Columbus, OH

August is a critical month for gardeners as the intense heat and dry conditions can put significant stress on plants. Ensuring your garden remains productive and healthy requires careful attention and the right strategies. However, many gardeners fall into common traps during this month. Here are the biggest mistakes to avoid and how to fix them.

The Biggest Mistakes That Gardeners Make In August (Don’t Kill Your Garden!)

While common, terracotta pots are not a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to your green friends. According to gardening experts, many plants will actually struggle when placed in terracotta pots. Below, we're sharing four plant types that you will want to pay special attention to when gardening. Ferns. Ferns will...

4 Plants You Should Never Plant in a Terracotta Pot, According to Gardeners

Watering your garden in hot weather can be challenging! The intense heat and increased evaporation can make it difficult to keep your plants hydrated and healthy. It’s frustrating to see your plants wilt despite your best efforts. Understanding common watering mistakes and how to avoid them can help you maintain a thriving garden even during the hottest months.

Don’t Kill Your Plants! Avoid These Hot Weather Watering Mistakes

Harvesting rainwater is often seen as an eco-friendly and cost-effective way to irrigate your garden. Many gardeners embrace this practice, hoping to conserve water and reduce utility bills. While there are undeniable benefits to collecting rainwater, there are also hidden risks that gardeners should be aware of to ensure the health and safety of their plants and soil.

The Hidden Risks Of Harvesting Rainwater For Your Garden

As summer starts to wind down, August becomes a critical month for preparing your tomato plants for a bountiful September harvest. Tomatoes, native to western South America and Central America, thrive in warm weather but require specific care to maximize fruit production as the season progresses. By giving your tomatoes the right attention now, you can ensure they produce a generous, delicious crop next month.

Do This To Your Tomatoes In August For A Huge September Harvest

Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is a household staple with a myriad of uses beyond baking. For gardeners, it’s a versatile tool that can address various challenges in the garden. Whether you’re dealing with pests, plant diseases, or even soil pH issues, baking soda can be a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution.

Why Every Gardener Should Have Baking Soda Stocked And Ready To Use

Bright red toadstools, funky jelly fungus, and rounded puffball mushrooms in lawn grass may look alarming. However, lawn mushrooms can be a sign that you have healthy soil. Mushrooms can help lawns grow better by breaking down organic matter and making soil nutrients more available to plant roots. Before we...

Are There Mushrooms in Your Lawn? They're Actually a Good Sign, a Gardening Pro Says

With many regions experiencing heat waves, August in the garden is a time for trimming crispy stems, plucking spent annuals, and deadheading perennials to encourage a late-season flush of flowers. Many plants are still in full swing or at least gearing up for their late summer and early fall burst of energy.

17 Perennials to Plant in August

Gardening Know How

High summer is synonymous with deadheads and straggly growth, so it’s tempting to reach for the cutters. But here are the plants you should not prune in summer – and why

Don’t Trim These Plants Before Fall: 7 Plants You Should Not Prune In Summer

Real Simple

Upgrading your plants' living spaces can help them thrive.

5 Vital Signs It’s Time to Repot Your Plants

Growing vegetables in pots is an excellent solution for gardeners with limited space or those who want to maximize their yield. Perennial vegetables are especially beneficial because they require less replanting, providing consistent harvests year after year. Here are ten perennial vegetables you can grow in pots, ensuring a steady supply of fresh produce with minimal effort.

10 Perennial Vegetables & Herbs You Can Grow in Pots – Plant Once, Harvest Forever

Whether you are renovating a weedy lawn or overseeding existing turf, timing is critical to establishing a healthy, robust lawn. Proper timing ensures good seed germination and allows grass seedlings time to establish a healthy root system before the environmental stresses of summer or winter arrive. In turn, a healthy grass stand is better able to compete against weeds and requires less maintenance. We visited with a lawn expert to learn more about the ideal time to reseed lawns, factors to consider, and techniques for achieving a lush and healthy lawn.

The Ideal Time To Reseed Your Lawn, According To An Expert

Many of the insects attracted to our plants are beneficial pollinators such as bees and butterflies, which help fruits and flowers to thrive—but not all bugs in a garden are beneficial. Some of the most popular plants and vegetables are also hotspots for pests we don't want anywhere near...

6 Plants That Attract Unwanted Pests (And You Should Get Rid of Them ASAP), Pros Say

The best wood for raised garden beds varies in terms of durability and availability, but most importantly, it needs to be untreated. Learn about the best ones to use.

The Best Wood For Raised Garden Beds: Selecting The Right One For Your Gardening Project

Real Homes

Want to know the plants you should never deadhead? We've asked gardening experts which ones you should avoid snipping and why this is

The 7 plants that you should never deadhead — gardening pros say to leave these alone

Late summer and early fall are the prime times to plant grass seed. The lawn may be a little worn from summer fun or heat, moisture, pest, or disease issues that take their toll. You may be ready to reimagine the turf, reshaping and refreshing existing zones. Whether filling in...

When and How to Plant Grass Seed

I don’t know about you, but I love a good tropical vacation. Having grown up in Zone 11, creating my own tropical paradise in the backyard was a cinch. Here in Zone 9, however, things are a little more complicated, and our winters aren’t all that cold. But it does freeze here, and many plants only last one season in the ground.

27 Tropical Plants That Thrive Indoors

Apples are a delicious fruit that grows in abundance from late summer through fall. And while picking your own apples from the orchard is a fun seasonal activity, have you ever considered making your own tiny orchard in your backyard? After finishing an apple, harvest the seeds and plant them in small containers. Soon, the seeds will germinate, and you'll be well on your way to growing an apple tree.

How to Plant Apple Seeds So They Grow Into Fruit-Bearing Trees

Polk County, FL

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Fort Meade, FL

Uncovering Florida

The Polk County Sheriff's Office has made an arrest after conducting an investigation into a case of credit card fraud involving 28-year-old Burger King employee, Kellyn Miley. The incident was discussed in detail during this morning's briefing with Sheriff Grady Judd.

Burger King Employee Caught Using Customer's Credit Card for Food at Former Job

The Guardian

Plant, palm or tree – you want natural beauty but your fingers aren’t as green as you’d like. These plants will brighten your home and need minimal attention

No growing pains: the 20 houseplants that are hardest to kill

NewsBreak

Water Your Garden the Right Way (Stop Killing Your Plants!)

Watering should be the simplest thing in the world, but watering effectively and efficiently requires a little know-how. How you water depends on the type of...

Water Your Garden the Right Way (Stop Killing Your Plants!)

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