Espoma Organic
  • Products
    • Close
    • Product Line Overview
    • Plant food finder
    • Garden Fertilizers
    • Potting Soils
    • Liquid Fertilizers
    • Lawn Fertilizers
    • Single Ingredients
    • Conventional Plant Foods
    • Animal Care Products
  • Where to Buy
  • Our Story
    • Close
    • Our Story
    • Locations
    • Historical Timeline
    • Our Commitment
    • Directions
    • Solar
    • Join our Team
    • Espoma Brand Partners
  • Learn
    • Close
    • Espoma Blog
    • FAQ’s
    • Pocket Guide
    • Espoma Guides
    • Garden Clubs
    • Safe Paws Lawn
    • PRODUCT FACT SHEETS
    • Fertilizer Fundamentals
      • Close
      • Understanding Plant Nutrition
      • Reading Labels
      • Choosing the Right Type of Fertilizer
      • Terms & Definitions
    • Gardening Projects
    • Resource Links
  • Contact Us
  • Menu Menu

Tag Archive for: Outdoor Gardening

Video: How to Grow & Care for Citrus

February 25, 2021/in Blog, Espoma Videos, Gardening

Take a look at how the folks at Petitti Garden Centers use Espoma to keep their citrus plants happy and healthy!

Learn more about Petitti Garden Centers:

Website: https://www.petittigardencenter.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/petittigardencenters/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gardeningwithpetittis/

 

 

Featured Products:

Where to Buy

 

https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/citrus-care.jpg 1080 1920 Danielle Kirschner https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Danielle Kirschner2021-02-25 11:16:262023-03-10 17:35:43Video: How to Grow & Care for Citrus

Video: Winter Seed Sowing with Garden Answer

January 19, 2021/in Blog, Espoma Videos, Garden Answer

Interested in trying your hand at the winter seed sowing method? Follow along with @Garden Answer in this new video for some tips, tricks, and other learnings!

Featured Product:

 

Where to Buy

 

https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Winter-Seed-Sower-scaled.jpg 1440 2560 Danielle Kirschner https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Danielle Kirschner2021-01-19 10:25:202024-08-14 18:15:01Video: Winter Seed Sowing with Garden Answer

Video: Planting Bulbs Outdoors with Garden Answer

November 18, 2020/in Garden Answer

Garden Answer’s first outdoor bulb-planting video features some healthy doses of Espoma Organic Potting Mix and Bulb-tone. Check it out! #EspomaGrown

Featured Products:

 

Where to Buy
https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Thumbnail-1.jpg 1080 1920 Danielle Kirschner https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Danielle Kirschner2020-11-18 12:06:032020-11-18 12:06:03Video: Planting Bulbs Outdoors with Garden Answer

How to Prepare Your Garden for the Winter Season

October 19, 2020/in Fruits & Vegetables - None

frost covering flowers, winter

Winter is afoot! With the nights becoming chilly, now is the time to start thinking about what to do with your garden until springtime. Soon enough soil will freeze and many plants will stop growing or die. But there are steps you can take to preserve what you have! Read on to find out how to prepare your garden and save any vegetables you might’ve been growing.

 

 

 

 

1. Take care of your root crops

 

If you have root crops like carrots, beets, or turnips in your garden, you’re in luck! These require less maintenance because they are able to stay inside the ground after a frost. However, make sure you’re taking them out before the ground freezes over or they may die. Some root crops like parsnips even taste better when kept buried in near freezing weather for 2 to 4 weeks!

 

greens, organic, kale

 

 

2. What to do with your leafy greens

 

If you’ve been following us for a while and took our advice in August to plant these leafy vegetables, you now get to reap the rewards! It’s time to harvest those sweet greens for some fresh homemade salads and dishes. If you’re willing to wait a little bit, veggies like kale and collards get sweeter with a little light frost. Cabbages and Swiss chard can handle the frost, if you want to harvest them all at once, but their outer covering may get a little damaged. Lettuces, however, cannot withstand the cold. Take them out before the frost hits.

 

 

 

3. Reduce irrigation

 

If you’re someone who has their sprinklers on overnight or all hours of the day, we have some good news! You can lower the use of sprinklers if you’re in a warmer weather and stop it altogether if you’re in a cooler weather. Now you can save your water usage and lower your water bill without compromising the quality of your lawn. Win-win!

 

small cuttings of plants

 

4. Herbs for winter

 

Herbs may seem like very delicate plants that would be unlikely to survive winter, but that’s not true! Herbs like sage, thyme and chives are hardy perennials that will survive the harsh weather with no problem. Some other herbs like rosemary and basil need to be dug up and brought inside where they will happily continue to grow.

