Today is the Winter Solstice, the darkest day of the year… and your plants absolutely notice it. Container gardeners, especially those with indoor setups, overwintered pots, shade-loving herbs, or winter veggies, feel the shift more than most. Plants slow down, light is weak, windows stay cold, and growth patterns get a little funky. But the Solstice isn’t just the darkest day. It also marks the moment when the light begins to return. Let’s dive into what today means for your plants and how to support them through the next few weeks of deep winter. 🌤️ 𝟏. 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐬𝐭-𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 This is the day your plants receive: * The fewest hours of natural daylight * The weakest sunlight intensity * The lowest daily total energy (photosynthetically speaking) If you’ve noticed: * slow growth * pale leaves * legginess * droopiness * poor herb production * or delayed blooms …it’s not you ... 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧. Your plants aren’t dying. They’re conserving energy and doing what plants do when the sun disappears. 💡 𝟐. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲: 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 ✔ 𝐏𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬 Winter sunlight is weak — even a few extra inches help. ✔ 𝐑𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐥𝐲 To prevent leaning and stretching. ✔ 𝐖𝐢𝐩𝐞 𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬 Dust blocks what little light we get right now. ✔ 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐄𝐃 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 Even a cheap clip-on can make a MASSIVE difference. ✔ 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 Plants can’t use the nutrients well right now. 𝐏𝐆𝐒 𝐭𝐢𝐩: If you want your herbs to actually grow in December and January, a grow light is not optional, it’s the secret weapon. ❄️ 𝟑. 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬: 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 The Solstice is when cold snaps start hitting fast. Take a moment today to check: ✔𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫? Clusters stay warmer. ✔ 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐳𝐞? They crack easily in December/January. ✔ 𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐝𝐝 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐩? This protects soil from hard freezing.

Every fall, container gardeners face the big question: When should I start bringing my plants indoors? Wait too long, and frost damage can sneak up overnight. Move them too early, and your house becomes a jungle before it needs to. Timing and observation are everything. 🌡️ 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟏: 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 Keep an eye on your local forecast. * Tropical and houseplants (like ferns, philodendrons, and spider plants) should come inside when night temps drop below 50°F (10°C). * Tender annuals (like begonias, impatiens, and coleus) can get nipped by frost even at 40°F (4°C). * Hardier herbs and veggies (like rosemary, parsley, and kale) can tolerate cooler nights, but it’s still smart to protect them when frost warnings appear. A simple rule of thumb: if you’re grabbing a jacket at night, your plants might need one too! 🕵️ 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟐: 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬, 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 It’s not just about a single cold evening, it’s the trend. If temperatures are consistently dropping and daylight is getting shorter, that’s your cue to prepare your indoor transition plan. 🧴 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟑: 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞 Before bringing plants indoors: * 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 — Look under leaves and around the soil for hitchhikers like aphids, spider mites, or fungus gnats. * 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐟𝐟 — A gentle shower with the garden hose removes dust and bugs. * 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐦 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞s — It encourages new growth and keeps things tidy. 𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥: Give them a few days in a shaded, sheltered spot (like a porch) before moving inside — this “acclimation” helps them adjust to lower light and humidity. 🌞 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟒: 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐲 Once inside, plants still need: * 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: South- or west-facing windows are prime real estate. * 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐲: Group plants together or use a humidifier to combat dry indoor air. * 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞: Protect surfaces with saucers or trays to catch overflow. Avoid placing plants near heat vents or cold drafts — the temperature swings can stress them out. 🌿 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟓: 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐲𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