Vegetables & Herbs | Platt Hill Nursery

How Much Water Do Plants Need?

Platt Hill Nursery — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 15:55:19 +0000

Watering can be tricky. Too much, and your plants drown. Too little, and they dry out. The key is knowing when and how much to water so your plants stay happy and healthy. Every plant has its own needs, and factors like temperature, humidity, and soil type all make a difference. A sunny week with no rain? Your garden might need extra water. A cool, damp stretch? You can ease up. Once you learn what your plants prefer, watering becomes second nature, helping them thrive through every season.

How Do I Know When to Water?

The best way to tell if your plant needs water is to check the soil. Stick your finger about an inch deep; if it feels dry, grab your watering can. If it’s still damp, hold off and check again in a day or two. Some plants, like succulents, thrive when their soil dries out completely between waterings, while moisture-loving plants, like basil, prefer consistently damp (but not soggy) soil.

Your plant’s appearance can also tell you a lot. Wilting leaves, crispy edges, or stunted growth usually mean it’s thirsty. But don’t assume every droopy leaf is a cry for water. Yellowing leaves, mushy stems, or a funky smell from the soil are signs of overwatering. If in doubt, check the roots. Healthy roots are firm and white, while overwatered ones turn brown and mushy.

How Much Water Should I Apply?

A deep soak is always better than a quick splash. Watering should reach the roots, not just wet the top layer of soil. For houseplants, keep watering until you see excess water draining from the bottom of the pot; this helps flush out built-up salts and keeps roots hydrated.

Vegetables typically need about an inch of water per week, whether from rainfall or your hose. In hotter weather, they may need even more, especially if the soil dries out quickly.

Container plants dry out faster than garden beds, so they often need water more frequently. The best time to water is early morning or late afternoon, giving plants a chance to absorb moisture before the sun evaporates it. Avoid watering in the evening, as sitting water can lead to fungal issues.

Watering Too Frequently vs. Adding Too Much Water at One Time

Watering too often keeps the soil constantly wet, which can suffocate roots and lead to rot. Most plants need a drying-out period between waterings to allow roots to breathe. Letting the top layer of soil dry before watering again helps prevent these issues.

On the other hand, dumping too much water at once can overwhelm the soil, especially if drainage is poor. Heavy clay soil holds onto moisture longer, while sandy soil drains too quickly. Understanding your soil type helps you find the right balance. Watering deeply but not so much that roots sit in standing water. If water pools on the surface instead of soaking in, it’s time to improve drainage or space out waterings.

Is It Possible to Overwater?

Absolutely. In fact, overwatering is one of the most common reasons plants struggle. The tricky part? Overwatered plants often show the same droopy, yellowing leaves as thirsty ones. The key difference is texture, overwatered plants feel soft and mushy, while underwatered plants are dry and brittle.

If you’re unsure, check the roots. Healthy roots are firm and white, while waterlogged roots turn brown, mushy, and may even have a bad smell. If your plant is struggling, let the soil dry out before watering again and make sure excess water can drain properly.

Houseplant Watering Tips

How Much Water Do Aloe Plants Need?

Aloe prefers dry conditions and doesn’t like soggy roots. Water deeply but only when the soil is completely dry, usually every two to three weeks.

How Much Water Do Snake Plants Need?

Snake plants thrive on neglect and don’t need much attention. Water once every two to four weeks, letting the soil dry completely between waterings.

How Much Water Do Spider Plants Need?

Spider plants like evenly moist soil and frequent hydration. Water when the top inch of soil feels dry, about once a week for best growth.

How Much Water Do Jade Plants Need?

Jade plants store water in their leaves, making them drought-resistant. Water every two to three weeks, making sure the soil fully dries out between waterings.

How Much Water Do Poinsettia Plants Need?

Poinsettias like slightly moist soil and proper drainage. Water when the top inch feels dry, usually once a week. Avoid letting them sit in standing water.

Vegetable Watering Tips

How Much Water Do Tomato Plants Need?

Tomatoes need deep and regular watering. We recommend about 1 to 2 inches per week for healthy roots. Water at the base to keep leaves dry and prevent disease from spreading.

How Much Water Do Cucumber Plants Need?

Cucumbers love moisture and need consistent hydration. Give them about 1 inch of water per week, more during hot weather or dry spells.

How Much Water Do Potato Plants Need?

Potatoes prefer consistent moisture to develop properly. Water 1 to 2 inches per week, especially when forming tubers underground.

How Much Water Do Pepper Plants Need?

Peppers need about an inch of water per week but don’t like soggy roots. Let the soil dry slightly between waterings.

How Much Water Do Bell Pepper Plants Need?

Like other peppers, bell peppers need about an inch of water per week. Adjust for heat and rainfall to keep the plants healthy and strong.

How Much Water Do Jalapeño Plants Need?

Jalapeños need similar care to bell peppers and chilies. Water about an inch per week, making sure there is good drainage to prevent rot.

How Much Water Do Onion Plants Need?

Onions need steady moisture for proper bulb formation. Water around 1 inch per week, making sure the water soaks deep into the soil.

How Much Water Do Zucchini Plants Need?

Zucchini needs consistent watering, about 1 to 2 inches per week. Avoid getting the leaves wet to prevent fungal disease or mildew.

How Much Water Do Lettuce Plants Need?

Lettuce needs frequent watering, as dry soil can cause bitterness. Keep the soil moist but not soggy, about 1 inch per week is ideal.

How Much Water Do Pumpkin Plants Need?

Pumpkins are thirsty plants and need a lot of water. Water deeply, about 1 to 2 inches per week, especially during fruit development for larger pumpkins.

How Much Water Do Basil Plants Need?

Basil likes evenly moist soil and regular watering. Water when the top inch dries out, usually every few days in hot weather or direct sunlight.

How Much Water Do Garlic Plants Need?

Garlic needs about an inch of water per week for steady growth. Reduce watering when bulbs start maturing to avoid rot or disease.

How Much Water Do Pea Plants Need?

Peas need steady moisture, especially during pod production. Water about 1 inch per week, ensuring deep soaking for strong roots.

How Much Water Do Squash Plants Need?

Squash, like zucchini, needs consistent moisture to thrive. Provide 1 to 2 inches per week, keeping the roots well-hydrated for strong growth.

How Much Water Do Asparagus Plants Need?

Asparagus needs about an inch of water per week for strong spears. Increase watering during the first year for better establishment and root growth.

