It's that time of year when we see insects move in on our plants. We had a great question come in on squash bugs this week. Here's some tips to help you deal with them before they destroy the fruits of your labor. Squash bugs are one of the few pests that can make even experienced gardeners want to throw in the trowel! 😅 The good news is that container gardeners actually have a few advantages over in-ground gardeners when it comes to controlling them. 🪴 Use your containers to your advantageBecause your plants are elevated and easier to access, make it a habit to inspect the undersides of leaves every few days. Squash bug eggs are usually bronze-colored and laid in clusters. Catching them before they hatch is the easiest way to stay ahead of the problem. 👀 Do a quick "leaf check" while wateringMost of us already check our containers daily for moisture. While you're there, flip over a few leaves. It only takes a minute and can save an entire zucchini plant. 🧼 Hand-pick bugs into soapy waterContainers make this much easier since you're not crawling through a large garden bed. Early morning is the best time when the bugs are moving slowly. 🍂 Remove heavily infested leavesIf one leaf is covered in eggs or young nymphs, don't be afraid to prune it off and toss it in the trash. Sometimes removing one leaf can prevent dozens of future squash bugs. 🌿 Keep containers spaced apartSquash bugs love it when leaves from multiple plants overlap and create a jungle of hiding spots. A little extra airflow between containers can make it easier to spot problems early. 🪵 Check around your containersEven if you're growing in pots, squash bugs often hide under nearby pots, plant stands, potting mats, mulch, boards, or garden decorations during the day. 🎃 Pumpkins and zucchini are favoritesUnfortunately, once they find your zucchini, they often move right on to pumpkins, squash, and gourds. If you grow multiple squash-family plants, inspect all of them—not just the ones showing damage.

After refreshing tired winter soil, a lot of gardeners ask the same question: “𝐎𝐤𝐚𝐲… 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡?” The answer lives below the soil and in how your plant responds over time. 🌿 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐒𝐨𝐢𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐈𝐬 𝐄𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 Top dressing is usually all you need if: * Your plant looks stable, just slow * Leaves are holding color * Soil now drains evenly * Growth resumes gradually as light increases This tells you roots are comfortable and they just needed support. 🪴 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 Repotting becomes the better choice when: * Soil dries out extremely fast * Roots are visibly circling or escaping * Growth doesn’t improve after weeks of better light * The plant feels cramped or top-heavy These are root-driven signals, not calendar-based ones. ⏳ 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐖𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐬 Late winter and early spring are a transition zone. By: * Improving light * Adjusting watering * Refreshing soil gently You give roots time to wake up before asking them to expand. That makes repotting smoother and less stressful later. 🌼 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭: 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐡, 𝐖𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐨 𝐄𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 Healthy growth isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing the right thing at the right time. If you’re paying attention, your plants will tell you what they need 🌱💚 After refreshing soil or reading this post, are you waiting… or planning a repot soon? Tell us which plant you’re watching 👀🪴

Does anyone use a plant app and if so which one? I used plant parent this year and was not really happy with it. I like the set up but the advice they give you was not always right.

If your indoor herbs look tall, skinny, floppy, or like they’re reaching for something they can’t quite grab… You’re not doing anything wrong. They’re just hungry for light. Leggy herbs are one of the clearest signals plants send—and thankfully, one of the easiest problems to fix. 🌱 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 “𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐲” 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 Leggy herbs have: * Long, stretched stems * Wide spacing between leaves * Smaller or paler foliage * A leaning or flopping habit This happens when plants grow toward light that’s too weak or too far away. In winter, even sunny windows often aren’t enough. 🌿 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐬 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐲 Here’s what’s usually going on behind the scenes: 𝟏. 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐄𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 (𝐓𝐡𝐞 #𝟏 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞) Winter sun is lower, weaker, and shorter. Herbs need bright light to stay compact. 𝟐. 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐓𝐨𝐨 𝐅𝐚𝐫 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐲 A window across the room ≠ usable light. Herbs need light close, not just visible. 𝟑. 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠g When herbs aren’t trimmed, they stretch upward instead of filling out. 𝟒. 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐬 Warm rooms + low light = fast, weak growth. ✂️ 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐅𝐢𝐱 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐭 You don’t need to start over. Try this simple rescue plan: 𝟏. 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 * South- or west-facing windows work best * Rotate pots every few days 𝟐. 𝐀𝐝𝐝 𝐚 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 (𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐲) * Place lights 6–12 inches above herbs * 10–14 hours per day is ideal * Even a small clip-on light can help 𝟑. 𝐏𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 * Cut stems back to just above a leaf node * Don’t be afraid as this encourages bushier growth * Use what you trim (hello, dinner!) 𝟒. 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐔𝐩 𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 Leggy herbs often get overwatered. Let the soil dry slightly between waterings. 🌿 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐬 These are the usual suspects in winter: * Basil * Cilantro * Dill * Parsley * Chives They’re not failing. They’re just asking for better light support. 🚫 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐨 * Don’t fertilize to “fix” legginess * Don’t keep moving plants daily * Don’t ignore trimming out of fear Legginess is a 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞, not a nutrient issue.

If you’ve ever thought, “I barely watered… how is this plant still unhappy?”. Welcome to winter plant care. Overwatering in winter is sneaky because it’s not always about watering too much at once. It’s often about watering too often for winter conditions, even when you’re being careful. Let’s break down why it happens and how to fix it without turning plant care into a full-time job. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝟏) 𝐋𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 = 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 = 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 Plants drink water to fuel growth. In winter, light levels drop, growth slows, and plants use less water. So the same watering schedule that worked in summer becomes too much in January. 𝟐) 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐳𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦) Soil near windows can stay cooler, especially at night. Cooler soil dries slower, and roots take up water slower. Result: soil stays moist longer… and roots sit in it. 𝟑) 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 Indoor heat dries the air, so you assume plants need more water. But dry air usually calls for humidity help (grouping plants, pebble trays, humidifier), not more soil moisture. 𝟒) 𝐁𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐬 + 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐧 = “𝐰𝐞𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫” In winter, large containers can hold moisture for a long time. If the plant isn’t actively growing, that’s a recipe for soggy roots. 𝟓) “𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠” 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐭 Many of us do the “little sip” method in winter—watering small amounts often. The problem is: this keeps the top damp while the bottom stays wet, and roots never get oxygen. 𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞) * Yellow leaves (especially lower ones) * Drooping that doesn’t improve after watering * Mushy stems or soft leaf bases * Soil that smells musty * Fungus gnats hanging around * Pot feels heavy days later Important: drooping can look like thirst, but it can also be roots struggling. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝 (𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐱𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤) 𝟏) 𝐒𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 “𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫” Before watering, do one of these: * stick your finger 1–2 inches down