Beginner gardening, made simple

Grow something you're actually proud of

No fancy setup, no jargon. Just the honest tips I wish I'd had before I killed my first tray of seedlings. Let's get something growing.

A raised garden bed full of leafy greens and young tomato plants in a backyard, with a watering can beside it

Latest from the garden

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A large, lush green tomato plant full of leaves but almost no fruit in a sunny backyard garden

Why your tomato plant is all leaves and no fruit

A big, leafy plant with barely any tomatoes? Usually it's too much nitrogen. Here's how to steer its energy back to fruit.

Freshly sown garden rows with young seedlings emerging in warm July sunlight, a watering can at the edge of the bed

Is it too late to start a garden in July?

Short answer: no. July opens a second planting window. Here's what to sow now and how to keep it alive in the heat.

A watermelon in the garden turned to show its buttery yellow field spot, with a dried tendril on the vine beside it

How can you tell when a watermelon is ripe?

Watermelons don't ripen after picking, so you get one shot. The field spot, the tendril, and the rind tell you when to cut.

Hi, I'm Priscilla

I've made every gardening mistake, so you don't have to

I write the kind of beginner gardening advice I wish someone had handed me on day one: warm, honest, and actually useful. No information overload, no $400 of gear you don't need. Just real help, one week at a time.

Gloved hands potting a young seedling into a terracotta pot on a wooden table

The books

The Backyard Garden

The complete beginner's path from bare patch to thriving garden. Everything on this site, in one place.

Get it on Amazon →

Chicken Raising

Ready for the next step in backyard self-sufficiency? Start your first small flock the simple way.