How Much Water Do Cabbage Plants Need?

Cabbage needs plenty of water to form solid heads. Provide about 1 to 1.5 inches per week, keeping the soil moist but never overly soaked.

How Much Water Do Corn Plants Need?

Corn needs deep watering, around 1 to 2 inches per week for tall stalks. Provide extra water when tasseling and forming ears for the best yield.

Visit Platt Hill Nursery for More Plant Care Tips!

Keeping your plants healthy starts with the right watering routine, but every plant has its own needs. If you’re unsure how often to water or what works best for your specific plants, visit Platt Hill Nursery! Our team of experts is here to answer your questions and help you create the perfect care routine, whether you’re growing houseplants, vegetables, or a backyard full of blooms.

We carry everything you need to keep your plants thriving, from high-quality soil and fertilizers to decorative pots and watering tools. Stop by our Bloomingdale or Carpentersville locations to explore our selection and get personalized advice. Your plants will thank you!

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18 Fall Vegetables to Plant in Your Garden

Platt Hill Nursery — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 20:10:37 +0000

Fall may sound like a long way off, but it takes planning to get a fall garden off the ground. Many fall vegetables are planted in mid- to late summer to give them the head start they need. Knowing where you’ll put them, what you want to plant, and when to put them in the ground is important for making your fall garden successful.

In this article, we’ll go over 18 fall favorites to consider for your fall garden this year, to be planted as your summer plants are naturally winding down production. As always, having a partner to ask your gardening questions is important. The professionals at Platt Hill Nursery are here to help, so stop by any time.

18 Fall Vegetables to Plant in Your Garden

1. Pumpkins

Fall is a time for pumpkins. These vegetables have a long growing season, so plants are started in the spring. The bigger the pumpkin, the more time (and space!) it needs to grow. Plan ahead.

2. Carrots

Carrots don’t survive well in extreme hot weather, so these are the perfect vegetables to plant when the weather is finally starting to cool. Plant carrots about 10 to 12 weeks before the frost date, which happens in mid-October.

3. Beets

Beets can benefit from some shade when they’re first planted in late summer, because cooler soil temperatures help make sweeter beets. These vegetables can be left in the ground until the first frost.

4. Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts may be some of the last plants left standing in your fall garden. They can be sown directly into the garden in mid to late summer, and continue to produce from the top – so harvest from the bottom.

5. Winter Squash

Winter squash are similar to pumpkins because they need a long growing season and a lot of space. You can grow them on trellises to keep them contained. Start them indoors and plant them in your garden after danger of frost has passed, usually around May 15th in our area.

6. Broccoli

Direct sow broccoli seeds in mid-summer, or plant seedlings in late summer. They’ll continue growing until the first hard frost, at which time they should be harvested.

7. Potatoes

Potatoes grow well in cool weather, so you can plant around Good Friday for your fall harvest.

8. Spinach

Nothing dresses up your salads like home-grown spinach. Spinach grows quickly, so plant it about six weeks before the first fall frost.

9. Parsnips

These root vegetables have a long growing season, and can tolerate some freezing weather. In fact, freezing weather makes parsnips taste sweeter. You can direct sow parsnips in the ground around the last frost date in spring for a fall harvest.

10. Radishes

Radishes can be planted in August for a fall crop. They’re relatively easy to grow and take up little space, so you can plant these vegetables in the perimeter of your garden. When they’re ready to harvest, you’ve got a colorful food to include in your salads.

11. Arugula

Arugula dresses up those salads, so if you enjoy eating your greens, arugula is a must. Plant arugula in late summer for a fall harvest.

12. Cauliflower

Cauliflower is a cool-weather crop that may need to be shaded if set out too early. Put cauliflower starter plants in the ground about 8 weeks before the first frost date.

13. Bush Beans

Bush beans are fast growers that produce a lot of beans. Plant them starting in early August, growing two rows at a time and waiting a week or two between rows. This allows your garden to continue producing beans into the fall and until the weather gets cold.

14. Turnips

Plant turnips in late summer. If you enjoy many turnips in the fall, consider planting them on a staggered schedule to produce a continuous supply.

15. Garlic

Garlic is a plant that can go in the ground just a month before the first frost date of fall. Leave garlic in the ground until spring harvest.

16. Scallions

Plant scallions in late August at staggered schedules to produce throughout the fall. The afternoon sun is good for scallions, which need cool soil to produce.

17. Kale

This nutritious green vegetable is tolerant of frost and thus a popular fall vegetable. Kale comes in many different varieties, so you can choose the option that most appeals to you in color or taste. This distinctive-looking vegetable makes an excellent addition to salads.

18. Green Onions

This fast-growing onion plant is harvested when the green parts are still tender, before bulbs can form. You can grow these plants in your garden any time during the growing season, including in fall.

Quick Tips for Starting Your Fall Vegetable Garden

Fall vegetable gardening can be rewarding! Some tips:

Clean out the beds before planting. Get rid of roots and debris from your spring garden.
Know which parts of your garden get afternoon shade. Some cool-weather plants need this to survive.
Consider using extra seeds leftover from your spring planting, if you have any. They should still be good in fall.

Popular Herbs Compatible with Vegetable Plants

Want to grow vegetables and herbs together? There are many herbs that are compatible with vegetable plants. Consider growing oregano, parsley, cilantro, or thyme with your fall vegetable garden. Mint is best grown in containers, while the others can be grown in the perimeter and small spaces of your vegetable garden.

Have Questions? The Professionals At Platt Hill Nursery Have Answers

Growing your own food in Chicago is fun! Ask the professionals at Platt Hill Nursery for help, or check out our vegetable growing guide. We sell perennials as well! If your spring garden is still thriving in late summer and you’re unwilling to pull healthy plants for fall gardening, consider growing fall container plants.

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9 Fall Planting Tips for Zone 5

Platt Hill Nursery — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 19:29:46 +0000

Fall will be here before you know it! When the time comes, planting your fall garden can beautify your yard and satisfy your need to grow plants. Fall planting is rewarding and keeps your property looking its best. At Platt Hill Nursery, we’ll be here for you as you plan your fall garden. We’re happy to answer questions to help you with the process.

Zone 5 Planting Schedule

Most of the state of Illinois falls in Zone 6 and even a little into Zone 7, but the Chicago area is still in Zone 5. This means our frost dates can come early and our fall growing season is short. Below is a good zone 5 planting schedule.

