Gardening Tips

Grow garlic in a small garden: plant cloves 2 inches deep in fall, mulch for winter, cut scapes in spring and harvest when a third of the leaves turn brown.

Grow beets in a small garden with the right spacing, sowing dates tied to frost, steady watering and harvest at golf ball size for sweet, tender roots.

Grow kale in a small garden: plant 2 to 4 weeks before last frost, space 12 to 18 inches, use 5 gallon pots and pick lower leaves for months of harvest.

Grow spinach in a small garden: sow 4 to 6 weeks before last frost, thin to 4 to 6 inches, water an inch a week and pick outer leaves before it bolts.

Grow peas in a small garden: sow 4 to 6 weeks before last frost, give vines a 4 to 6 foot trellis, water an inch a week and pick pods every 2 to 3 days.

Save zinnia seeds the easy way: pick strong plants, let heads dry brown on the stem, clean the plump seed, dry it 1 to 2 weeks and store it cool for years.

Save tomato seeds in 12 steps: picking an open-pollinated fruit, fermenting or rinsing the gel, drying the seed fully and storing it cool and dry for years.

Propagate strawberry runners in 12 steps: which parent plants to use, pinning daughters into 3 inch pots, when to cut them free and how to plant a new bed.

Divide hostas in 12 steps: spring or late summer timing, how many eyes each piece needs, where to cut, replanting depth and the first 6 weeks of aftercare.

Pelargonium cuttings in 12 steps: which shoots to take, a gritty mix with no plastic bag, how long rooting takes, and when to pot new plants on before frost.