From the garden

Rootivo Garden Journal

Seasonal tips, companion planting, care and self-sufficiency — from practice, short and to the point.

· 2 min

Plant garlic in autumn for bigger, fuller bulbs

Planting garlic in spring means losing growing time. Set it in October and it roots before winter – then rewards you with solid bulbs next summer.

· 4 min

The best time to deal with slugs is now, not next May

Slugs lay their eggs in autumn. Find the clutches now and you'll have far fewer slugs on your seedlings next spring – and far less work.

· 3 min

Berry bushes: pick the spot now, plant in October

You plant in October — but you choose the spot now. What you settle in the next four weeks shapes a decade of harvests and more.

· 4 min

Your September strawberry bed: who belongs beside it, who doesn't

Young strawberry plants leave plenty of room between the rows in September. Fill that space wisely now and you'll save yourself a spring reshuffle — and you'll know which two neighbours are off the table entirely.

· 4 min

Green Tomatoes in September: Ripen Them Instead of Binning Them

The nights are turning cold, nothing more is happening on the plant – and yet the trusses are still full. Here's how to turn those green tomatoes into a real harvest.

· 4 min

One clump, three plants: divide your herbs now

Mint, comfrey and chives practically multiply themselves in September – all you have to do is split them. Five minutes per plant, and you save yourself a trip to the garden centre next spring.

· 3 min

Chard in September: Cut It, Don't Clear It

While the other beds are emptying out, chard just keeps pushing new leaves. With the right harvesting technique you can keep it going into the first frosts — and with a bit of luck, all the way to spring.

· 4 min

Ready to pick? The lift-and-twist test will tell you

Pick too early and the apple stays sour; pick too late and it turns mealy and won't keep in storage. One simple move at the tree tells you when the moment is right.

· 4 min

Mustard after cabbage? The cover crop mistake that lingers

Cover crops are supposed to be good for the soil, full stop. Not quite: mustard and oil radish are brassicas themselves, so they belong in your crop rotation plan.

· 3 min

Clearing beds in September: what belongs on the compost heap

Not every leftover belongs on the heap. With some crops, composting the wrong material invites the problem straight back into next year's beds.

· 4 min

September Potato Hunt: How to Harvest and Store Them Right

When the foliage collapses and turns brown, the best treasure hunt of the gardening year is waiting underground. Here's how to harvest in September – and keep your potatoes sound well into winter.

· 4 min

Plant Overwintering Onions Now, Harvest by Early Summer

Overwintering onion sets root through the cold months and mature weeks before spring-planted ones. The planting window is opening right now, while the soil is still warm.

· 5 min

White Coating, Yellow Edges? Let the Photo Scan Take a Look

By September, balcony plants rarely look the way they did in June. The photo scan tells you in seconds which plant you're looking at – and what's bothering it.

· 4 min

Raised bed sinking? September is the month to top it up

Your raised bed was filled to the brim in spring, and now there's a ten-centimetre gap. That's not a mistake – and autumn is the best time to fix it.

· 4 min

Kale in September: This Month Decides Your Winter Harvest

You planted it in summer and you'll harvest from October — but the leaves that carry you through winter are forming right now. Here's what matters in these weeks.

· 4 min

Saving Your Own Seeds: Beans, Tomatoes and Lettuce for Next Year

September ripens more than fruit — it ripens seeds too. Three beginner-friendly crops let you lay the groundwork for your 2027 garden without spending a cent.

· 3 min

Why So Little Grows Under a Walnut Tree – and What Does

The first nuts are dropping, and everything in the bed below is sulking. Juglone is part of the story, but not all of it.

· 3 min

Sow corn salad in September for a harvest that outlasts winter

A few rows now, and you will be picking from October well into March. Corn salad is the least demanding plant in the autumn raised bed, and kids love harvesting the little rosettes.

· 3 min

Never miss a sowing window again: the bell in your plant library

The best moment to sow is usually the one you forgot about. A small bell in the plant library reminds you in time — and it factors in your climate zone.

· 3 min

Heavy, medium, light feeders: plan next year's rotation now

The first beds are clearing in late August, and right now you still remember exactly what grew where. That makes it the ideal moment to lock in next year's rotation.

· 4 min

One More Harvest Before Autumn: Sow Radishes and Mizuna Now

Late August is far from the end of the season. Radishes need about four weeks, mizuna a good five - which means fresh greens in your raised bed well into October.

