Gardening Basics
Start here if you are new to gardening: choose a site with the right sun and drainage, plan beds and timing for your hardiness zone, prepare soil, make compost and mulch so your garden needs less water and weeding.
Better Home Garden
Better Home Garden is a practical guide to growing things at home. Plan a new garden, test and improve your soil, grow vegetables, flowers and herbs in beds or containers, water efficiently and keep a lawn healthy season by season. Planting and care timing depends on your climate, so our guides explain how to check your hardiness zone and your local cooperative extension advice.
Plants and Growing
How to grow vegetables, flowers and herbs in beds and containers: choosing plants for your conditions, sowing and transplanting, watering, feeding and the routine care that keeps plants healthy through the season.
Lawn Care
Keep a lawn healthy with the basics done well: mowing at the right height, watering deeply but less often, fertilizing to a soil test, aerating compacted soil, repairing bare patches and following a seasonal plan for your grass type.
Garden Tools
The hand tools and watering equipment that make everyday garden jobs easier: which basic tools a beginner needs for digging, planting and pruning, how to use them well, and how to water beds efficiently with drip irrigation and soaker hoses.
Soil and Plant Health
Healthy plants start with healthy soil.
Garden Design
Plan a garden that suits your space and the time you have: raised beds, paths and small-space layouts, low-maintenance planting and pollinator-friendly gardens that support bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects.
Latest Guides
Research-based guides, newest first
Seasonal Lawn Care Tasks for Cool-Season Grass
Seasonal lawn care for cool-season grass, month by month: mowing, watering, fertilizing, aerating and seeding, from the Missouri and Minnesota calendars.
Small Garden Layouts: Making the Most of Limited Space
How to lay out a small garden: using sun and access well, containers and raised beds, vertical growing where sources mention it, and planning steps.
Vegetable Gardening Basics: Planting to Harvest
Vegetable gardening basics: choosing a site, preparing soil, planting seeds and transplants at the right time, watering, and avoiding disease.
Repairing Bare Spots and Thin Lawns
How to repair bare spots and thin areas in a lawn: when spots fill in on their own, reseeding steps, the best seeding window and early watering.
Raised Garden Beds: Sizes, Materials and Setup
Plan raised garden beds: width, height and path spacing, how wood, metal, block and composite compare, what to fill them with and how to water them.
Raised Bed Gardening Tips: Soil, Water and Upkeep
Practical raised bed gardening tips: filling and topping up soil, watering more often, avoiding treated wood concerns, and seasonal upkeep.