Not all wins are dramatic. In winter especially, plant health shows up in small, quiet ways. And if you know what to look for, you’ll start seeing progress everywhere. 🌱 𝐓𝐢𝐧𝐲 𝐖𝐢𝐧 #𝟏: 𝐀 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐟 𝐁𝐮𝐝 It might be small. Barely noticeable. But if you see a tiny bud forming? That means the plant is gearing up, not giving up. 🌿 𝐓𝐢𝐧𝐲 𝐖𝐢𝐧 #𝟐: 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐦, 𝐔𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐦s Even if leaves aren’t growing fast, strong stems mean roots are stable and hydrated properly. Floppy stems signal trouble. Firm ones signal balance. 🪴 𝐓𝐢𝐧𝐲 𝐖𝐢𝐧 #𝟑: 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐢𝐥 𝐃𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 If soil dries gradually and evenly without staying soggy or bone dry, you’ve nailed watering rhythm. That’s a big deal in winter. 🌼 𝐓𝐢𝐧𝐲 𝐖𝐢𝐧 #𝟒: 𝐍𝐨 𝐏𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 Maybe you spotted something earlier this week. If it hasn’t spread? That’s a win. Catching issues early is growth,even if the plant didn’t grow. 🌱 𝐓𝐢𝐧𝐲 𝐖𝐢𝐧 #𝟓: 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫 No sudden yellowing. No mysterious browning. Stable color = stable plant. And stable plants grow when conditions improve. 💚 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭: 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐈𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 Winter rewards patience. The plants that look quiet right now are often building strength you can’t see yet. Notice the small wins. They add up to strong spring growth 🌱 Share one tiny win you’ve noticed this week, even if it feels small. A bud? Better soil rhythm? No pests? Let’s celebrate the quiet victories 👏🌿

National Squirrel Appreciation Day is January 21, created to encourage learning about squirrels and their role in nature… even if they’ve personally declared war on our pots. 😅 So today, we’re doing this the container gardener way: * Appreciate their athleticism and determination… * while also politely declining their help with our soil, bulbs, and seedlings. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐬 (𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥… 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐲) Containers are basically a squirrel playground because: * loose potting mix = perfect digging material * fresh soil smells interesting * bulbs and seeds = snack treasure hunt * mulch looks like a place to bury “future snacks” 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫’𝐬 “𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭” 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 If you only do one thing, do a physical barrier. It’s the most reliable and the least “constant reapplying stuff.” Extension resources generally group deterrents into barriers, scare tactics, and repellents. Of these, barriers tend to be the most dependable for small areas like containers. 𝟏) 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐭 “𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞” 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: * Chicken wire / hardware cloth cut to fit the top of the pot (leave space for the plant stem) * Decorative rocks or heavier mulch layers to reduce digging 𝐏𝐆𝐒 𝐭𝐢𝐩: For seed-started pots, cover just until plants are established, then remove or widen the opening. 𝟐) 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚 “𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐭” * Move pots temporarily to break the squirrel habit (they’re persistent once they pick a spot) * Hang baskets / raise containers where possible (harder access) 𝟑) 𝐀𝐝𝐝 𝐚 “𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫” (𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐬) * Motion-activated sprinklers/lights can safely scare off nuisance wildlife 𝟒) 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 (𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐟𝐮𝐥… 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 * Commercial repellents can work, but they typically need reapplication (especially after rain) * DIY “spicy” sprays are commonly suggested, but always test a small spot first and reapply regularly. (And keep anything spicy away from eyes/pets/kids.) 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 (𝐲𝐞𝐬, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲) Squirrels are clever, busy, and excellent at surviving winter, which is honestly… relatable. So we can appreciate the species while still setting firm boundaries with Steve who keeps digging up the lettuce pot.

If you’ve been staring at your plants thinking, “Shouldn’t you be doing more by now?” Take a breath. Slow winter growth is not a failure. It’s not a mistake. And it definitely doesn’t mean you’re behind. It means your plants understand the season. 🌱 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐬 Even if your calendar says February… Plants are watching: * Day length * Sun angle * Light intensity * Soil temperature And winter light, especially indoors, is still limited. They grow when conditions support growth. Not when we’re ready for spring. 🌿 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 When plants slow down, they’re: * Conserving energy * Maintaining root systems * Protecting themselves from stress * Preparing quietly for future growth This is smart plant behavior, not stagnation. 🪴 𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐞 You’re on track if: * Leaves are holding color * No rapid yellowing or mushiness * Soil is drying evenly * Growth is slow but steady Winter isn’t about progress you can measure week to week. It’s about stability. 🌼 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 When we think we’re behind, we: * Water more * Fertilize too early * Repot too soon * Try to “fix” what isn’t broken And that’s when problems start. Sometimes the best plant care is simply not interfering. 💚 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭: 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐁𝐞 If your plants are steady, even if they’re slow, you’re not behind. You’re in season. And when the light truly shifts, growth will follow 🌱 Has winter growth been slower than you expected this year? Tell us what plant has been taking its sweet time 😄🌿

Have all seen garden alive has biodegradable paper that will prevent weeds from growing for 2 to 3 years and you can put it mulch over it too

If a few of your plants look a little… tired… That doesn’t mean they’re done. Some plants are incredible at bouncing back once light increases and watering adjusts. They may look rough in February, but give them a few weeks, and they surprise you. 🌿 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 These are your “don’t give up yet” plants: 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬 * Can lose leaves and still rebound * New growth appears quickly once light improves 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐥𝐲 * Dramatic droopers * Often push strong new leaves in early spring 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 * Tolerates dry air surprisingly well * Sends fresh shoots once days lengthen 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐧 * Slow in winter, steady in spring * Pruning encourages bushier recovery 🌱 𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐚 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤 Look for: * Tiny growth buds * Firmer stems * Slower yellowing * Soil drying slightly faster Recovery starts before you see major change. 💚 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐬 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 * Improve light gradually * Trim damaged leaves * Adjust watering (not more—smarter) * Be patient for 2–4 weeks Most winter stress isn’t permanent. 🌼 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭: 𝐔𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 Plants that look rough right now often surprise you the most. Stay steady. Stay calm. Spring rewards consistency 🌱 Which plant are you hoping makes a comeback this spring? Drop its name below and we’ll cheer it on 👇