possible. Long, flowery introductions to the topic you’re writing about aren’t needed since our audience live busy lives.

It’s OK to just use two paragraphs as a short introduction before diving in.

Content Guardrails

Guardrails are things that we avoid or have specific rules in how we talk about them.

Humor & Pop Culture:

Humor is good but we never want to be sarcastic or negative.

Nerdy/pop culture references are fair game. We think our audience is into that.

Competitors:

We typically don’t mention competitors at all, or if we do, we will usually refer to them as a category (eg “gardening apps”).

For tone & voice purposes, competitors are any mobile or web apps that help gardeners plan their gardens. We don’t consider YouTube channels, influencers, blogs, or other informational sites to be competitors.

But, again, it is very rare that we would mention a competitor by name.

Politics:

We have some pretty strong personal feelings here, but Planter as a brand doesn’t.

We generally avoid using political references in our day-to-day content efforts. 

With that caveat, Planter is still happy to support specific initiatives and causes that other people might confuse as political in nature. For example, we support carbon reduction efforts through Stripe Climate, and we’re proud to share that with our customers.

Emojis

Emojis are very on-brand. 

Emoji Frequency:

• We use emojis one at a time in headlines and body copy - we don’t stack them or cluster them like ❤️❤️❤️
• We also don’t stuff the page with too many of them. For example, the user shouldn’t be reading a blog post and see 5 sentences that all end with emoji punctuation.
• Using repeated emojis in headings through a blog post is allowed and sometimes encouraged.

Using repeated emojis in a well-structured way like a list can be OK if it’s not forced, like in the screenshot above.

GIFs

GIFs are acceptable as long as they’re G-rated, positive, and non-political. Use them sparingly; no more than one GIF should be visible at a time.

Advertisements and Affiliate Links

The Planter blog isn’t the way we make most of our revenue, so we try to keep it focused on being informative and fun, rather than trying to sell products. However, if it makes sense in the context of the article, linking to products for sale on Amazon or other websites is okay. The site will automatically add the Planter referral code to any Amazon link. We are also enrolled in several other affiliate programs (as of writing, Bootstrap Farmer is the only program other than Amazon), so check with Peter if you’re interested in adding a product from another site besides Amazon.

If you’re interested in writing a guest post on behalf of a company, it cannot be a blatant advertisement for the company. Sponsored posts may be possible, so be sure to reach out to Peter if this sounds like something you’re interested in.

Formatting and File Structure

Format

The Growing Guide uses Markdown files as the source, so any formatting that is supported by Markdown is supported. Please format headings, bolded or italicized text, and images with Markdown syntax. You can use an online markdown editor to make this easier.

This page is written in Markdown, you can see the source code here.

File Structure

Please name your markdown file index.md. Put your markdown file and all images in one folder.

Frontal Matter

At the very top of your index.md file, please include the following:

+++
draft = false
title = "Article Title"
date = YYYY-MM-DDT00:00:00.000Z 
author = "First Last"


[cover]
relative = true
image = "cover_image_file_name.jpg"
alt = "Cover image alternate text for accessibility reasons"
caption = "Optional caption to display under the cover image"
+++

Your article content goes here...

Submission

Growing Guide articles can be submitted in two ways:

If you are familiar with GitHub:

1. Fork the repo.
2. Create a folder for your article in /content/posts. Name it according to the subject of your article.
3. Place your index.md file and any images inside the folder.
4. Commit your changes and submit a PR to the repository!

If you aren’t familiar with GitHub:

1. Email your article to us. Click here for our email or use the support email found within the app.

Once your article is submitted, we’ll read it and let you know of any changes that need to be made. And that’s it! Once it’s approved and published, it should appear on the website!

Note: We reserve the right to deny any submission for any reason.

Rainbow Hot Peppers

Although they look colorful, you may not want to “taste the rainbow” with this particular variety. They are similar in heat to a ghost pepper 🥵.

Rainbow Broccoli

Apparently this tastes just like regular broccoli. Like many of these rainbow varieties, it does tend to grow slower since green is the optimal color to absorb sunlight. Due to that slow growth, this variety should only be grown in colder regions to avoid bolting.

Rainbow Cabbage

Green cabbage? Boring. Red (purple) cabbage? A bit more interesting. Rainbow cabbage? VERY cool! Rainbow cabbage changes color through each layer, typically with green or purple on the inner-most and outer-most layers.