· 4 min

Harvesting and Storing Squash So Your Crop Lasts Into Winter

The first winter squash ripen in late August — but harvested too early, they rot in storage. Four signs tell you when the moment is right.

· 3 min

Autumn sowings not coming up? Your soil is too warm

You sow lamb's lettuce, spinach and salad leaves in late August, and nothing happens. Usually it isn't the seed's fault — it's a few degrees too much down in the bed.

· 3 min

Log your harvest instead of guessing it

August is when the harvest really rolls in — and with it the most useful data of your gardening year. Write it down now, and next spring you'll plan from facts instead of a hunch.

· 4 min

Topping tomatoes in August: getting the last fruit to ripen

Your tomato keeps growing and setting new flowers while the fruit below stays stubbornly green. In late August, one cut decides what actually ripens.

· 4 min

Plant Strawberries Now: August Sets Up Next Year's Harvest

Strawberries don't go in the ground in spring – they go in now. Plant in August and next year you'll pick full bowls instead of the odd berry, as long as you get one thing right: the planting depth.

· 3 min

Bed harvested and empty? Sow a cover crop instead of bare soil

After garlic, early potatoes and lettuce, August often leaves bare patches behind. Sow a cover crop now and you'll feed your soil – and save yourself real work next spring.

· 3 min

Sow spinach now for fresh greens well into winter

Mid-August opens the best sowing window for autumn spinach. Sow now and you'll be harvesting from October – and with one simple trick, well into winter.

· 3 min

Harvesting bush beans in August: pick often, enjoy them tender

Your bush beans are loaded with pods? Now your picking rhythm decides how long the plants keep producing — and how tender the beans end up on your plate.

· 3 min

Pairing herbs in pots: combos that thrive on your balcony

Companion planting works in containers too: some herbs support each other, others make life hard for their neighbors. Here's how to pair them well.

· 3 min

Sow winter radish now: the underrated autumn classic

While the summer harvest is in full swing, what ends up on your plate in October is decided now. Winter radish is the easiest way to fill beds that have just opened up.

· 3 min

Drowning in zucchini? How to harvest, store, and use them all

By late July, zucchini plants produce faster than you can cook. With the right harvest rhythm and a few storage tricks, nothing goes to waste.

· 3 min

Cracked tomatoes? What's behind it and how to prevent it

Weeks of heat, then a heavy thunderstorm – and suddenly your best tomatoes split open. Here's what's going on and how to protect your harvest.

· 3 min

Your garden journal in July: why taking notes now pays off twice

High summer is harvest time – and right now is when the most valuable insights for next season happen. Write them down, and your winter planning gets twice as smart.

· 2 min

Kohlrabi in July: the fast, kid-friendly star of the raised bed

Mild, crunchy, and ready in about eight weeks: kohlrabi is the perfect vegetable for kids — and mid-July is your last ideal sowing window.

· 3 min

Raspberries after harvest: prune now for strong new canes

Picked the last of your summer raspberries? Now's the time to grab your pruners: cutting right after harvest sets up next year's crop.

· 3 min

Why celeriac belongs next to your fall brassicas – and tomatoes don't

July is when broccoli, savoy and friends move into the bed – right as the cabbage white butterfly hits peak season. One old bed partner helps; two popular myths don't.

· 3 min

Wilting pots in July? 4 quick fixes for balcony heat

Leaves drooping at noon, soil bone-dry by evening: potted plants are the first to suffer in a heatwave. These four simple moves will get your balcony garden through high summer.

· 3 min

Sow in July, harvest all autumn: endive, radicchio & napa cabbage

Early potatoes, garlic and onions are clearing out of your beds right now — and that's exactly your opportunity: three autumn salads want to go into the ground now.

· 2 min

Harvesting currants: whole trusses, good timing, lasting enjoyment

In early July the bushes are loaded. Pick your currants truss by truss at the right moment and you'll save work — and enjoy the harvest far longer.

· 3 min

Swiss chard in July: the colorful greens that refill your raised bed

Lettuce harvested, radishes long gone — and suddenly your raised bed has gaps? Sown in July, Swiss chard fills them reliably and keeps you in fresh leaves well into late autumn.

· 3 min

White film on zucchini and cucumber? Beat mildew naturally

By late June it shows up almost overnight: a mealy white film on the leaves. With the right care you can slow powdery mildew down — no chemicals needed.

