Growing guides
Plant-parenting advice from the family
Thirty-plus years of growing chemical-free teaches you a few things. These are the questions we answer most at the greenhouse — written down so you can take them home.
Containers & Baskets 5
Potting mix vs. garden soil
Why garden soil turns to brick in a pot — and the honest answer on reusing last year’s mix.
Read the guide → Containers & BasketsFeeding containers
Baskets that quit in July aren’t dying — they’re hungry. The simple rhythm that keeps them blooming to frost.
Read the guide → Containers & BasketsThe mid-season haircut
Cutting a leggy basket back hard feels brutal and works every time. How far to go, and what the two ugly weeks buy you.
Read the guide → Containers & BasketsEight container recipes
Thriller, filler, spiller combos built from plants we actually grow — for shade, sun, hummingbirds, and deer country.
Read the guide → Containers & BasketsKeeping hanging baskets happy
The watering rhythm that keeps a basket full and blooming all the way to frost.
Read the guide →Perennials & Shrubs 4
Hydrangeas, explained
Panicle, smooth, bigleaf, oakleaf — which ones actually bloom in Minnesota, and why yours might not.
Read the guide → Perennials & ShrubsPerennial bloom times
A month-by-month chart of what blooms when — and how to build a bed that never has a boring month.
Read the guide → Perennials & ShrubsWhen to divide hostas & peonies
Hostas: spring or September. Peonies: September only. The timing, the how, and when not to bother.
Read the guide → Perennials & ShrubsBest shade perennials
Hosta, astilbe, and coral bells lead — a full Minnesota shade bed, layered tall to groundcover.
Read the guide →Minnesota & Seasons 7
Hard well water & your plants
North metro wells run hard and alkaline. What that does to your pots by August — and what actually helps.
Read the guide → Minnesota & SeasonsWhat “full sun” really means
Six hours is the magic number, and most yards have fewer than you think. Map yours in one Saturday with just a phone.
Read the guide → Minnesota & SeasonsThe Minnesota planting calendar
The whole growing year at a glance — what to plant when, and where the frost lines really fall.
Read the guide → Minnesota & SeasonsMinnesota native plants we grow
The 19 native species — milkweeds, coneflowers, blazing star, little bluestem — that we grow ourselves in East Bethel.
Read the guide → Minnesota & SeasonsWill it survive a Minnesota winter?
Minnesota's hardiness map changed in 2023 — what the new zones mean and how hard to push them.
Read the guide → Minnesota & SeasonsPlants for monarchs
Milkweed makes the monarchs; late nectar fuels the flight to Mexico. Both, from our own benches.
Read the guide → Minnesota & SeasonsWhen to plant tomatoes
The last week of May — once nights hold 50°F and soil hits 60°F. Why the calendar patience pays, and how to cheat it safely.
Read the guide →Problem Solving 5
Wilting: too much water or not enough?
Both extremes cause the same droop — and the wrong guess finishes the plant. The ten-second test that tells you which.
Read the guide → Problem SolvingPowdery mildew & leaf spot, no fungicides
Break both diseases with spacing, airflow and watering habits — the way we’ve grown chemical-free since 1991.
Read the guide → Problem SolvingUnderstanding your soil's pH
The single number that decides whether your plants can actually use the nutrients you give them.
Read the guide → Problem SolvingWhy are my leaves turning yellow?
Reading the pattern of the yellowing tells you whether it's water, nitrogen, or iron.
Read the guide → Problem SolvingWhy won’t my peony bloom?
It’s almost always planting depth. The six causes of a bloomless peony, in the order to check.
Read the guide →Pests & Critters 2
Deer- & rabbit-resistant annuals
The annuals and herbs browsers usually skip, the "candy list" to protect, and how to tell who's eating what.
Read the guide → Pests & CrittersDeer- & rabbit-resistant perennials
The long-lived perennials browsers walk past — sun, shade, and native picks — plus the four to protect.
Read the guide →Houseplants 4
Bringing plants inside, without the pests
The fall move-in done right: the soak trick, the two-week quarantine, and why some leaf drop after is normal.
Read the guide → HouseplantsHouseplants in winter
Furnace air and 4:30 sunsets are a lot to ask of a tropical plant. Water less, chase the light, add real humidity.
Read the guide → HouseplantsHow to build a terrarium
The layer recipe for a little world that runs itself — and the two mistakes that turn it into a swamp.
Read the guide → HouseplantsPet-friendly houseplants
The houseplants that are safe around cats and dogs — and the popular ones that surprisingly aren't.
Read the guide →No guide on that yet
We’re adding more all the time — and in the meantime this is exactly the kind of thing we love talking through in person. Call us at (763) 742-8774 or stop in and ask.