Rainbow Tomatoes

You’ve grown red tomatoes, orange tomatoes, yellow tomatoes, green tomatoes, and purple tomatoes. That’s a lot of colors, but how about all in one? This new variety has you covered.

Rainbow Onions

There’s only a hint of rainbow color on the outside, but cut into this onion and you’ll find colors that change throughout the layers.

Rainbow Beans

Why settle for green beans when you can have rainbow beans! As you can see, some still end up green, but many will be other colors of the rainbow!

Rainbow Eggplant

Eggplant is purple right? Not anymore! This variety is still mostly purple but has every other color on it too! Unfortunately it is still the same on the inside.

Rainbow Watermelon

These are still green on the outside, similar to yellow watermelon varieties. However, cut one open and you can see why they’re called rainbow watermelon! They say these are slightly sweeter than regular watermelon 🍉.

How to grow these varieties?

These varieties are certainly tough to find (some may even say impossible 😉), so good luck! You can learn how to grow the regular versions of these plants in Planter! If you manage to find these varieties, Planter will help you arrange them in your veggie garden next to your regular, boring, real veggies.

Temperature requirements

Some veggies will have no problem germinating in a cold basement (where I start my seeds), while others need some warmth to sprout in a timely fashion.

Luckily, master gardeners have determined the optimal temperature for germinating most veggies. The following chart is pulled from this paper by the University of California:

Soil Temperature Conditions for Vegetable Seed Germination

You may have noticed the missing temperatures for celery. Celery requires diffused, non-direct light and a cooler night temperature than the day temperature for good germination. Its optimal conditions are 85°F during the day and 70°F at night.

Keeping the seed tray at the right temperature

Most heating mats don’t have an adjustable thermostat, so it’s hard to get the soil to the right temperature. And even if the heating mat works for one gardener, it might not work for you. This is because soil temperature can vary depending on a variety of factors:

• Wattage of the heating matt
• Amount of soil
• Amount of water in the soil
• Surrounding air temperature
• Air movement
• Heat from grow light(s)

That’s why we recommend a thermostat-controlled heating mat such as the Spider Farmer Heat Mat Kit. It comes with a temperature probe that you stick in the soil, so you know your seedlings are at the optimum temperature. No more guessing! However, if you already have a heat mat that is working for you and getting good germination rates, there’s no need to fix what isn’t broken.

One important thing to keep in mind: Not all seeds need a heat mat. Many cold-hardy crops such as lettuce, spinach, and peas will germinate just fine at room temperature. In fact, they might not germinate at all if the soil is too warm! Just take a look at the table above, the max germination temperature for spinach is just 75°F.

What next?

After your seeds germinate, unplug the heat mat. Besides wasting electricity, keeping the heat mat on can stress veggie roots and can cause some plants to bolt!

That’s about all there is to it!

Grow Light Types

There are two primary technologies for grow lights: LEDs and fluorescent lights. For a long time, fluorescent lights were the go-to bulb for gardeners, but LEDs have quickly become the standard.

Fluorescent grow lights come in a variety of shapes and sizes, including the traditional tube and the “compact” swirl style. They’re available in a wide range of color spectrums and intensities. They are also typically less expensive up-front than LEDs, but less energy-efficient.

LED grow lights, on the other hand, are more energy-efficient and come in even more shapes, sizes, intensities, and spectrums. Some even come in tubes like fluorescent lights.

There are a few other lighting technologies that are typically used in commercial applications, such as metal halide lights and sodium vapor lights, but we won’t be focusing on those.

Okay, time for some science!

Grow Light Color, AKA “Spectrum”

More important than the type of grow light is the color and intensity of the light that it produces. Plants use light in the photosynthetically active spectrum between 400 (violet) and 700 (red) nanometers. However, not all of that spectrum is used equally. Typically, plants use more blue-green light when they are seedlings and more red light later, when they begin to flower and produce fruit or seeds. Because of this, plants appear green/yellow because they reflect light in those wavelengths. Hence, many grow lights on the market try to mimic these wavelengths and are a mixture of blue and red, often appearing purple when combined.

For fluorescents and some LEDs, spectrum is often labeled as the color temperature or K (Kelvin). A higher color temperature, such as 6500K, is best for starting seeds. Many LED fixtures include a variety of colors, so instead of a Kelvin number you may see a spectrum graph, similar to the one above.

