Two Minutes in the Garden: Gardening Tips, Science, Myths

Lots of reports this year that Christmas trees have been harder to find. Also lots of questionable advice out there about the best ways to care for your tree. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: 6 Craft Recipes to Make Fake Snow

Holly is another of the popular plants of the Christmas season -- although they are considered to be invasive in many areas. And maybe just a little toxic too. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: How to Root Pothos Cuttings

Native to Mexico, poinsettias have been a symbol of Christmas for over 100 years. They can be kept as perennials ... and, no, they aren't actually poisonous. MORE FROM Empress of Dirt: How to Make Poinsettias Rebloom as Houseplants

One of our favorite Christmas decorations is a parasitic plant that feeds off of others and is sometimes thought to be toxic, although that part is often overstated. POPULAR THIS WEEK FROM Empress of Dirt: Christmas Cactus or Thanksgiving? How to ID Your Plant

What needs to happen for a graft to be successful -- and what can we do to improve our odds that it actually does happen? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: 6 Tips for Growing Hollyhocks and Dealing With Rust

Grafting is one of the fundamental techniques of plant propagation where you create a new plant by connecting pieces of different plants. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: 20 Ideas for Better Backyard Privacy

Lots of year-in-review articles and surveys have started to appear -- and, by all accounts, it was a fantastic year for garden centers and for gardening. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: 39 Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs to Regrow from Scraps

We know a lot about plastic in the ocean, but we're only beginning to understand its effect in soil. Are plastics safe for gardening and what can we do to make them safer? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: How to Grow Geraniums Indoors as Houseplants

Can you really give your plants the water and nutrients they need through their leaves from sprays instead of through their roots from the soil? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Easy Way to Grow Ginger Root Indoors

The cuticle is where your plants interact with the world. Among many roles, they largely control how effective plant sprays are. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: 20 Beautiful Backyard Pond Ideas For All Budgets

You may never get fruit from it, but it's actually pretty easy to grow an avocado plant from seed. If you're fairly new to plant propagation, it's a great way to start. MORE FROM Empress of Dirt: How to Grow an Avocado from Seed (Easy Method)

We hear a lot about frost and freezing and the difference between them, but nothing suddenly happens with the first frost on the ground or with the first freezing temperatures. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: How to Collect and Grow Milkweed Seeds

In the fall, we may scramble to bring some plants indoors or cover them -- while others will make it through the winter fine. What do frost and cold temperatures do to plants? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: How to Preserve Fall Leaves and Wildflowers with Beeswax

They're one of the easiest plants to grow -- even if they are garden hogs -- and were one of the first vegetables ever cultivated. ALSO FROM Empress of Dirt: How to Root Pothos Cuttings

Some people are still reluctant to "leave the leaves" -- and one objection is that leaves will "rob the soil" of an essential nutrient. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: 4 Easy Ways to Overwinter Geraniums

There's lots of good nutrients in fall leaves -- and we know not to send them to landfill -- but can we really just "leave the leaves"? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: How to Grow Cover Crops to Improve Your Garden Soil

You'll find all sorts of conflicting advice online about planting depth, but does it really make much of a difference how deep you put your bulbs? MORE FROM Empress of Dirt: What to Prune in Fall and What Should Wait

When it comes to planting bulbs, you'll hear a lot of old school advice -- but how much of it should you follow? And how can you protect bulbs from squirrels and other wildlife? MORE FROM Empress of Dirt: 20 Flower Bulbs to Plant for Spring Pollinators

You'll hear a lot of conflicting advice about when to plant bulbs in the fall. You have a range of options, and each has strengths and weaknesses. MORE FROM Empress of Dirt: 20 Flowering Bulbs to Plant in Fall

Will green tomatoes make you sick? As with green potatoes, they do contain higher concentrations of a toxin, but is it anything to be concerned about? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: When is it Too Late to Plant Trees in Fall?

We found the usual advice not to put potatoes in the fridge was iffy, but what about their close relatives -- tomatoes? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: How to Overwinter Potted Trees in a Cold Climate

The usual advice given to gardeners is not to store potatoes in the fridge. But is this good advice and what is it based on? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Get a Better Spring Garden With These Fall Tasks

How should you store potatoes and how long will they keep? And is it safe to eat green potatoes? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: How Nature Tells Us It's Fall Bulb Planting Time

They're the world's most popular vegetable. End of the season is the time to harvest mature potatoes, but you have to be careful when you do. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: How to Grow a Pollinator-Friendly Front Garden Without Freaking Out Your Neighbors

It may not the world's best known vegetable, but Swiss chard is a favorite for many gardeners all through the fall. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: How To Save Tomato Seeds From The Fruit