My goal has always been to empower anyone reading this to grow their own food at home. There are countless options available, whether you have a sprawling yard, a small patio, or no yard at all. So, get out there, start growing, taste the difference, and begin evolving the way you consume and think about fresh food. Backyard farms are incredible! I hope you begin this year or continue expanding your gardening skills.

Below, please find planting maps that you can use to plant your garden RIGHT NOW. Most suggestions assume you’ll be using seeds, not starts, which just means timings will be faster if you plant with starts.

Proper Plant Spacing + What to Plant in April

I plugged the same garden request I asked AI yesterday into a subscription version of ChatGPT, and I believe the answer I received is even better than yesterday's newsletter recording. I'm excited to share it with you 👇. This AI-generated planting list, combined with my maps, should set you up for a fantastic start this season.

Get out there and enjoy the process! Keep me posted on your progress. And holler with questions.

oxo

amyp👩🏽‍🌾

AI Results:

Since you’re starting on April 12, you’ve got a solid window for spring planting and succession planting into summer and fall.

Here’s a planting calendar and chart for your two raised beds, along with general care notes.

🛠️ General Care and Maintenance Tips

🌿 Soil Prep & Fertilizing

• Mix in compost before planting (now).

• Use balanced organic fertilizer at planting time (e.g., 5-5-5), especially for heavy feeders like broccoli, kale, and zucchini.

• Fertilize monthly for kale and broccoli with a nitrogen-rich amendment (e.g., fish emulsion or blood meal).

• Avoid over-fertilizing root crops like carrots and radishes—too much nitrogen = more leaves, fewer roots.

💧 Watering

• Keep soil moist, not soaked. Aim for ~1" per week.

• Water more frequently during dry summer stretches.

• Drip irrigation or a soaker hose is ideal for consistency.

🐛 Pests & Protection

• Use row covers early on for brassicas (kale, broccoli) to deter cabbage moths.

• Handpick aphids or spray with a neem oil solution if needed.

• Slugs love tender seedlings in spring—use traps or iron phosphate pellets.

☀️ Sunlight Considerations

• Your 10am–4pm sun window is decent, especially as the season progresses and the sun climbs higher.

• Plant taller crops like peas and broccoli on the north side of the beds to avoid shading smaller ones. (I was particularly impressed with this suggestion! - amy)

📆 Month-by-Month Overview (2025 Season)

April

• Direct sow: peas, lettuce, spinach, radish, kale, onions

• Transplant: broccoli starts

• Start fertilizing leafy greens mid-late month

May

• Harvest early radishes and spinach

• Sow carrots and beets (after early harvests)

• Mulch around beds to retain moisture

June

• First broccoli and lettuce harvests

• Begin regular harvesting of kale, green onions

• Monitor for bolting in spinach and lettuce

July

• Plant zucchini (where broccoli was)

• Plant bush beans (after snap peas)

• Fertilize zucchini 2 weeks after transplanting

• Water deeply during heatwaves

August

• Continue harvesting kale, beans, zucchini

• Start seeds for fall crops indoors (lettuce, spinach, arugula)

September

• Sow fall crops (direct seed or transplant): lettuce, spinach, arugula

• Begin to clean out warm-season crops as they fade

October

• Plant garlic (after onions harvested)

• Mulch garlic well for overwintering

I did a little AI experiment today, and I’m sharing the results. Here, I walk you through ChatGPT’s garden plan for a typical Seattle backyard farm. I do a screenshare and analyze the results, adding helpful commentary. If you haven’t started planting yet this year, get on it! Now is the PERFECT time and you have a few more days in a window of planting, so you can get 2 full crop rotations in this year. (Haven’t prepped your yard yet? Get started!)

I found ChatGPT to be pretty helpful. If you’re just starting your garden this year, AI may be a decent resource. While AI may be a great tool for casual gardeners, I think most of you will still appreciate the candor from a real live gardener. This video may leave you with more questions than answers, but I’m here for it.