 

 

 

5. Preparing the soil for spring

 

Preparing your soil in advance will make your work much easier come spring. Adding things like compost, manure, bone meal, and kelp will add nutrients to your soil and keep it healthy until spring. You can start working on it right as spring comes instead of having to fill it up with nutrients and wait for them to get incorporated! Add a layer of organic mulch for extra protection from winter rains and keeping your enriched soil safe.

Winter doesn’t have to mean everything dies until the spring! Taking the proper precautions and using the right products can help keep your favorite herbs and veggies growing throughout the colder months. Get started on these steps while the weather is still mild — and if you haven’t already, make sure you’re also caring for your tools and keeping them safe from the icy cold.

Where to Buy
https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ankhesenamun-L1GO3yAV_U8-unsplash.jpg 857 1280 Danielle Kirschner https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Danielle Kirschner2020-10-19 10:44:162024-10-18 10:37:40How to Prepare Your Garden for the Winter Season

Video: Planting a Super Tall Rose of Sharon with Garden Answer

October 12, 2020/in Garden Answer

Espoma Organic Bio-tone, Soil Acidifier, and Land & Sea compost are all keys to success in Garden Answer latest project. Follow along and see why!

Featured Products: 

Featured Products:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Espoma Organic Soil Acidifier Bag

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where to Buy
https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Screen-Shot-2020-10-12-at-11.30.20-AM.png 1206 2298 Danielle Kirschner https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Danielle Kirschner2020-10-12 11:59:302024-10-01 13:03:52Video: Planting a Super Tall Rose of Sharon with Garden Answer

Video: Time for Fall Wall Planters with Garden Answer

September 29, 2020/in Blog, Fall Gardening, Garden Answer

Watch as Laura from Garden Answer creates a beautiful planter for Fall using Flower-tone and Potting Soil Mix!

Learn more about Garden Answer here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/gardenanswer

https://www.gardenanswer.com/

https://www.facebook.com/gardenanswer

https://www.instagram.com/gardenanswer/

Featured Products:

Espoma Organic Flower-tone bagEspoma Organic Potting Mix bag

 

Where to Buy

 

 

https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-09-29-at-9.59.14-AM.png 397 806 Danielle Kirschner https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Danielle Kirschner2020-09-29 10:22:172024-09-26 15:55:18Video: Time for Fall Wall Planters with Garden Answer

Garden Answer’s Design Tips for a Romantic Cottage Garden

June 20, 2019/in Blog, Espoma Videos, Garden Answer

English cottage gardens date back centuries. They were used to grow vegetables, herbs for healing, fruit trees, perhaps a beehive, and common flowers. The informal style went through a renaissance in the late 1800’s when they became somewhat more nostalgic than practical. 

The informal aesthetic of dense planting and natural materials is still en vogue today. In this video, Laura outlines 10 design principles to help you design a cottage garden. Before you start, make sure you have plenty of Espoma’s organic Bio-tone Starter Plus plant food to make sure your plants get the best possible start.

No Straight Lines

Cottage gardens are always informal and a touch whimsical. Avoid straight lines. Gently curving edging looks more natural and playful. If your site restricts you to a straight edge, let the plants spill over it to create an unrestrained look.

Large Groups of the Same Plant

White cottage gardens are more relaxed in their design, it is still best to use large sweeps of the same plant. Think of planting in groups of three, five or seven. That is far more restful to the eye than a jumble of onsies and twosies. 

Spacing Doesn’t Matter

This is one time you do not have to follow the advice on the plant tag. Cottage gardens are always densely planted and generally grow more densely packed with time. Annuals and biennials are often used in cottage gardens and will self-sow in the border. Biennials are plants that take two years to grow and flower from seed like the foxgloves shown. Another advantage to planting things close together is that there is less room for weeds to grow.

Color Harmony

It’s very important to pick a collection of plants that have harmonious colors. Without that the border would look chaotic. Garden Answer uses a collection of soft pinks and peaches with touches of blue and lavender. It needn’t always be soft colors, but they do need to be unified in some way.

Use Varied Heights and Textures

In any planting, it’s a good idea to think about texture, height and foliage color as major design elements. Nothing blooms all the time. Varied foliage forms and colors will create interest even when the flowers aren’t in bloom. Laura uses Heuchera specifically for the silvery foliage color.

