PNW Gardening Blog — Seattle's Favorite Garden Store Since 1924 - Swansons Nursery

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vegetable planting guides

How to Grow Garlic

How to Grow Garlic

Sure, you can buy garlic, but for the best flavor - and an incredible sense of satisfaction - nothing beats growing it yourself. Unlike most vegetables, garlic is planted in the fall but not harvested until the following summer, making it a very long-season crop that’s worth the wait. In fact, it can be very encouraging to plant something new in late fall when all around you, most plants are fading in anticipation of winter.

Vegetables to Plant in Spring

Vegetables to Plant in Spring

One of the first activities I want to do outside in early spring is to plant my early spring vegetable garden. There’s nothing like the smooth, clean surface of prepped garden beds, the soil still pristine and just waiting to nurture rows of bright green spring vegetables, carefully planted in perfect rows. It’s like a fresh school notebook - full of promise. But what to plant? Here are a few of my favorite vegetables to plant in spring, with tips on when and how to plant them.

Gardening With Kids: Starting Seeds Indoors

Gardening With Kids: Starting Seeds Indoors

There’s something miraculous about a seedling as it starts to grow. Anyone who has poked toothpicks into the sides of an avocado seed and watched it unfurl its first bright green leaf or planted a bean seed in science class will understand. Seed-starting is a great way to have fun with your kids and it can be a simple, inexpensive, and entertaining activity for the whole family!

How To Grow Peas

How To Grow Peas

Peas are always one of the first vegetables I plant in the spring. As soon as there's a sunny day in late February or March, I bundle up and head out to the garden to sow snap and shelling peas along trellises in my raised beds.