Leave a comment with any follow-up questions about your space, and I’m happy to offer advice. And stay tuned for a pt. 2, which I’ll publish tomorrow - with a plan to download and some other tips and tricks.

Happy gardening,

oxo amy 👩🏽‍🌾

I’ve been wanting to grow flowers this year, and while I’m in an apartment and kind of stuck with “bulbs in vases,” it reminded me to reach out to this community and share some info on what you can plant RIGHT NOW so your house is full of blooms all year long.

Read on for some tips how and what to grow this year for your backyard flower farm. And feel free to reply or comment with any other garden questions you have.

Happy soon-to-be April!

oxo amyp

It’s Hot Then It’s Cold!

Let’s hope it stays warm and storms stay away. With the last few days of sunshine and warm air, it’s definitely time to get some bulbs and seeds in the garden. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced gardener, these tips and guidelines for getting started with a mini flower farm will help you know when and what to plant in your garden this season.

Local Flower Farm Shares Tips

Sara Gainey from The Rookery, a local Seattle Flower Farm with flower beds in her southeast facing property, is a great go-to source for seasonal advice. Nestled under a heron rookery, Sara has been growing for several years, and has an excellent sense of what to grow and how.

“The next few weeks are a great time to start direct-seeding some of my favorite flowers to enjoy throughout the spring and summer.” At the moment, she’s planting directly into the ground: snapdragons, foxglove, artichoke (“I love using these in bouquets!” says Gainey), sweet peas, nigella, and delphinium. These are a good option for direct sowing.

April is a great month for planting pretty much anything, and while you can start some of these seeds inside to plant out later, if your property gets consistent sunlight you can also plant zinnias, sunflowers, dill, cosmos, “and my all time favorite: corn cockle,” says Gainey.

“What I love most about a lot of these flowers is they're ‘cut and come again’ flowers, which means the more you harvest the more they grow, particularly zinnias and cosmos. They add so much character to any garden and will really keep giving throughout the season whether you leave them to be enjoyed in the garden or snip them for a bouquet.”

All of these flowers can be found in The Rookery’s flower subscriptions, along with many other varieties as the seasons change. This subscription service provides regularly delivered, locally grown flowers to your doorstep, or let’s you send to a friend. She also hosts floral design workshops throughout Seattle and has an upcoming April workshop at Casa di LaValle.

Sara’s Flower Growing Tips

• Best Time to Start Seeding: The next week or two is an ideal for direct-seeding flowers like sweet peas and nigella for spring and summer blooms.

• Indoor Seeding & Transplanting: Flowers like zinnias, sunflowers, dill, cosmos, and corn cockle can be in April, or started indoors now and transplanted later if you have shady garden beds.

• "Cut and Come Again" Flowers: Zinnias and cosmos thrive with regular harvesting, continuously producing fresh blooms throughout the season.

• Direct Planting Now: Flowers like snapdragons, foxglove, artichoke, sweet peas, and delphinium can be planted directly into the ground now.

• Flower Subscription & Workshops: Sara offers a flower subscription service for fresh, locally grown flowers and hosts floral design workshops in Seattle, with limited spots available.

For more details, visit: The Rookery Flower Farm

We hosted another flower farmer, Agnes Cwalina a few years back, and created a cheat sheet that I’m opening up so anyone can download. Here are some top tips from that convo. (Paid Subscribers can still access the link and watch the Master Class.)

Download the Flower Calendar

Cool Season Annuals: Early Bloomers

Planting Time: Early spring (March-April) [and autumn (September-October) - mark your calendars!]

Blooming Period: June-July

Examples: Sweet peas, bachelor buttons, larkspur, bells of Ireland

Key Takeaways:

• Prefer temperatures between 50-70°F

• Can tolerate light frost

• Can be directly sown or started indoors

"Cool season annuals are the first to bring color to your garden in spring."