When to Plant Veggies and Flowers

Most fall planting happens in the beginning or middle of August. Whether you’re planting veggies or flowers, talk to the experts at the nursery or read the seed package to select the right timing (down to the week) for the plants you’ve selected.

When to Plant Trees and Shrubs

Fall is a mild time of year in Illinois, so it’s a good time for planting trees and shrubs. Trees and shrubs can be planted until the ground is frozen, which can range from mid-November and even into December for some years.

When to Plant Bulbs for the Spring

You can plant bulbs for the spring any time in mid-September through October. Plan to do this on a day that’s cool. The best time to plant bulbs is when the nighttime temperatures are between 40 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit, about 6 to 8 weeks before the ground freezes.

First Frost Date Zone 5

The first frost date for zone 5 is October 15. This means that in an average year, there will not be a frost before this date. Of course, it’s important to pay attention to the weather and remember that frost can occur any time – even before the frost date. If you’re planning to plant anything in fall, or if you’re worried about getting crops out of the ground before the first frost hits, watch your weather forecast and act accordingly.

9 Tips for Fall Planting

Below are some tips for fall planting. If you have questions about planting a garden this fall, ask the experts at Platt Hill Nursery.

1. Clean Up Your Garden Before Planting

Remove weeds to prevent seeds from germinating the following spring, but leave the full clean up until spring when the daytime temperatures are consistently 50 degrees. This prevents the destruction of beneficial insect species, such as overwintering butterflies.

2. Select Fast Growing Plants

The fall growing season is short but can be extremely rewarding. If you’re planting fall crops, choose fast-growing plants like lettuce, spinach, and kale, as well as hardy vegetables like turnips, beets and radishes.

If you’re planting flowers, look for flowers that product fall foliage, grow quickly and have some tolerance for cold weather. Chrysanthemums and asters are a great choice at this time of year because they’re very flexible, able to be grown in pots or in the ground, and produce beautiful fall color. Try a Montauk daisy for a colorful October display.

3. Make a Planting Schedule

Plan your gardening season ahead of time, selecting days when you’ll plant. Mark your calendar and know what you plan to plant on each day. As planting day draws close, get everything you need for fall planting ahead of time, whether that’s seeds, starts, fertilizer, tools. When the day comes to plant, you’ll be ready to get to work!

4. Use Mulch Generously

Mulch is good for protecting your plant roots from the cold. Mulch around your flowers and shrubs generously, applying two or three inches of mulch at a time. There are several types of mulch available at nurseries, but most plants do best when you use organic mulch, like shredded bark.

5. Watch the Temperatures As the Season Wears On

You could always get an early frost. Watch the temperatures – especially the night-time temperatures – for early freezes and frosts. You may be able to save your plants from an early freeze by covering them with a light tarp. Once subjected to a hard frost, many vegetables will no longer be good to eat. Plan to harvest before the weather reaches freezing temperatures at night. Don’t forget to disconnect hoses from the house when temperatures are expected to dip below freezing.

6. Let Some Land Rest

Soil needs a break sometimes. Beds that grew vegetables over the summer may benefit from a rest in the fall. Plan your garden strategically to ensure you have space for a fall garden without over-using the soil.

7. Rotate Crops

Different vegetables use different soil nutrients to grow. They also draw different pests and diseases. Divide your crops into different groups (legumes, alliums, nightshades, etc), then avoid planting crops from the same group in the same place during each growing season. Rotating crops can help you maintain healthy soil for growing.

8. Consider Greenhouse Gardening

If you enjoy growing vegetables throughout the year, consider building a greenhouse or cold frame on your property. Greenhouses provide some shelter for plants and allow you to grow vegetables longer into the fall.

9. Get a Head Start with Seeds

If you’re planning to grow fall vegetables from seeds, consider starting your seeds indoors in the late part of the summer then transfer the seedlings to your garden when it’s time to plant. This will get you a few extra weeks worth of growth out of your plants. Some seeds should be direct-sown into the ground, so watch for this on the seed packet instructions.

Have Questions? Call Platt Hill Nursery

Platt Hill Nursery is happy to provide fall perennial plant care information to homeowners in the Chicago area. Call today or stop in at our nursery to learn more about fall planting in Chicago.

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Planting Your Fall Garden in Chicago

Platt Hill Nursery — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 11:00:32 +0000

By selecting the right plants for fall, you can create a garden that continues to thrive well beyond the summer months, bringing inspiration and abundance through the autumn and beyond.

As summer gives way to fall, the changing seasons bring a wealth of opportunities to enrich our outdoor spaces with more plants. While it may seem strange to plant as the weather continues to cool, fall is an ideal time to grow cool-season vegetables and add new perennials, trees, shrubs, and groundcovers to your yard. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the range of options you have this season to bring fall colors into your space, create a delicious harvest, and enhance the overall beauty of your garden!

Planting Fall Vegetables in Illinois

Chicago’s climate lends itself well to fall vegetable gardening; the cooler temperatures and reduced insect activity create favorable conditions for many delectable crops. Here are a few of our personal favorites:

Lettuce and Greens: These nutritious greens appreciate the milder weather and can even tolerate light frost. Varieties like spinach, kale, arugula, and Swiss chard can be sown in early fall for a late-season harvest. You can also harvest them earlier as baby greens.
Radishes: These fast-growing root vegetables are perfect for quick, satisfying harvests and can be planted until about four weeks before the first expected frost.
Carrots: The cooler temperatures of late summer and early fall allow late-season carrots to develop a sweeter flavor., but be sure to choose a variety with a shorter maturity time to ensure a successful harvest.
Peas: Snap and snow peas can both be planted in late summer for a fall harvest. They appreciate the cooler weather and can be guided onto trellises or supports for efficient use of space.

As you plant in preparation for your Autumn harvest, keep in mind that the first frost doesn’t have to spell the end of your vegetable garden; you can easily outsmart the frost by covering your plants overnight or by building cold frames and row covers to extend your growing season well into November.

A Guide for Fall Perennials in Chicagoland

With its cooler weather and increased moisture, autumn is an ideal time for planting new perennials in the garden; better yet, you won’t even have to wait for them to bloom! These incredible perennials will bring bursts of colorful blooms to your garden all fall long:

Sedum: Also known as stonecrop, sedums are hardy perennials that provide a beautiful array of fall colors to any yard. Their succulent leaves and late-season blooms guide pollinators to your garden while adding unique textures to your beds.