When deciding between the “purple” and “full spectrum” grow lights, one important factor to consider is where your seed-starting station is. If you’re starting your seeds in the basement or some other less-used space, go ahead and get the purple grow lights. On the contrary, if you’re starting them on the kitchen counter or some other common space, consider going for the full spectrum grow lights. The reason is, the purple grow lights aren’t very pleasant to be around for long periods of time. I start my seeds in the basement, so I don’t mind the purple hue and can deal with it in exchange for a bit more energy efficiency.

Grow Light Intensity

When buying grow lights, in general, more light intensity is better. Every light on the market has a watt measurement, which is the amount of energy that the unit uses.

Some grow lights will also include more helpful intensity units including:

• Lumens - When shopping for lighting fixtures, including grow lights, you may come across the term lumens. Lumens are a measure of the visible light emitted by the light source. In general, the brighter a light source appears, the higher its lumen output will be. While lumens can be a useful tool in determining the appropriate lighting for a room, they are not relevant to the needs of your plants. Lumens do not provide information about how well plants will respond to visible light.
• PPFD - Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density (PPFD) is a crucial measurement for your plants. Unlike lumens, which only measure the brightness of a light source, PPFD measures how much of the necessary light within the photosynthetic spectrum (400-700 nm) is reaching your plant.
• Foot-candles - A measure of how much light a square foot receives at a distance of 1 foot.

Grow Light Height

A good rule of thumb is to position your lights 6-24” away from your plants. Don’t just set it and forget it though! Pay attention to your seedlings, and if you notice them becoming “leggy”, they’re not receiving enough light, so you should lower your lights. On the contrary, if your lights are too close, plants can get damaged by the heat of the light. Try adjusting your lights to find the sweet spot, and periodically raising them as the plants grow.

Our Recommendations

There are so many grow light options out there, it can get overwhelming. So we’ve done the research and read the reviews for you. Here are our recommendations:

Barrina Grow Lights

Available in full spectrum, pink, or red/blue, these LED grow lights comes in both 2ft and 4ft lengths. Both lengths come in a 6 pack, perfect for gardeners who want to start a lot of seeds or are looking to start an indoor garden.

Barrina’s grow lights are highly rated, so if these options don’t work for you, check out their other options such as their 4 pack.

iGrowtek Seed Starter Kit

This kit contains everything you need to start seeds, minus the soil and the actual seeds. The light is full-spectrum.

iPower Stand and Grow Light

Perfect if you don’t need the seed starting tray but still want a stand.

Kullsinss LED Grow Light Strips

If you’re starting your seeds on the kitchen counter, this might be the grow light for you. You can stick these light strips to the underside of a cabinet or shelf, perfect for spaces where hanging a reflector wouldn’t work.

Adjustable Gooseneck Grow Lights

For the ultimate in adjustability, these grow lights are mounted on goosenecks. They are available in 4 different color options and are perfectly suited for lighting large houseplants as well as veggie seedlings!

But first, I have some personal news…

Starting this month I have transitioned to working on Planter full-time! When I originally released the app in 2017, I never imagined it would grow to be what it is today. Honestly, I was skeptical if even a dozen people would download it. But you did! Apparently I wasn’t the only person who wanted a simpler garden planning process 😉. Gardeners are a great group of people, and I’m truly thankful to be able to work on this app and connect with you each gardening season. Today, Planter consists of a small team of 3, including myself, Erin Thomson, our lead Growing Guide writer, and Jessalyn Krenicki, our Content Intern. Together, we have been working hard to make Planter more useful and add more features to the app!

So, enough talking, let’s get to the reason you’re reading this; What do we have planned?

Expanded Companion Planting Info

One of the biggest changes we are making is the addition of the “why” behind companion planting. Companion planting information varies widely and sometimes sources contradict each other, so we’re delving deep into the research to make sure Planter’s companion planting info is both correct and explanatory. Gardeners will soon be able to understand exactly why certain plants are companions or combative, giving them even more control over their veggie gardens. You can expect this feature early this spring!

Redesigned Plant Details Page

We are also completely redesigning the plant details page, with the primary goal of making it better on larger screens such as tablets and desktops. It also includes your most recently used varieties so they are easily accessible. And any notes you’ve created will appear at the top of the plant details page. Both varieties and notes were previously hidden in separate tabs, so now they’re much more visible. This redesign is slowly being rolled out, since it’s such a big change. It’s currently live on the website and the Android beta, with iOS and the rest of Android coming soon.

