It's time to kick off the 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐁 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 of our Second Spring series! And we're starting with an herb that can divide a dinner table faster than almost anything we've grown so far. 🌿 𝐂𝐈𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎. For some people: 😍 Fresh! 🍋 Citrusy! 🌮 Absolutely essential on tacos! For others: 🧼 "𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐃𝐈𝐃 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐏𝐔𝐓 𝐒𝐎𝐀𝐏 𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐘 𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐃?!" And here's the really interesting part... 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭. 🧬 𝗪𝗮𝗶𝘁...𝗖𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗮𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲? YES! Cilantro contains natural aroma compounds called aldehydes. Some of the same types of compounds are also associated with the scents we perceive in soaps and other products. Research suggests that genetics can influence how strongly we detect certain cilantro aromas. So while one person bites into cilantro and tastes something bright, fresh, and citrusy... Someone sitting beside them may genuinely experience something very different. In other words: If you've spent your entire life wondering why everyone keeps ruining perfectly good tacos with something that tastes like dish soap... Your taste buds may have an explanation. 😂 🌿 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗖𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼 𝗛𝗮𝘀 𝗔𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻... Gardeners often tell me: "I planted cilantro and it was doing GREAT..." Then approximately five minutes later: 🌿 ➡️ 🌸 ➡️ 𝐒𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐒. Okay, maybe not five minutes. But sometimes it certainly feels that way. 😂 That's because cilantro really doesn't appreciate hot weather. When temperatures climb, cilantro quickly begins producing a flower stalk. That's called bolting. Once that happens, leaf production declines and the flavor can change. Which is why... 🍂 𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐈𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎'𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍! 🌡️ 𝐂𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐈𝐭 Cool weather. As the intense heat of summer fades, cilantro becomes much easier to grow. Cooler temperatures help slow bolting and give us a longer window to harvest those flavorful leaves. That's why gardeners who struggled with cilantro in June or July may have a completely different experience growing it during their Second Spring.

What if I told you there's a fall vegetable that... 🪴 Doesn't need a huge container 🌱 Is easy to grow ✂️ Can be harvested a little at a time ❄️ Doesn't mind cooler weather 🍳 And can find its way into breakfast, lunch AND dinner? Say hello to green onions! Also called scallions or bunching onions, these skinny little vegetables may not be the showstoppers of the fall garden... But they might be among the most useful things you grow. And for container gardeners? They're practically perfect. 🧅 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭...𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐈𝐒 𝐚 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐎𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧? Good question! "Green onion" generally refers to an onion harvested while the plant is young, before it develops a large mature bulb. Some varieties—often called bunching onions—are specifically grown for their long green tops and slender white bases rather than big bulbs. And that's exactly why they're so handy for container gardeners. We're not waiting around for a giant onion bulb to develop. We're growing those delicious green tops and tender white stems. 🍂 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 Green onions enjoy cool growing conditions and can tolerate light frosts once established. They're also relatively quick to grow. That makes late summer and early fall a great time to tuck some into containers. But here's what I especially love about them: They don't demand much real estate. Remember all those containers we've been planting with lettuce, spinach, kale, carrots, and beets? Green onions can often fit into little unused spaces around other plants. Container gardeners know... Every inch counts! 😄 🪴 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐆𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐨𝐭 Green onions have relatively small root systems. A container around 6–8 inches deep or more works nicely. Window boxes? Absolutely. Railing planters? Yep. Grow bags? Sure. That random little pot sitting empty on your patio? Put some onions in it! 😂 Just make sure whatever you choose has drainage holes. 🌱 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐝 Green onions are easy to grow from seed. Plant seeds about ¼ inch deep and keep the soil consistently moist while they germinate.

Let's talk about a vegetable that tends to divide a room. Beets. Some gardeners hear the word and immediately say: ❤️ "𝐈 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬!" Others say: 😬 "𝐀𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭." And some of you are probably remembering a jar of pickled beets from your childhood that you're still trying to forget. 😂 But before the beet skeptics scroll past today's Second Spring post, give me a minute. Because freshly harvested beets are an entirely different experience—and they're fantastic vegetables for container gardeners. Even better? You get TWO edible crops from one plant. The roots AND the leaves! 🍂 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐁𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥 Like many of the vegetables we've been planting during our Second Spring, beets prefer cooler growing conditions. Warm August soil can help get them started, while the cooler temperatures ahead provide comfortable growing weather as the roots develop. And just like carrots, cooler weather can help bring out their natural sweetness. That makes late summer into fall an excellent beet-growing window in many areas. 🪴 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐌𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐨 𝐁𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝? Here's more good news. You don't need an enormous pot. For most varieties, choose a container that's approximately: 🪴 𝟏𝟎–𝟏𝟐 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 Make sure it has good drainage and fill it with loose, high-quality potting mix. Beets are developing underground, so compacted soil makes their job much harder. Give those roots room to expand! 🌱 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐝 Beets are usually easiest to sow directly into their final container. Plant the seeds about: 🌱 ½ 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 Then keep the soil consistently moist while they germinate. But there's something VERY interesting about those funny-looking beet "seeds." 🤔 𝐖𝐚𝐢𝐭...𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐁𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬? Possibly! What we commonly call a beet "seed" is often actually a dried fruit containing multiple seeds. That means you might plant what looks like one seed... ...and several little seedlings pop up! Nothing went wrong. Your beet is just an overachiever. 😂

There comes a point every August when many gardeners begin looking at their containers and thinking... "𝑊𝑒𝑙𝑙... 𝐼 𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑔𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟." The tomatoes are starting to slow down. The lettuce has long since bolted. Flowers that looked incredible in June may be looking a little tired after weeks of summer heat. But here's the secret experienced container gardeners know... August isn't the end of the gardening season. It's the beginning of Second Spring. 🌱 While everyone else is thinking about winding down, savvy gardeners are getting ready for another harvest, another flush of blooms, and another season of enjoying their containers. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐬 𝐒𝐨 𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 Many vegetables actually prefer the cooler days and crisp nights that arrive in late summer and fall. Some even taste better after experiencing cooler temperatures! Imagine harvesting: 🥬 Fresh lettuce in October 🥬 Sweet spinach long after summer has faded 🥕 Crunchy carrots 🌿 Fragrant parsley and cilantro 🌈 Colorful pansies and ornamental kale brightening your patio when everything else begins to fade. Your containers don't have to sit empty waiting for next spring. They can keep producing for months. 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟏: 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 Before planting anything new, spend a little time refreshing your existing containers. ✅ Remove plants that have finished producing. ✅ Pull weeds and old roots. ✅ Loosen the top few inches of potting mix. ✅ Add fresh potting mix if the soil has settled. ✅ Mix in a slow-release fertilizer or compost. Think of it as giving your containers a fresh cup of coffee before they begin their next growing season. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭? Most fall crops are actually easier to grow than summer vegetables. ✔️ Fewer insect problems ✔️ Less heat stress ✔️ Reduced watering needs ✔️ Better germination ✔️ Longer harvest windows For many gardeners, fall becomes their favorite growing season. 🍂 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐎𝐮𝐫 "𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠" 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬! Over the next four weeks we'll explore everything you need for a successful fall container garden, including:

I am new to zone 9b. Starting seeds for our fall season, so diff from the north! I bought my first Green Stalk, as I have a small patio for a garden. I've already learned a lot from my failures this past spring; but learning is progress!