Hardy Asters: With their daisy-like flowers, asters offer a pop of purple, pink, blue, or white hues to your fall landscape and are excellent choices for borders. Their nectar-rich blooms also support late-season butterflies, making them win-win fall additions to your garden!

Black-Eyed Susan: Also known as rudbeckia, these flowers boast warm yellow petals and dark centers that complement the fall leaves. Their tall stems and striking blooms make them stand out in any garden setting.

Japanese Anemone: These elegant perennials feature delicate, daisy-like flowers that appear in shades of pink and white. They bloom in late summer and continue throughout the fall, adding a touch of sophistication to your borders.

Trees and Shrubs for Fall Foliage in Illinois

Planting carefully selected trees and shrubs is an easy way to instantly enhance your garden’s structure and add a few more interesting textures come fall. Like perennials, trees and shrubs have an easier, stress-free beginning when planted during the cool fall months. Here are some top tree and shrub picks with brilliant fall foliage for Chicagoland gardens:

Sugar Maple: Sugar maples are known for their stunning foliage, which turns bright shades of red, orange, and yellow in the fall, creating a breathtaking canopy. They grow to mature heights of 60-75′, becoming a lifelong shade tree on your property.

Eastern Redbud: This small tree boasts a unique branching structure with stunning heart-shaped leaves that turn golden-yellow in the fall. They’re also famous for the lavender-pink flowers that cover the canopy in early spring, providing your space with a year-round feast for the eyes.

Virginia Sweetspire: A native shrub, Virginia Sweetspire showcases vibrant red foliage in the fall and fragrant white flowers in the spring, enhancing its multi-season appeal. At 3-5′ in maturity, it forms an attractive mounded shape that can work well as a focal point or as part of a mixed border.

Oakleaf Hydrangea: With large, oak-like leaves and cone-shaped flower clusters, this hydrangea provides a stunning display in the summer and fall. As temperatures get frosty, their leaves turn bold hues of burgundy and purple.

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A Guide for Colorful Groundcovers in Autumn

Although they’re close to the ground, we can’t overlook the importance of groundcovers in creating a beautiful fall garden. Whether you’re after bright fall foliage or stunning late-season blooms, the right groundcover might just be the piece your landscape’s missing this autumn. Here are a few favorites to help guide your plantings this season:

Creeping Jenny: Creeping Jenny’s chartreuse leaves provide a luminous understory to your canopy of fall leaves. The golden-green leaves seem to glow in the autumn sunlight, creating a dynamic contrast against the darker shades of fall. Note: to be perennial, it needs to be planted right in the ground, not in planters.

Perennial Vinca: Known for its delicate purple flowers, vinca is a charming groundcover that brightens up shady corners. As fall arrives, it’s likely to put out a fall rebloom, making it one of the latest blooming groundcovers!

Creeping Thyme: This easy-to-grow groundcover offers a soft carpet of fine green leaves and purple-pink flowers. They benefit from skipping the heat of summer, making fall an ideal time to add these to your garden.

What Month is Best to Plant in Fall?

Ultimately, the best time to plant your fall garden depends on what you’re growing. It’s best to start your vegetables as soon as possible, ideally in mid-September or earlier. The same can be said about your fall perennials; however, you can plant any new additions to your perennial garden throughout the fall months as long as the soil is still workable. The same goes for trees and shrubs, which can be planted anytime before the ground freezes.

By selecting the right plants for fall, you can create a garden that continues to thrive well beyond the summer months, bringing inspiration and abundance through the autumn and beyond. For more tips, tricks, and plant recommendations to help guide your fall planting, come visit our garden centers in Carpentersville and Bloomingdale!

Platt Hill Nursery is Chicago’s premier garden center and nursery.

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Beat Inflation by Growing Your Own Food

Platt Hill Nursery — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 11:00:49 +0000

With food prices going up, growing your own food just makes more and more sense these days. For less than one grocery run, you can buy seeds for a whole spring, summer, and fall’s worth of produce. Saving money has always been a perk of gardening, but that’s not the only reason to do it. Here are a few ways that growing your own fruits and vegetables can really pay—plus a couple of tips to help you get started!

Why Should You Grow Your Own Vegetables?

Here are the top reasons why you should start growing your own produce this spring:

1. Save Money: Gardening offers a big return for very little money. For instance, you can grow a few rows of lettuce for less than $3 worth of seeds and have enough salad greens to last the entire spring and early summer. The cost-saving doesn’t stop with lettuce, either; it’s the same for every vegetable, whether it’s beats, carrots, potatoes, kale, beans, or tomatoes. The start-up price of your own vegetable garden is negligible, and as long as you keep up with weeding and watering, you’ll have an abundance of cheap, fresh food all season long.

2. Better Food: Nothing beats local, organic food from your own garden, and you don’t have to be a health nut to notice. Both the flavor and nutritional value of homegrown produce are way beyond anything you’ll find at your local grocery store. One taste, and you’ll literally be jumping with joy!

3. Smaller Footprint: Environmentally-friendly practices don’t always have to cost us: growing your own food is a great way to reduce your eco-footprint while saving money at the same time. Eating from your own backyard means a smaller transportation-related carbon footprint and a decreased reliance on artificial fertilizers and pesticides, making it a no-brainer for anyone concerned about the environment and food additives.

4. Fun, Healthy, Activity: Managing a healthy, balanced life these days is all about compartmentalization: We spend an hour on exercise, an hour with the family, and 20 minutes outside at the park. However, imagine if you could wrap all three of those activities into one? Well, in case you haven’t caught on yet, vegetable gardening is the answer! Gardening is great exercise, gets you out into the great outdoors, and is a rewarding, meaningful task that’s even more enjoyable when shared with family and friends!

Overcoming Common Chicagoland Food-Growing Obstacles

Oftentimes, even if we know the value of doing something, obstacles can still get in our way. Here are a few tips to help you overcome common roadblocks you may encounter in your food-growing journey and get back to enjoying the benefits of growing your own vegetables!

No Space? Plant a Container Garden

Container gardens are an incredibly easy way to get around a lack of space in your garden, balcony, or outdoor area, and are great for growing fast, compact plants like lettuce, spinach, chard, and kale. Tomatoes are another easy plant that grows well in pots, making them another ideal addition to any small vegetable garden.

No Time? Share Your Garden With Your Neighbors

If you’ve got plenty of your own growing space, but are running short on time, turning your garden into a community effort by sharing space, tools, labor, or produce with your neighbors is a fantastic workaround. Many hands make light work, and nothing brings people together quite like good food and a good cause.

