I received some questions from one of our fellow gardeners regarding deadheading, cutting and pinching with regards to her Zinnias and Marigolds. I thought that there were probably other gardeners in our community that have pondered these same questions with regards to these garden terms. I wanted to answer those questions here so anyone that is wondering when to do what would benefit from the discussion. 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: "What I wanted to ask is for my Zinnias and Marigolds, how to I cut them so they will grow more flowers. But also I want to have them in vases in my house. I keep hearing about deadheading and cutting. Can I do one or do I have to do both? I keep hearing about pinching Zinnias too. When would I do that?" 𝐌𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞: Hi! Great questions and the good news is that Zinnias and Marigolds are both "cut-and-come-again" flowers, which means the more you harvest them, the more flowers they usually produce. 🌼 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐯𝐬. 𝐂𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 means removing old blooms 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 they start to fade or go to seed. This tells the plant, "Don't make seeds yet, make more flowers instead!" 𝐂𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐭𝐬 does the same thing, as long as you cut the stem back to a set of leaves or a branching point. Every time you bring flowers inside for a vase, you're essentially deadheading and harvesting at the same time. So no, you don't have to do both. If you're regularly cutting flowers for bouquets, you're already encouraging the plant to produce more blooms. ✂️𝐂𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐭𝐬𝐬 When harvesting Zinnias, don't just snip the flower head. Follow the stem down and cut just above a set of leaves or where another side stem is growing. New stems and blooms will emerge from those leaf nodes. 🌼 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐮𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬 The same idea applies to Marigolds. Remove spent flowers or cut stems for bouquets back to a leaf set. This keeps the plant looking tidy and encourages continuous blooming. 🤏 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐙𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐬? Pinching is something you do when the plant is still young. When a Zinnia seedling is about 8–12 inches tall and has several sets of true leaves, you can pinch or snip off the top few inches of growth.

If lettuce is the king of the fall container garden... Spinach might just be the queen. 👑🌿 It's packed with nutrition, grows beautifully in containers, and absolutely loves the cooler temperatures that make many summer vegetables call it quits. In fact, if you've struggled to grow spinach in the spring, don't give up. Fall may be the season where it finally becomes one of your gardening favorites. 🌿 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥 Spinach and hot weather simply don't get along. When temperatures climb, spinach is quick to bolt, sending up a flower stalk instead of producing those tender leaves we love. But when daytime temperatures begin to cool and nights become crisp, spinach settles in and starts growing the way nature intended. Many gardeners even say the leaves become sweeter after a light frost! 🪴 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 Spinach has a fairly shallow root system, making it ideal for containers. Choose a pot that is: - At least 6–8 inches deep - Wide enough to plant several seeds together - Equipped with good drainage holes Window boxes, patio planters, and grow bags are all excellent choices. The more surface area you have, the more spinach you can harvest. 🌱 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐨 Unlike some vegetables, spinach is usually best started directly from seed. Plant seeds about ½ inch deep and keep the soil consistently moist while they germinate. One little secret... If your August temperatures are still warm, try watering the soil with cool water in the evening or providing a little afternoon shade. Cooler soil often helps spinach germinate more successfully. 💧 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐈𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 Spinach prefers evenly moist soil. Too little water can make the leaves tough. Too much water can lead to root problems. Check your containers regularly, especially during those lingering warm August afternoons. ✂️ 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 You don't have to wait for giant leaves. Baby spinach is incredibly tender and delicious. Simply harvest the outer leaves while allowing the center to continue producing.

Container gardeners have one problem that traditional gardeners don't always have to think about: We're going to run out of floor space eventually. 😂 The patio is full. The balcony is full. The deck is full. There isn't room for ONE. MORE. POT. Or is there? Because today we're growing UP. Meet one of my favorite cool-season container crops: 🫛 𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐒! Peas love cooler weather, grow beautifully on a simple trellis, and give us an opportunity to use vertical space instead of taking over the patio. And there's another reason you should consider growing them... If you've never eaten a pea seconds after picking it from the vine, you're in for a treat. 🫛 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥 Peas are cool-season plants. They aren't particularly happy when temperatures soar. Hot weather can slow production, reduce flowering, and eventually bring the pea-growing season to an end. But give them cooler days and chilly nights? 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲. That's why peas can make an excellent Second Spring crop. There's one catch, though. If August is still extremely hot where you live, don't rush them. You may need to wait until temperatures begin moderating before planting. Remember: 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. Your local weather gets the final vote. 🌱 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐞𝐚 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰? Here's where things get interesting because "peas" aren't all the same. 🫛 𝐒𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐫 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐩 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐬 You eat the pod AND the peas inside. They're sweet, crunchy, and wonderful straight from the vine. Honestly, some may never make it into the house. 😂 🫛 𝐒𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐫 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐩 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐬 These have flat, tender edible pods and are usually harvested before the peas inside fully develop. They're fantastic in stir-fries. 🫛 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐬 These are the traditional peas you remove from the pod before eating. The pod itself is usually too tough to eat. But those fresh peas inside? That's where the magic is. 🪴 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 Peas don't require an enormously deep container, but they appreciate room for their roots.

Yesterday we gave parsley the respect it deserves. Today we're moving on to one of its feathery friends...🌿 𝐃𝐈𝐋𝐋! Just brushing against dill can release that unmistakable fragrance that immediately makes you think of... 🥒 𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐋𝐄𝐒! But dill has a lot more going for it than keeping cucumbers company in a pickle jar. It's a wonderful cool-season herb for containers, produces edible leaves AND seeds, attracts beneficial insects, and may even help you raise a few beautiful butterflies along the way. And unlike some herbs where we're constantly trying to prevent flowering... With dill, there are some very good reasons to say: "Go ahead. 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐌!" 🌼 🌿 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐃𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 Dill doesn't particularly enjoy blazing summer heat. High temperatures can push it toward flowering and seed production quickly, shortening the amount of time you have to harvest those tender leaves. Sound familiar? We just talked about the same problem with cilantro! As temperatures become milder, dill generally has a better opportunity to produce plenty of leafy growth before flowering. That's why it deserves a spot in our Second Spring herb garden. 🪴 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐃𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫? Absolutely. But here's something important to know: Dill develops a taproot. So although that delicate plant looks like it shouldn't need much room, give its roots some depth. A container around 🪴 𝟏𝟎–𝟏𝟐 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 is a good starting point. Make sure it has drainage holes and fill it with loose, well-draining potting mix. And here's another consideration... 𝐃𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐋. Some varieties can reach several feet high. So before buying seed, check the mature height on the packet. Container gardeners may want to look for compact or dwarf varieties if space is limited. 🌱 𝐃𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐈𝐭 Because of that taproot, dill generally prefers to be planted directly where it's going to grow. Sow seeds approximately ¼ inch deep, following your packet's spacing recommendations.