Warm Season Annuals: Summer Stars

Planting Time: Around Mother's Day (late May-June)

Blooming Period: Late July-October

Examples: Zinnias, sunflowers, marigolds, Cosmos

Key Takeaways:

• Plant when soil consistently reaches 50°F

• Avoid planting too early to prevent frost damage

• Expect bold, vibrant colors

"Warm season annuals will light up your garden with vibrant colors all summer long."

Strategies for Continuous Bloom: Keep Your Garden Flourishing

Tips:

• Start some seeds indoors to get a head start

• Plant successive batches of seeds every 2-3 weeks

• Choose varieties with different bloom times

• Include perennials and foliage plants to fill gaps between annual blooming periods

Key Takeaways:

• Stagger planting times for continuous bloom

• Use a mix of annuals and perennials

• Plan for different bloom periods

With a strategy in place, you can enjoy a garden that blooms from spring through late autumn. Make sure to mark you calendars and get things in the ground stat - Mother Nature waits for no man.

Preparing Gardening Beds: Setting the Foundation

Need help getting garden beds started? Here’s a fast, easy plan to prep your soil and garden beds.

Steps:

• Remove existing grass/ground cover

• Use cardboard or burlap as initial ground cover

• Add wood chips for mulching pathways

• Prevent soil erosion with cover crops in winter

Key Takeaways:

• Ensure soil temperature is consistent (around 50°F)

• Check soil moisture before planting

• Plan bed layout considering sun exposure and directional planting

Proper bed preparation is key to a successful garden, and good news - you really only have to do it once! For years to come, you can use this same bed, as long as you weed regularly, rotate crops, and a do a bit of annual maintenance.

Fertilizing and Deadheading Flowers: Promote Continuous Blooming

Want to keep blooms going for longer? Of course you do. Here are some basic but important ways to care for your flowers, so they bloom again and again. Consistent fertilizing and deadheading will keep your garden blooming all season.

Fertilizing: Use a more bloom fertilizer (0-10-10) with higher phosphorus and potassium, apply every 2-3 weeks during the growing season

Deadheading: Regularly remove spent blooms before they go to seed, cut flowers at the right stage of harvest (before pollen formation)

Key Takeaways:

• Use bloom-promoting fertilizers

• Deadhead regularly to encourage more flower production

• Harvest flowers in the coolest part of the day

Challenges & Solutions: Overcoming Common Gardening Obstacles

These were some challenges gardeners in yoru community faced - bunnies, fencing, and more. Read on for common pitfalls and a handful of solutions. While no perfect solution exists, gardeners can mitigate challenges through multiple strategies and continuous learning. And remember - you can always hit me up! I’m happy to give advice anytime.

Challenges:

• Increasing bunny population in Seattle

• Rabbits eating garden plants

• Difficulty finding effective and aesthetically pleasing garden fencing

• Protecting garden beds from wildlife

Solutions:

• Fencing Options: Metal stakes with symmetrical square fencing, plastic netting with metal stakes, raised bed fencing with wire cutouts

• Bunny Deterrence Methods: Cats as natural predators/deterrents, potential use of cat litter around garden beds, temporary fencing solutions

• Gardening Strategies: Waiting to put seedlings out until proper protection is in place, timing of planting (e.g., potatoes can go in this week), removing lawn and creating farm-style rows for gardening

• Information Sharing: Using Instagram (specifically @flowers.urban) for gardening tips, sending out newsletters with gardening advice, sharing real-time gardening experiences and challenges

Top 3 Takeaways for Gardeners

1. Harvest Timing is Critical

   • Harvest flowers before pollen formation

   • Cut in the coolest part of the day (early morning or late afternoon)

   • Different flowers have optimal harvest stages (e.g., lilacs when 1/3 of florets are open)

2. Fertilization Matters

   • Use more bloom fertilizer (0-10-10) to promote flowering

   • Apply every 2-3 weeks during growing season

   • Avoid high nitrogen fertilizers that encourage leaf growth over flowers

3. Continuous Blooming Requires Active Management

   • Deadhead regularly to encourage more flower production

   • The more you cut, the more flowers will bloom

   • Remove spent blooms before they go to seed

Happy Gardening!