Too Much Work? Think Again

Vegetable gardening really comes down to two simple tasks: watering and weeding. The rest of the more labor-intensive stuff can be easily taken care of with a bit of prep work and planning, along with a few hacks like drip irrigation, timed sprinklers, and straw mulch. If you ever feel like you’re in a bit over your head, just remember: for just a couple days of effort, you’ll be enjoying your own fresh fruit and vegetables all spring and summer long!

Integrating Fruit and Vegetables Into Your Chicagoland Landscape

By now, you’re probably looking at your backyard and wondering how to transform it into your own personal vegetable garden. If so, here are some simple and creative ways to incorporate food into your landscape:

Plant a Traditional Vegetable Garden: Whether in a raised bed or directly in the ground, vegetables can grow pretty much anywhere as long as there’s enough light. If you’re running low on space, you can always convert a patch of lawn into a vegetable garden or build a raised bed on top of a section of your grass or patio.

Incorporate Some Berry Shrubs and Fruit Trees: If you’re looking to add some new trees and shrubs to your landscape this spring, go for some fruit-bearing options! This truly gives you the best of both worlds, allowing you to enjoy beautiful cherry and apple blossoms in the spring and a bounty of fresh fruit later on. As for berries, shrubs are the gifts that keep on giving. From serviceberries to blueberries and raspberries, shrubs give you and your family an almost never-ending supply of fresh berries while also allowing you to enjoy a sheltered, multi-storied landscape.

Mix Herbs and Vegetables into Your Flower Bed: You don’t need a special bed just for vegetables. In fact, planting them among flowers has many benefits, including increased pollination and pest resilience, and many gardeners already plant marigolds, sunflowers, calendula, borage, nasturtiums, and other flowers among their veggies for those very reasons. Vegetables can also add visually-stunning colors and textures to any flower garden. Just consider rainbow chard, the majestic leaves of kale, or the frizzy texture of carrot tops.

Grow Perennial Foods: Imagine if there were perennials that you could grow as both ornamentals and edibles? Well, as it turns out, there are many. Fiddlehead ferns (Ostrich ferns), asparagus, daylilies, wild roses, and rhubarb are a few examples of perennial plants that are as tasty as they are beautiful!

Use Herbs as Groundcovers: Thyme and oregano are two common herbs that make great groundcovers between your perennials. They look beautiful, cover the soil, and are absolutely delicious! You can also tuck other herbs like dill and lavender into your perennial beds to enhance the fragrance, looks, and friendly insect activity while improving your home cooking at the same time.

Food prices may be rising, but that doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice high-quality food. Growing your own vegetables and fruit is the key, and there are many creative ways to do so. For more guidance and supplies, stop by and visit our garden centers in Bloomingdale and Carpentersville!

Platt Hill Nursery is Chicago’s premier garden center and nursery.

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Early Bird Series: Start Mapping Your Raised Garden Beds Now for an Easy Spring

Platt Hill Nursery — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 12:00:49 +0000

Many gardeners put off planning until the last minute or don’t do it all. While it’s possible to improvise and still reap a bountiful harvest, planning your garden can make a world of difference. Planning ahead allows you to take advantage of companion planting, crop rotation, and a harvest schedule—all of which can reduce your workload and increase your yields. Here are some great ways to get a head start on planning your raised beds, and benefit from companion planting!

How to Use Space Wisely in Your Raised Beds

The first thing to consider is how to use the space in your raised beds. Do you want one sprawling pumpkin plant to take up all of your garden? Or, would you prefer tightly-spaced salad greens that give you a continual harvest? The main questions to ask are: what are the plants you want to grow, how much space do they need, and where can you grow them?

Keep in mind that some vegetables, like pole beans and indeterminate tomatoes, can climb upwards, freeing up space below, and squash can be trained to grow outwards onto the lawn. Also, remember to rotate your crops from year to year, so you’re not continuously growing them in the same spot in your garden. This makes them more resilient against pests and gives them access to fresh nutrients in a new area.

How to Plan for Multiple Harvests in a Raised Bed

Some garden vegetables, like kale, zucchini, Swiss chard, and tomatoes, offer a continual harvest once they start producing. Others—including lettuce, spinach, radishes, and beets—have a short growing period and a window when they’re ready to eat. With 30 to 60 days of growing time, you can replant them several times throughout the season. So, if you want a continual harvest of these crops, it’s wise to plan successive plantings through the season, e.g., one batch of these crops every 2-3 weeks.

How to Plan Your Garden for Companion Planting

Another huge upper hand in planning your garden is to take advantage of friendship among your plants, or what is officially called, companion planting. These companionships involve anything from repelling pests, to providing shade, and fixing nutrients in the soil, among other benefits. Here are some relationships to use when planning your raised garden beds:

Beets grow well alongside brassicas, bush beans, garlic, lettuce, and onions.

Broccoli does well with oregano (which repels pests,) and alongside beets, celery, lettuce, chamomile, and potatoes.

Cabbage is friends with nasturtiums, garlic, and sage.

Carrots thrive alongside chives, leeks, onions, peas, radishes, rosemary, and sage; but they don’t jive with other members of the carrot family, such as dill, coriander, and celery.

Cucumbers grow well near beans, borage, dill, lettuce, nasturtiums, oregano, radish, and sunflowers.

Kale thrives alongside companions of the onion family, which repel common pests like flea beetles, cabbage loopers, and aphids.

Lettuce is happy with chives, onions, oregano, peas, and radishes.

Onions are powerful companions that protect many plants against pests, including beets, cabbage, carrots, chard, kale, lettuce, strawberry, and tomatoes.

Tomatoes’ most famous companion is basil, which helps improve the flavor of the fruit. They also grow well alongside asparagus, borage, calendula, dill, garlic, nasturtium, onion, parsley, and thyme.

Peas grow better when planted near alyssum, carrots, chives, lettuce, mint, radish, spinach, and turnips; but onions close by can stunt the growth of peas.

Peppers thrive surrounded by pest-protecting herbs like basil, marjoram, onions, and oregano.

Potatoes increase their bounty near beans, and benefit from the protection of calendula, horseradish, garlic, oregano, and catmint.

Spinach benefits from the shade of peas and beans and the pest-repelling presence of cilantro, oregano, and rosemary.

Winter squash, zucchini, and pumpkins benefit from the presence of buckwheat, calendula, nasturtiums, and oregano which either deter pests or attract predatory insects to reduce pest populations.