And more!

There are many more features that we are working on that I can’t share just yet. When deciding what feature to add, we typically start with the most commonly requested features in the Feature Requests tool. And now with my full attention on the app, I can confidently say that these features will roll out at a much faster pace than ever before! As always, we welcome feedback and suggestions from you as we continue to develop and improve the app, so keep suggesting new features and upvoting existing feature requests!

Finally, we’d like to thank each and every gardener who has downloaded and tried out Planter. Your support, whether it be subscribing to the app or leaving a 5⭐ review, has made all the difference, and without it none of this would have been possible (and I’d still be working for a boring real estate company 😉). So, from the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU!

Cheers and happy gardening 🌱,

Peter Keefe
(Founder of Planter)

Subtropical vs tropical 🌴

First, let’s define the key differences between subtropical and tropical climates. Subtropical regions have mild winters, and the temperature typically doesn’t go below freezing. On the other hand, tropical regions have warm temperatures year-round and usually high humidity. The main difference between these two climates is the temperature; subtropical climates have a cooler winter period, while tropical climates are consistently warm. While many subtropical climates are humid and wet, they can also be dry and arid, such as the southwest United States.

What to grow

When it comes to gardening in subtropical and tropical climates, it’s all about choosing plants that are well-suited to the weather. Some popular choices include:

• Beans
• Cucumbers
• Cowpea (aka Black Eyed Peas)
• Eggplant
• Okra
• Peppers
• Pumpkin
• Squash
• Sweet corn
• Sweet potato - these grow really well during the wet season 🌧
• Tomatoes - choose heat-tolerant varieties or cherry tomatoes, which are hardier than bigger varieties
• Watermelon

These veggies thrive in warm weather and can give you a constant supply of fresh produce.

Leafy greens such as lettuce, spinach, and kale can also be grown, but they’ll require a bit more care as they are more susceptible to bolting and disease in the heat. Instead of these, consider growing mustard greens, Asian greens, or bok choy.

For tropical climates, many of the same veggies can be grown, but it is essential to choose varieties that are more tolerant to high heat and humidity. It’s also important to pay attention to the soil quality, make sure it’s well-draining, and amend it with organic matter if necessary.

What NOT to grow

Now, let’s talk about the veggies you should avoid. Cool-weather crops like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage will have a tough time in tropical climates, but can be grown during the cool season in subtropical regions. You can see whether a plant is a warm or cool weather crop in Planter’s quick info section.

Root veggies like carrots, beets, and radishes might also struggle because the soil can get too warm to successfully germinate the seeds.

When to grow

Being in a subtropical or tropical location, you probably don’t have frost dates. Planter uses frost dates to create its custom planting calendars, so unfortunately the calendar feature doesn’t work well for subtropical and tropical climates. So when do you plant seeds? The answer depends on the type of plant, and how you’re starting it:

Starting seeds in trays

You can start seeds this way anytime, but many people choose to start seeds in trays during the cool season or peak-summer. This protects them during either end of your climate’s extremes. Depending on your specific climate, you may need to cover them to protect them from excessive rain or sunlight. This is a great way to start large variety tomatoes so that you get a good harvest before winter.

Cool season crops

Carrots, brassicas, beets, sugar snap peas, and other cool season crops need cool weather to germinate and avoid bolting. As the name suggests, these plants should be started during the cool season, but once the rainfall has stabilized and the humidity receeds.

Warm season crops

Once the weather warms up, it’s time to start all those warm season crops. Corn, ginger, okra, and mellons.

Shoulder season crops

In-between the winter and summer is the ideal time to grow a bunch of picky veggies, including cucumber, beans, strawberries, large variety tomatoes, and zucchini. Winter is a bit too cold for them and summer is too humid, rainy and pest-ridden.

Year round crops

Some crops are so well-suited to these climates that you can grow them year round! These include sweet potatoes, pumpkins, bunching onions, many herbs, and radishes. You can over-winter some plants including peppers and eggplants. Simply cut them back once the temperature drops and they’ll come back next summer with a fresh round of fruit!

Pests and diseases

Another thing to keep in mind is pest and disease control. In sub-tropical and tropical climates, pests and diseases can be an even bigger hassle. To control pests, you can use natural methods such as companion planting and using beneficial insects. Diseases can be controlled through proper watering, good air circulation, and avoiding overcrowding.