Anchor Plants/Structural Elements

This is sometimes referred to as the “bones” of a garden. It’s a structural element that all of the other plants get woven around. In this case, it’s a beautiful shrub rose named Rose ‘The Lady Gardener’, a fragrant beauty with full, apricot blossoms. The rose is repeated three times. Repetition is soothing to the eye.  It’s possible to use evergreens for a slightly more formal feel, or whatever peaks your interest.

Fragrance

The first thing everyone does when they pick a flower is to hold it up to their nose. Cottage gardens are known for their fragrance. Try to select varieties that smell good at the garden center. Roses, lavender, sweet peas, and sweet alyssum are all good choices.

Not Perfectly Maintained

Along with relaxed design principles, comes relaxed maintenance. Planting tightly will discourage weeds. Annuals like poppies will self-seed and move around the border, just like the biennial foxgloves. Weeding everything that comes up might mean that you weed out these plants and inhibit their spontaneous movements.

The Look Will Change Over Time

This style of gardening is the exact opposite of a formal border filled with geometric shaped boxwood. By its very nature this is meant to be more random. People often sow cosmos, violas and other plants that have a tendency to move around. Let them surprise you. If you really don’t like where one popped up, it’s easy enough to remove.

Be Patient

Being patient is really what gardening is all about. A garden is never really finished. Enjoy the journey!

Garden Answers Plant List

Nepeta ‘Cat’s Pajamas’ – catmint

Achillea – pink yarrow

Allium ‘Serendipity’ – ornamental onion

Rose ‘The Lady Gardener’

Heuchera Dolce ‘Spearmint’ – Coral Bells

Clematis ‘Brother Stephan’

Digitalis Foxy Hybrids –  foxglove

Lobularia ‘Blushing Princess’ – sweet alyssum

Here are more videos from Garden Answer we hope you will enjoy.

How to Plant Cottage-Style Flower Beds! 

Plant Your Window Boxes Like Garden Answer

Succulent Pot in a Pot – Quick Version

How to Re-pot Houseplants – Quick Cut

*****

Featured Products:

Where to Buy
https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IMG_6487.jpeg 3368 6000 espoma https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png espoma2019-06-20 11:00:152024-09-25 16:39:24Garden Answer’s Design Tips for a Romantic Cottage Garden

VIDEO: Spring Flowers Melt the Winter Blues with Garden Answer!

March 19, 2019/in Blog, Flowers, Garden Answer

Spring has sprung and it’s time to get outside and plant up some early spring containers. A trip to the local garden center will surely inspire you. Plant big pots of brightly colored bulbs and annuals to liven up entryways, patios and balconies. Laura from Garden Answer shows you just how easy it is to do in the video below.

Laura fills her containers with tulips and violas, true harbingers of spring. Alternatively, you could also use daffodils and other cold hardy annuals like Iceland poppies or nemesia. In cold climates, it’s important to select plans that are hardy enough to withstand a cold snap.

These early spring containers will flower for a month or so, bridging the gap from early spring to the frost-free date. When it’s time to plant summer containers, replant the tulips out into the garden where they’ll bloom again next spring. The violas may also be moved to a lightly shaded area of the garden.

 

Four Easy Steps to Early Spring Containers

  1. Prep Containers. Fill containers three-quarters full with good, quality potting soil like Espoma’s Potting Mix and prepare to plant bulbs at the depth they were in the nursery pot.
  2. Add Nutrients. Add Bulb-tone fertilizer to the soil, following package directions.
  3. Get ready to plant. Gently remove the plants from their pots and loosen roots. Add plants.
  4. Finish it up. Backfill containers with more potting soil and water deeply.

 

Enjoy flowers for even longer by choosing tulips or daffodils that are not yet in full bloom. When finished blooming, just remove the flower stem. The leaves will still provide a vertical accent and the bulbs need the foliage to replenish themselves.

Taking time to deadhead the violas will extend their bloom time. If temperatures are cool, you may only need to water containers once a week.

Check out these videos from Garden Answer about tulips and early spring planting.

 

Plant Your Window Boxes Like Garden Answer

 

How to Care For Your Tulips After They’ve Bloomed

 

Featured Products:

 

 

 

Where to Buy

https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Thumbnail.jpg 1080 1920 espoma https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png espoma2019-03-19 14:13:302024-03-13 15:58:00VIDEO: Spring Flowers Melt the Winter Blues with Garden Answer!

VIDEO: Caring for Your Christmas Cactus with Garden Answer

December 20, 2017/in Blog, Espoma Videos, Garden Answer, Holidays, Indoor Gardening, Succulents, Succulents

In this video, Laura from Garden Answer shares her top tips for nurturing everyone’s favorite holiday plant—the Christmas cactus! These beloved plants can thrive for years with proper care and attention.