Once you’re aware of these mutually-beneficial relationships, you can orchestrate your plantings to help your vegetables thrive and reduce their resilience against pests. The list above is by no means exhaustive, and we encourage you to research specific plants if you want to learn more about their best companions.

Remember to rotate your crops from year to year, so you’re not continuously growing them in the same spot in your garden. This makes them more resilient against pests and gives them access to fresh nutrients in a new area.

What Plants Should Not Be Planted Next to Each Other in a Raised Bed?

There are far more friends than foes among plants, but still, some partnerships just don’t work out. Tomatoes and potatoes, which are from the same family, compete for common resources when planted together, as do carrots, dill, celery, and other members of the carrot family. Members of the onion family—including onions, leeks, garlic, and shallots—will stunt the growth of peas.

Also, keep in mind that planting a lot of a single plant in one raised garden bed is like offering a buffet for any pests that feed on it. The same happens when you plant many vegetables of the same family, like brassicas, in one area—together they all attract the same pests. In general, remember to mix your plants in your raised beds to create more resilience against invading bugs.

How to Map Your Raised Garden Beds

With all of this information, you have the knowledge to create crop maps for your raised beds. Both a diagram and a planting calendar will come in handy to orchestrate your optimum planting design and schedule. Even with this plan, the gardening season will still throw some curveballs at you, and you’ll likely have to improvise. But even though your plans may change, it’s still essential to have a plan A from the beginning!

For any more tips on companion planting in your raised garden, feel free to visit our garden centers in Chicagoland!

Platt Hill Nursery is Chicago’s premier garden center and nursery.

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Start Seeds Indoors Early for a Long Harvest Season

Platt Hill Nursery — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 16:52:15 +0000

The time for starting vegetable seeds indoors has arrived! If this isn’t part of your gardening practice, it’s time to start reaping the benefits. Not only does seed starting give you a sooner and longer harvest, but it also gives an essential headstart to all the crops that need a longer time to mature, like tomatoes and peppers. If you’re feeling daunted, don’t worry, seed starting is an easy task for any gardener to master—here’s how!

What Month Do You Start Seeds Indoors?

The time for starting seeds begins about 6-10 weeks before your last frost date. For Chicagoland, that means it’s time to begin starting seeds at the end of February and early March. Each plant has an ideal time it needs to grow inside. It’s always good to give your plants as much of a head start as possible, but not too much that their early growth gets stunted by the small tray.

Which Vegetables Do You Start Indoors?

Many warm-season crops, like tomatoes, peppers, and pumpkins, need a long growing season and are frost-sensitive. It helps to give them a jump on the season indoors to avoid the uncertain weather of early spring and ensure they have enough time to mature. Some cool-season crops—like cabbage, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts—also need several months to yield a harvest. Starting them inside gives you a taste of these delicious crops much sooner!

Some people also start greens indoors, like kale, Swiss chard, and lettuce. As fast-growing crops, they don’t need a longer growing season, but if you start them indoors, you’ll save on the grocery bill and enjoy fresh produce much sooner in the spring.

What Materials Do You Need to Start Seeds Indoors?

A seed starting tray, soil, and seeds are the key materials for starting your seeds indoors. Besides that, you also need water and a bright, sunny window. To boost your success, don’t use regular soil from the garden, as it contains pathogens and is too dense. Instead, use potting soil or a blend of seed-starting soil that is made for the purpose.

A Step-By-Step Guide for Starting Seeds

Fill your starter tray with soil, either fresh potting mix or seed starting soil.
Plant the seeds in the trays. Feel free to add more than one seed per compartment.
Place them in a warm spot near a bright, sunny window.
Water them, and continue watering daily. Soil must be moist, not soggy.
Thin out any crowded seeds by cutting back the weaker ones.
Begin hardening them off 1-2 weeks before planting.
Transplant them into the garden.

What Does It Mean to Harden Off Seedlings?

Whenever you’re moving plants from indoors to outdoors, they need time to adjust to the bright sun, wind, and differences in temperature. This period is called hardening off. You do it by exposing your plants to the outdoors gradually.

On the first day, bring them outside for two hours in the shade. The following day, bring them out for a few hours into the dappled shade. On day three, you can bring them into the sun. Each day after that, expose them to a few more hours of sunlight each day. After they’ve built up to at least 8 hours in the sun, they’re ready to be moved into the garden!

A Calendar for Timing Seed Starts and Transplants

Here’s an approximate schedule for starting seeds based on the last frost date of May 15th in our area. Depending on where you live, your last frost date may come sooner or later. Double-check your local dates and adjust your schedule accordingly. As you’ll notice below, many cool-season crops can be transplanted before the last frost date.

Vegetable Seed Starting Time

Basil

Bell Peppers

Broccoli

Cabbage

Celery

Cucumbers

Kale

Lettuce

Oregano

Pumpkins

Swiss Chard

Tomatoes

Seed Starting Time

Mar 19 – Apr 3

Mar 5 – Mar 19

Mar 19 – Apr 3

Mar 5 – Mar 19

Apr 17 – 24

Mar 19 – Apr 3

Apr 3 – 17

Mar 5 – Apr 3

Apr 24 – May 8

Mar 27 – Apr 17

Mar 19 – Apr 3

Transplanting Time

May 15 – Jun 5

May 22 – Jun 5

April 17 – May 8

April 17 – May 3

May 22 – Jun 5

Apr 29 – Jun 12

Apr 17 – May 8

May 1 – 29

May 15 – Jun 5

May 29 – Jun 12

Apr 24 – May 1

May 22 – Jun 12

With food prices going up, vegetable gardening is looking more attractive than ever. Starting seeds indoors is one sure way to save money, improve your family’s health, and enjoy the kind of mouth-watering produce that can only come from your garden.

For more supplies, gardening tips, and advice on starting seeds indoors, swing by our garden centers in Bloomingdale and Carpentersville!

Platt Hill Nursery is Chicago’s premier garden center and nursery.

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The Best Houseplants and Herbs for Aromatherapy

Platt Hill Nursery — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 12:00:33 +0000

Cinnamon, bergamot, jasmine, chamomile: sometimes, just the mere thought of these fragrant aromas has a healing effect. However, it’s even better to actually breathe them in, letting their divine scent wash away your worries through what holistic practitioners call aromatherapy. Though aromatherapy usually involves distilled essential oils, you can grow some of these common therapeutic plants in your own home and enjoy their healing properties daily!