· 3 min

Harvesting Garlic: 3 Signs the Bulbs Are Ready

Pull too early and the bulbs stay small; too late and they split and barely keep. Here's how to nail the timing.

· 3 min

Strange spot on a leaf? Scan your way to a fast diagnosis

A spot, a hole, a white film — and you have no idea what's going on. Rootivo's photo scan gives you a first hunch in seconds, instead of helplessly googling.

· 3 min

Carrots and Onions: The Duo That Outsmarts the Carrot Fly

In late June the carrot fly's second generation takes flight — and right now it decides whether your carrots stay sound. One simple pairing helps more than most people think.

· 3 min

The 3 biggest watering mistakes in high summer (and how to fix them)

In high summer it's not the amount of water that decides your harvest, but when and how you water. Three mistakes cost you effort, water and plants — and all three are easy to fix.

· 3 min

Pinching out tomatoes in June: channel the plant's energy into fruit

Side shoots cost your tomato plant energy without adding a single extra fruit. Pinch them out regularly now and you'll harvest bigger tomatoes on healthier plants.

· 2 min

Harvesting Basil the Right Way: Keep It Bushy All Summer Long

Pluck single leaves and you'll soon be left with a bare stem. Cut it the right way and your basil grows back denser — and keeps giving well into autumn.

· 3 min

Early Harvest Done? Plan Smart Crop Rotation for Your Summer Beds

Radishes and early lettuce are out, and the empty patch tempts you to refill it with the wrong thing. One simple crop-rotation rule keeps your soil healthy and productive into autumn.

· 3 min

Half-empty June bed? Let the Magic Wand replan it

Radishes harvested, spring lettuce gone to seed — and now there are gaps in your bed. Instead of stuffing in whatever's left, the Magic Wand gives you a thought-through replanting plan in seconds, with companion planting and crop rotation already baked in.

· 2 min

Bush beans in June: the fast win for a family garden

Big seeds, fast germination, a generous harvest: bush beans are the perfect June crop for beds with kids. Here's how to direct-sow them — and which neighbour makes them thrive.

· 4 min

Aphids in June: The Allies That Really Work — and 3 Myths

Sticky leaves, curled shoots, an army of tiny suckers: aphids boom in June. Here's which beneficial insects and companion plants actually help — and three popular tips you can skip.

· 3 min

Cut-and-come-again lettuce: fresh leaves all summer long

Head lettuce loves to bolt in June and turns bitter. Loose-leaf lettuce, on the other hand, gives you leaf after leaf for weeks. Here's how to keep it thriving even in the summer heat.

· 3 min

Mulching in June: How a Layer of Mulch Carries Your Beds Through Summer

Once the heat arrives, bare beds dry out fast. A layer of mulch saves you litres of watering all summer long — and a lot of work.

· 2 min

Zucchini in June: Plant now, harvest into October

A single zucchini plant can feed a whole family — and in June there's still plenty of time to get one going. Here's how to make it thrive, even in a raised bed.

· 3 min

Strawberry season! Pick them right and make the harvest last

Mid-June is peak strawberry season. Pick the right way and you'll get far more flavour from your patch — plus three easy ways to preserve whatever doesn't get eaten on the spot.

· 2 min

Sow Now, Harvest in Autumn: June's Hidden Second Season

While everyone is focused on the summer bed, experienced gardeners are already planting the second wave. What goes into the soil in June will feed you long after the tomatoes are gone.

· 2 min

Blight Defense: What Decides Your Tomato Harvest in June

Muggy nights, warm rain, dense foliage — perfect blight weather. The next three weeks decide whether you harvest in August or watch bitter streaks spread.

· 3 min

Companion Planting in Midsummer: 7 Perfect June Combinations

Combine your plants right in June and you will harvest deep into October — with less watering, less fertilizing, and almost no pest control. Seven classics from practice.

· 3 min

Slugs in June: 5 Methods That Really Work — and 3 Myths

Half your lettuce gone overnight? We separate what actually works from what is just internet folklore — and show you the best combination for the next two weeks.

· 2 min

Garden Day on June 14: 3 Rituals You Should Not Miss

Sunday is Garden Day. Before you just sit with a coffee between the tomatoes: these three little rituals turn the day into a real anchor for your season.