Resources

When in doubt, it’s best to check with a local resource to determine what works best for your specific climate. Planter is a terrific app, but cannot account for the intricacies of every micro-climate. Your dirt-covered and sunburned garden-obsessed neighbor will know exactly what works in your area 😉.

Here are few great resources to learn more about subtropical and tropical gardening in your region:

• University of Florida - If you live in Florida, look no further than the UF gardening calendar
• University of California | The California Garden Web - The perfect resource for those in California
• Self Sufficient Me - Mark from Self Sufficient Me lives in subtropical Australia. His down-to-earth style and frequent corny jokes make him one of our favorite gardeners on Youtube.

Conclusion

Gardening in subtropical and tropical climates presents some unique challenges, but with the right plants and care, you can enjoy a delicious and bountiful harvest! By understanding your climate, choosing vegetables that are well-suited to your specific region, and controlling pests and diseases, you can have a thriving vegetable garden all year round. Happy gardening!

Motivation

In past years, I’ve had troubles getting all the components of salsa to grow well. In 2020, I had a bumper crop of tomatoes and peppers, but no onions. That worked out fine, since onions are rather inexpensive to buy at the grocery store. In contrast, in 2021, the only thing that grew well were the onions! The tomatoes suffered due to excessive rain. And the peppers never took off due to poor-quality soil; I built 2 new raised beds and filled each with bags of raised-bed garden soil from Home Depot. Due to the amount of soil, I had to take two trips from the store and it turns out that the second batch of soil was no good, while the first batch (same brand) was excellent.

Valuable lesson learned: even with bagged soil, it’s still worthwhile to get the soil tested. I didn’t realize that the soil was bad until the following year.

Starting the Seeds

In the past I’ve done pretty well starting my tomato plants from seed, so I decided to go that route again. I chose the classic Amish Paste tomato variety. This year, I also decided to grow peppers from seed! I chose two great varieties, King Arthur Hybrid Bell Peppers and Garden Salsa Hybrid Hot Peppers.

I started the tomato and pepper seeds on my workbench with a red-blue grow light. I put about 3 seeds in each container, assuming some of them wouldn’t germinate.

After a few weeks, seedlings emerge!

5 weeks after sowing, I realize that I started the seeds way too early…again (I can’t resist the gardening itch in the middle of winter 😅). At this stage there’s still more than 2 months until I can safely transplant them.

6 weeks after sowing, I started moving the tomatoes into gallon jug containers to encourage better root growth:

8 weeks after sowing, just before transplanting. The tomatoes had gotten so large I had to use their cages to keep them from falling over. I put them on a cart and wheeled them inside the basement door when it got too cold:

On the plus side, the peppers grew really well throughout this entire process. I did transplant them into larger containers mid-way through, but they never grew “leggy” as I feared.

Onion time!

While the tomatoes and peppers were growing inside, it was time to plant the onions outside. Onions are fairly resistant to frost, so it’s safe to plant them before your frost date. I like to use starter onions from Dixondale Farms. Starter onions look like green onions and give your crop a head-start, which is very useful for growers like me in colder climates. This year I chose Walla Walla, Red River, and Highlander onions. Using Planter’s useful spacing info, I started by putting 4 onions in each square foot. But rules are meant to be broken, and after realizing I received several dozen extra onions I managed to fit about 6 onions per square.

In the garden, finally!

Once the chance of frost was mostly gone, it was time to transplant the tomatoes and peppers into their final spots in the garden! I planted corn, beans, and squash (aka the “Three Sisters”) next to the tomatoes. The idea is that the squash will cover the ground, keeping weeds at bay. And the corn and tomato cages will act as a trellis for the beans. In the end, all the beans and squash did was provide snacks for the rabbits 🐰.

I intercropped the peppers with the onions, since they’re good companion plants.

Intercropping also reduces weeds, since the onions shade out much of the ground.

Harvest time!

I was able to make a good deal of fresh salsa from the garden this year! The limiting factor, surprisingly, were the tomatoes. They just weren’t as productive as I had hoped. I did get a decent amount of tomatoes from them, but nowhere near the 2020 yield. My guess is that they were too lanky and overgrown when they were first transplanted. Starting the seeds later in the spring would have resulted in better-supported, healthier plants.