What is Aromatherapy?

Aromatherapy uses scents to reduce stress, change our emotions, and foster relaxation. At a scientific level, the scents travel through the olfactory nerve into the amygdala, the emotional part of the brain, where they shift our emotions. In a personal way, we’ve all had these experiences, like when we wake up to the cozy scent of cinnamon oatmeal, or catch a sudden wave of refreshing lilac blossoms in the spring. These moments can easily carry us away and lift whatever burdens previously weighed on our minds. Aromatherapy distills these moments and allows us to enjoy them on demand, whether by inhaling essential oils in a bath or during a massage, or by imbibing upon the perfumes of herbs and houseplants.

What are the Best Houseplants and Herbs for Aromatherapy?

Chamomile

While chamomile is best known for its relaxing tea, its scent also does wonders for calming the nerves. We recommend growing this houseplant from seed as part of your indoor herb garden. This way, in addition to its aromatherapy, your chamomile will also reward you with an explosion of yellow and white, daisy-like flowers.

Lavender

Your nose is probably no stranger to this soothing Mediterranean herb. Although it’s most commonly grown outside, you can also grow it indoors as a houseplant. It’s best to give it as much sunlight as possible and rotate it every 3-4 weeks to encourage even growth. Don’t expect much—if any—growth during the winter, but its fragrant leaves stay on its wood year-round.

Need tips on how to start growing your own container herb garden? Watch this video by Chicago Gardener.

Rosemary

Growing rosemary indoors is similar to growing lavender. It goes dormant during the winter months but retains its leaves year-round. Although you’ve probably enjoyed this popular plant in cooking, it also makes for a very relaxing cup of tea, fragrant potpourri, and scented companion to enjoy around the house.

We have a yummy and savory recipe for Rosemary Parmesan Pumpkin Seeds. Check it out!

Here are quick tips on how to take care of your potted rosemary.

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Lemon Balm

Lemon balm has been used since the Middle Ages to reduce anxiety, improve sleep, and promote good digestion. It will thrive as part of your indoor herb garden so long as it gets enough light, preferably at least 5 hours per day. As part of the mint plant family, lemon balm provides beautiful scents wherever it’s used. Our favorite uses for lemon balm are in teas or as a garnish in salads or other cooking.

Peppermint

Common in toothpaste and mouthwashes, peppermint may not elicit the same wave of feelings as, say, lilac. However, it is nevertheless a powerful, soothing herb. A natural inhabitant of shade, it can tolerate less light indoors and prefers moist conditions. Remember to thin out the peppermint as it grows, so you have fewer leggy plants and more leaves.

It can be tricky to keep your herbs strong, flavorful, and healthy, but here are some tips to help your kitchen herbs thrive throughout the winter and the entire year.

Jasmine

Jasmine rivals any of the most inspiring scents in the plant world. While a few varieties are hardy to our cold Illinois climate, most jasmines are beyond their range up here in Illinois. Fortunately, we can enjoy this fragrant flower indoors as a houseplant. With proper care, Jasmine flowers will start to bloom in spring and give you eight weeks to enjoy the mesmerizing scent. During the rest of the year, the leaves will retain a less powerful but soothing perfume.

Citrus Plants

Did you know that you can grow lime and lemon trees in Chicago? At least, you can indoors. When grown indoors, these trees will remain a manageable size and may even bear fruit after several years of growth. Even if they don’t, they still make beautiful houseplants, and the leaves will provide a relaxing fragrance. Plus, lime leaves can be steeped to impart flavor to cooking, just like you would with a bay leaf.

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How to Grow Garlic in the Garden

Platt Hill Nursery — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 12:00:45 +0000

Growing garlic for the first time can be an exercise in patience, but once it’s ready for harvest, you’ll be so glad you took the time to cultivate it. Nothing beats fresh garlic, as not only is it flavorful, but it’s incredibly healthy too.

The Benefits of Growing Fresh Garlic

1. It’s Healthy: Freshly picked garlic is packed full of nutrients. It’s naturally antibacterial and has plenty of vitamins to support immunity and speedy healing. Packed with cancer-fighting Vitamin B6, it’s proven to help slow down tumor growth. It also contains anti-inflammatory properties and can even help reduce plaque buildup in our arteries. That’s pretty impressive for a veggie we typically associate with pizzas and pasta!

2. It’s Versatile: Roasting garlic will help neutralize the smell if you plan on eating it in large quantities—and why wouldn’t you eat it in large quantities? It’s beyond delicious, and there are seemingly endless recipes to use it in.

3. It’s Organic: When you grow your own garlic (GYOG), you’ll know everything that’s going into it. No mystery chemicals, just the good stuff. Plus, the sooner you use it after harvesting, the more vitamins and nutrients it will contain! Store-bought garlic can’t compete with these benefits.

The Basics of Garlic Care in Chicago

Growing garlic is a piece of cake! Even rookie gardeners can pull it off. Here’s how to grow your own in garden beds or containers at home.

Planting Garlic

The ideal time to plant garlic is late October. Planting at this time offers just enough time for the roots to get established but not enough time for the sprouts to break the soil surface. If your plant breaches the surface before winter, it becomes much more vulnerable and prone to cold damage. A single clove is all you need to grow an entire bulb. The biggest fattest cloves will provide the best results, especially with the help of these garlic bulb planting tips:

Choose a strong clove—if it’s squishy, it’s probably old and starting to rot. Don’t peel the skin off as it adds a layer of protection.
Plant cloves 6–8 inches apart, 3 inches below the surface, with the pointy side facing up. Find a spot with well-draining, sandy soil that gets at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily.
When you dig your holes, sprinkle a bit of bone meal in the bottom before you add your clove. This product will provide calcium and other nutrients, which help your plants grow bigger and stronger!
Once your cloves are in place, and you’ve back-filled the holes up with soil, add 2–3 layers of mulch for added protection from the cold.

Garlic Care as Your Bulbs Develop

Garlic doesn’t need much fertilizer. Sprinkling some pelletized chicken manure or blood meal across the soil surface in spring will be sufficient to keep your plants fueled. Plus, the bone meal you added during planting will have fortified the soil with nutrients as well.

Green scapes will sprout from your garlic bulbs. Snip them off when they begin to curl so your plants can direct their energy towards more giant, fuller, tastier bulbs. You can use the scapes in various delicious recipes—they have that same garlicky flavor we all love!

How Often Should You Water Garlic?