Holler with questions - OXO amyp 👩🏽‍🌾

If you’ve been following along for the last few years, you KNOW I’m a militant tomato planter 😠, often suggesting that one should wait until after Memorial Day to plant out tomatoes. But every year is different. And I dare say, it’s gonna be a hot one.

Wi…

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I kinda ghosted on you last summer, I’m sorry.

And while I did suddenly stop writing and sending emails, I did also pause subscriptions so you should NOT have been charged as of Aug 2022. I never feel it’s fair to pay for something you’re not using.

I’m emailing today because I’m reactivating the newsletter on the ba…

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Here, I explain where on the plant and HOW to cut back your basil plants, prolonging harvest. This week, I’m sending a video tutorial — felt easier to show you than to tell you.

Hope your basil is going strong!

And then this video turns the view and I can share the opposite view. Let me know if this helps you! I hope you now understand how and why to do it!

Did you get your winter plants in?! Be sure to read the last newsletter on what to plant now and consider using starts if you haven’t already sown seed. Next week, I’ll be sending more tomato maintenance tips!

Keep those watering routines consistent — water more on hot days, less on cloudy days. Check your soil & stay engaged.

Happy summer-ing,

amy

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If you have a garden in full sun, be sure to check soil moisture levels in the coming days, watering once or twice a day as needed. Heavier clay soils need less watering than those composed of lots of sand. We tend to have clay-rich, acid-forward soil in the Pac NW, but with so…

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Summer squash plants (all members of the Cucurbitaceae family, for that matter— cucumbers, pumpkins, melons, gourds, and so on) send out both male and female blossoms. Through pollination, male blossoms lend their pollen to the female blos- soms, and those female blossoms turn into the fruit of the plant. A plant will create more male blossoms than are necessary for pollination, and some of these may be harvested and eaten. (But if you eat all of the male blossoms, you will not have any fruit to harvest!)

Identifying male versus female blossoms is a reasonably simple task. Male flowers have stamens—a long, slender “stalk” that runs up the center of the bloom, tipped with a thick carpet of pollen. Male blossoms grow on long, thin stems from the base of the squash plant—typically about six or seven inches in length. By contrast, female blos- soms sit low to the plant and do not have a stamen. To harvest, cut the male blossoms at the base of their stems, as close to the plant as possible. You can use the stem in your cooking or trim it down to a few inches. (You may also harvest female blossoms, if you are trying to reduce the fruit of the plant or it’s early in the season and you wish for the plant to fully establish itself before fruiting.)

Use harvested squash blossoms right away, as they wilt quickly. If you need to store them for a short time, line a storage container with a linen cloth or paper towel and mist it until just damp. Lay out the flowers in single layers, leaving space between the blossoms, and stack them between layers of moistened towel. Store in the fridge for up to two days.

To prepare squash blossoms for cooking, I like to remove the stamen, particularly if the anther is thick, as it can taste quite bitter. (The anther is the tip of the stamen and contains the pollen.) To do this, use a small paring knife and delicately open the blossom to remove the stamen at its base or as close to the base as possible. Cook squash blossoms by dipping them into a light egg batter and frying, briefly, in a shallow pool of oil. Make sure the heat is high, as they cook quickly and you need only let the batter brown slightly before serving. For more crunch, roll them in bread crumbs (after dipping them into the batter) before frying.

You can also chop squash blossoms and add them to soups, such as Ricotta– Squash Dumpling Soup or Carrot Peel Soup. I have also had squash blossoms in a simple, light quesadilla. Heat a tortilla in a dry pan; when both sides are golden, add cheese and several squash blossoms to one side and fold in half, pressing the sides together. The cheese will melt and the blossoms will steam. Delicious!