In contrast, the peppers continue to produce heaps of delicious sweet and spicy peppers. Likewise, the onions that were in the pepper bed did really well! I harvested them in mid-August after their stems started falling over. I then laid down some straw to keep the weeds at bay. Once the onions were gone, the peppers received a bit more sunlight which is probably why they’re doing so well now. However, the onions in the raised garden bed with the poor-quality soil did not do well. I’m hoping to rejuvenate the soil in that bed this fall.

I also tried to grow cilantro from seed in the garden, but it didn’t germinate. Later in the summer I tried growing some indoors and it germinated without a problem, which I then transplanted into the garden.

Lessons learned and plans for next season

1. Don’t start tomatoes too early.
2. Test garden soil, even if it comes from a bag.
3. Start cilantro from seed indoors. Or purchase from a nursery.
4. Give the peppers more of a head start, so they’re taller than the onions when they’re transplanted.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my salsa garden adventure! Last but not least, here’s my simple fresh salsa recipe:

Peter’s Fresh Salsa

Ingredients

• 2 medium tomatoes (1.5 cups), chopped
• 1 green bell pepper (¼ cup) , chopped
• 1 small onion (¼ cup), chopped
• 1 jalapeño or garden salsa pepper, chopped (if you like it spicy!)
• 1 Tbsp cilantro, minced
• 2 tsp lime juice
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper

Soil Depth Requirements for Common Vegetables

What is square foot gardening?

Square foot gardening is a simple method of gardening where the garden is divided into squares, each 1 foot by 1 foot. It is organized and highly productive. It was invented by Mel Bartholomew, a backyard gardener, and became popular after the release of his book Square Foot Gardening in 1981. He has since released an updated book All New Square Foot Gardening.

Square foot gardening typically utilizes raised beds, although you can use the method without a raised bed.

Creating a square foot garden

First, create a small garden bed, typically 4 feet wide and anywhere from 4 to 8 feet long. You don’t want to go any wider than 4 feet, otherwise, it may become difficult to reach the plants in the middle of the garden bed. Depth is up to you, typically 6 - 12 inches.

Next, fill the bed with soil mixed with compost or pre-made raised garden bed mix.

Then, divide the garden bed into 1 foot by 1 foot squares. You can use a variety of materials to do this:

• Wood slats
• Twine or string
• Plastic pipe
• Garden stakes

Next, decide which plants and how many plants go in each square. Planter makes this easy and will tell you the recommended spacing of plants for each square. For instance, you can plant 16 carrots, 4 lettuce plants, or 1 pepper plant in a single square. A seeding square is a helpful tool when planting many seeds in one square. Some larger plants require multiple squares, such as squash and tomatoes. When deciding where to place each plant, consider which plants it’s a companion of. This is another area that Planter excels in, by showing a green indicator between companion plants and a red indicator between combative plan

Benefits of square foot gardening

• High yields: Square foot gardening optimizes the number of crops you can plant in a small space, so no space is wasted.
• Less water: With crops planted closer together, they shade the underlying soil and reduce the need for watering. However, raised beds typically require more watering than in-ground planting.
• Less weeding: Yep, you read that right! Raised beds require less weeding. And since square foot gardening optimizes spacing, there is less room for weeds to grow.
• Easy to get started: A raised bed can be placed anywhere, even over concrete or grass (you’ll want to first put down cardboard or landscape fabric to prevent weeds from coming up through the bed). Just build the bed, fill it, and start planting!

Downsides of square foot gardening

• High up-front cost: It can be expensive to build a raised bed and fill it with soil. However, many gardeners have found creative ways to build raised bed out of cheap or recycled materials.
• Small space: Large plants such as pumpkins, watermelon, and sweet corn can take up a lot of room and require a lot of water. You may want to grow these in traditional row gardens. Or relegate sprawling vine plants such as pumpkins to an edge of the raised garden bed, where they can overflow without blocking an important part of the walkway.
• Depth issues: If you’ve placed your garden bed on top of concrete, you’ll be limited in what you can plant depending on how deep your raised garden bed is. To work around this, some gardeners create beds of varying depths, allocating plants with deep roots to the taller beds. See soil depth requirements for common vegetables.

Should you create a square foot garden?

Square foot gardening is rapidly growing in popularity, and for very good reason! It’s great for both beginners and experienced gardeners. Most importantly, it maximizes crop output while minimizing effort. It might not be for everyone, but if it interests you, give it a shot! It’s easy to get started with square foot gardening, especially with a helpful app like Planter.