Garlic doesn’t need nearly as much water as other garden veggies. Water is required at least half an inch per week, and at most one inch. If we’re getting some decent rainfall, there’s no need to water your garlic bulbs. Water every 5–7 days for best results.

Harvesting Garlic Bulbs

Harvest time usually falls around late July to August. You’ll know when it’s ready for picking when the lower leaves start turning brown. Don’t leave them for too long once they’ve matured—this can break down their protective layers, and they won’t stay fresh for as long. If you’re unsure if your garlic is ripe, pull up a bulb and inspect it. If your cloves fill out the skins, they are ready for you to enjoy.

Platt Hill Nursery has plenty of garlic for sale, ready for you to plant. Visit our garden centers in Bloomingdale and Carpentersville to stock up in time for fall planting!

Platt Hill Nursery is Chicago’s premier garden center and nursery.

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The Top Ten Garden Vegetables and Fruits for Beginners

Platt Hill Nursery — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 13:00:31 +0000

Eating garden fruits and vegetables is one of the easiest tasks of the summer—but what about growing them? We argue it’s easy, too, even for first-time gardeners. But in case you have any doubts, we made a list of the top ten easiest fruits and vegetables to grow. Many don’t even need a garden and are just as happy in pots on the patio!

You wouldn’t want to start your first season aiming for a bumper crop of tropical melons, but most common fruits and vegetables are easy and within reach of beginners.

1. Lettuce

Any salad lovers out there? All garden greens, especially lettuce, are among the easiest veggies for beginners. Sow the seeds, give them enough water as they germinate, and in four weeks, you’ll already have baby lettuce to eat. Looking for iceberg lettuce or romaine? Try your hand at one of the dozens of other tasty, multicolored varieties out there!

2. Radishes

Radishes are so easy to grow that even if you mess them up, you can plant again and have another crop ready in 30 days. In fact, the trickiest part is to remember to harvest them so soon. And if you leave them in the ground too long, they turn woody. So mark the harvest date in your calendar, and be prepared to enjoy these spicy, crunchy, and sweet tubers when they’re about 1 inch in diameter!

3. Peas

They may not be the most common vegetable in your kitchen, but peas are a classic treat of any garden. When ripe, they’re like a pantry of ready snacks for you and the kids. The only trick is that pea vines need a trellis to climb, which is easy to set up with netting and stakes. Like radishes and lettuce, you can plant new crops every few weeks to enjoy successive harvests throughout the season!

4. Zucchini

The most common issue of growing zucchini is having too many to eat—an easy problem to solve. Once this summer squash is full size, you’ll keep finding zucchinis every time you’re in the garden. That’s because this vegetable spreads two feet wide and grows big leaves, which are quick to convert sun, air, and soil into savory fruit. Zucchini thrive as long as you give them soil enriched with compost, plenty of moisture, and 6-8 hours of sunshine. We also recommend watering the soil, not the leaves, to cut down the risk of powdery mildew—but that goes for all garden plants!

5. Cucumbers

This fruiting vegetable needs a trellis to thrive, moisture, and warm temperatures, but that doesn’t mean it’s not easy to grow. Along with tomatoes and peppers, cucumbers are the easiest fruits for beginner vegetable gardeners. In fact, bush cucumber varieties don’t need a trellis at all, making them ideal for growing in pots. No matter the variety, cucumbers need frequent pollination to keep producing. So remember to mix fast-growing flowers, like zinnias and marigolds, into your landscape to attract lots of bees.

6. Beans

This warm-season crop is another easy staple for beginners. You can grow green, yellow, purple, and multicolored beans that you’ve never seen or imagined in the grocery store. Varieties are either pole beans, which need a trellis, or bush beans, which grow into a bush without climbing. Besides being one of the most nutritious and filling vegetable crops around, they have a special quality: the more you pick them, the more beans they produce!

7. Kale

Here’s another easy favorite that’s sweeter, more tender, and more flavorful than any of its cousins in the grocery store. If you’re not a fan yet, your first taste of homegrown baby kale will convert you. And, as it’s as straightforward to grow as lettuce! As with all greens, you have a choice to start harvesting them early, keeping them young and tender at the baby stages. Or you can let the kale plant mature into full size, giving you a harvest of big leaves right through the first frost and beyond.

8. Carrots

When we think of a vegetable garden, the smell of fresh carrots pulled from the earth is often the first thing that comes to mind. Maybe you have memories from grandma’s garden or your uncle’s farm. Fortunately, you don’t need years of experience to grow garden carrots, but a few tips can help in your first season:

Carrots seeds need to stay moist for 2-3 weeks as they germinate. Water them daily.
Make sure you have loose soil so they can easily form roots.
Plant them close together and thin them a few times so that the carrots have room to grow to their full size.

9. Raspberries

Are you starting to get hungry yet? With all of these fruits and vegetables, your garden will be ready to feed the family all summer. Growing raspberries is a simple way to round out your offerings. They bear tasty snacks to pop straight into your mouth or to toss into a salad or dessert. Any spot with well-drained, rich soil and full sun is ideal for raspberries. Just be warned; raspberry bushes love to spread out, and you may soon have more raspberries than you bargained for!

10. Tomatoes

For many of us, homegrown tomatoes are the pinnacle of our gardening dreams. You’ve probably heard other green thumbs chatting about tomato pruning, the types of fertilizer they use, tomato varieties, and staking methods—if you’re a beginner, it can all be quite intimidating. But many first-timers have found success with tomatoes. Plus, if you eventually want to become an expert, why not start growing them now? Cherry tomatoes are an easy variety for beginners. Here are few extra tips to know:

Bush varieties, also called “determinate” tomatoes, grow just as well in pots as in the garden. Vining species, or “indeterminate” tomatoes,” need to be staked or grown with a cage.
Because tomatoes are heavy feeders, they like a boost of fertilizer or compost during the season. Treat them to full sun and lots of moisture, and they’ll produce juicy fruit in your first year of vegetable gardening!

There aren’t too many garden vegetables that are truly difficult to grow. You wouldn’t want to start your first season aiming for a bumper crop of tropical melons, but most common fruits and vegetables are easy and within reach of beginners. Even if you don’t have garden space, many crops do just fine in pots, as long as they have enough room to grow. For any more questions on vegetable gardening or to discover more plants we can grow in Chicagoland, visit our garden centers in Bloomingdale and Carpentersville!

Platt Hill Nursery is Chicago’s premier garden center and nursery.

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