[This article has been excerpted from FRESH PANTRY, so if you're looking for more tips & tricks for eating, growing and living seasonally, please check out my book!]

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This is still a great list for planting, in case you missed it a couple of weeks back. Get your b…

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This is the rule of growing in the Pacific NW — as gardeners we have to really tap in and pay attention to what Mother Nature is communicating, letting go of any rules of …

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& other springtime strategies

May is a tough month to make a best choice. It’s warm, but not consistently. It’s drier, but not consistently. As a gardener, this month, we weigh our options and maybe take some gambles. Do we cover our sensitive crops? Do we roll the dice and just plant everything out and pray?

Here are some high-…

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It’s cold, but its spring, and your garden beds should be pretty well planted by now. Oftentimes, new gardeners make the mistake of waiting until May to plant something, but with our mild climate, we can start growing as early as March and harvest a full crop before planting out summer crops like tomato, basil, and squash.

Here, I’m sharing common garden questions that fellow subscribers asked in the last 2 weeks.

WARDING OFF PESTS

Gina asked:

I also need help with things that eat seedlings: slugs, bunnies, digging birds, you name it.  I plant and plant and seem to end up with such a little amount to eat.  Row covers keep some things off and let others feast.

ANSWER:

You gotta tuck that row cover in, just like a real tight bed! NOTHING should be able to get under there, trapped, and feast. Best to do a good slug hunt before using the cover. What else is eating seedlings - do you know?

I use fencing, netting, AND row cover in my gardens, as the pests really have taken over the last few years.

Season Extension How-tos

HOW TO THIN PLANTS

Brooke asked:

Amy! I need thinning advice  I’m always scared to do too much . Do I thin the whole row leaving a thinner line of seedlings? Or do I pluck out bunches in between so there’s seedlings every few inches with dirt in between?

These are carrots, beets and arugula.

Also, should I be worried if I planted a squash and zucchini seeds weeks ago and it hasn’t emerged? (NOTE: this was asked in mid-April)

ANSWER:

Carrots - thin to one plant every 1-1 1/2 inches (in the row) and YES soul should be bare between & around each seedling 

Beets - thin to one every 2-3 inches 

Arugula - I let this grow in big clumps so that you can just grab big handfuls and cut them close to the soil harvesting however much you need at any moment. I never thin arugula. I plan arugula in a square-foot space and broadcast sow.

You are too early for zucchini and anything else in the squash family.

GROWING DILL

Emily asked:

Do you have any advice for successfully growing dill? I love using it chopped mixed into salads etc in my cooking but have had the worst luck with growing it, both starting from seed and also as a start. It just never seems to produce new growth, leaves yellow out, before it wilts and dies. I would appreciate any advice you have! I have dreams of large, lush dill plants!

ANSWER:

So funny, I was JUST talking to a fellow farmer about how we BOTH struggle with Dill!! Here are my tips: 1. Plant a TON of seed. 2. Plant at the right time - spring - in FULL SUN in a bed with fresh compost or fertilizer dug in 3. Use floating row cover so seed bed stays consistently moist. 4. Believe. Good luck! Keep me posted!! If you get it growing. I'll ask all my insta-farmers, too, and report back any advice from other pro's. 👨🏽‍🌾

GROWING POTATOES IN BAGS

Jenni asked:

I've yet to get my potatoes planted, and I'm planning to put them in bags this year. What soil do you recommend?

ANSWER:

If you're doing in bags, I'd do 60% potting soil, 20% topsoil, 20% compost - some sort of casual mix like this. All topsoil is too heavy, but all potting soil would be too "dead".

And then compost adds some good stuff, in the best circumstance.

Have questions of your own? Respond here, or leave a comment on the post, so others can read and respond.

Happy spring, amyp 👩🏽‍🌾

amyp

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This is the time of year that it’s time to buckle down and get all of your seeds and starts in the ground. There are always a few early windows, as I wrote in earlier emails (cilantro, arugula, peas) but now is the time w…

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