Laura recommends starting with a high-quality organic potting soil, like Espoma Organic Cactus Mix, specially formulated for cacti and succulents. She also emphasizes the importance of fertilizing, suggesting Espoma Organic Cactus! Liquid Plant Food to keep your plant healthy and blooming.

Learn more about Garden Answer here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/gardenanswer

https://www.gardenanswer.com/

https://www.facebook.com/gardenanswer

https://www.instagram.com/gardenanswer/

 

Featured Products:

Espoma Organic Cactus Mix Espoma Organic Cactus! Liquid plant food bottle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where to Buy

 

https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_7856.jpg 3368 6000 espoma https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png espoma2017-12-20 16:48:072024-11-21 15:17:45VIDEO: Caring for Your Christmas Cactus with Garden Answer

5 Garden Tasks to Complete this June

June 1, 2017/in Blog, Summer Gardening

field, grasses

Summer is finally here! And we can’t wait to spend more time outdoors enjoying Mother Nature. What better way to get in some quality time outdoors than by prepping your garden for the exciting growing season that lies ahead? Check these five simple tasks off your list and prepare to have a picture-perfect summer garden in no time.

watering plants

Be Water Wise

In a short time, you’ll finally start feeling the heat – and so will your plants. As temps increase, be sure to keep an eye on your plants and ensure they’re getting exactly the right amount of water. If you live in an especially hot climate or simply can’t keep up with watering by hand, invest in some sprinklers or an irrigation system.

planting vegetable

Last Call for Seedlings

If you haven’t already transferred your indoor seedlings, now is the time. You can also start planting those heat-loving veggies, like tomatoes, squash, eggplant, and peppers. When planting We recommend using Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus to give your plants the nutrients they need to be successful in their new location. For feeding your newly established plants we recommend Espoma Organic Plant-tone or Garden-tone.

Tidy Up

Tidying up your garden gives you a fresh start for the growing season ahead. Prune plants to encourage healthy growth. Weeds are very persistent, so you should be too. A little bit of weeding here and there will prevent your garden from becoming overrun with invasive weeds.

Pink flowers with Monarch Butterfly

Welcome Pollinators

Bees and butterflies play an extremely important role in the garden and their pollination provides us with many of our favorite foods. Create a pollinator-friendly garden with a variety of native plants. And don’t forget to celebrate National Pollinator Week June 19-25!

 

Lawn Care

Nothing says summer like the sight of a lush, green lawn. While maintaining a healthy lawn may seem challenging, it’s definitely possible with a little bit of work. With kids and pets playing in the yard all summer long, you’ll want to make sure to stay safe. Choose Espoma’s Organic Lawn Foods for a beautiful green lawn that is safe for the whole family – and the environment.

 

*****

Featured Products:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where to Buy

 

https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Summer-garden.jpg 4032 6048 espoma https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png espoma2017-06-01 11:47:102024-10-17 14:52:325 Garden Tasks to Complete this June
Page 12 of 13«‹10111213›
Where to Buy

Get News & Updates

Recent Posts

  • VIDEO: Planting ‘Evelyn’ Roses 🌹 with Garden Answer
  • VIDEO: Planting Potatoes & Ranunculus 🥔🌱🌸 with Garden Answer
  • VIDEO: Spring Garden Awakening with Summer Rayne Oakes 🌿
  • VIDEO: Planting Raised Beds 🌿 with Wyse Guide
  • VIDEO: How to 🌱 Grow a Whole Salad 🥗 in One Pot! 🪴 | Growing Joy with Maria

Tags

All-Purpose Potting Mix bio-tone Bio-tone Starter Bio-tone Starter Plus cactus and succulents Cactus Mix caring for houseplants Container Gardening DIY project Espoma espoma grown espoma organic Espoma Organics Espoma Video fall gardening flower garden flowers garden Garden Answer Gardening gardening tips gardens grow holly-tone houseplants Indoor! indoor gardening indoor plants Kaleb Wyse organic organic fertilizer Organic Gardening organic plant food Organic Potting Mix Outdoor Gardening Planting plants Potting Mix potting soil Spring Gardening succulents summer rayne oakes vegetable garden Vegetable Gardening Wyse Guide

Espoma. A Family Tradition Since 1929.

Espoma Organic logo
  • Espoma Dealer
  • Espoma Pro
  • Garden Club
  • Privacy Policy

Scroll to top