Winter is the season of good intentions… and stubborn garden myths. 😄 If you’ve ever felt unsure about what you can do with containers during the colder months, this post is for you. Let’s bust a few common winter container gardening myths—so you can garden smarter (and keep enjoying your pots year-round). 𝐌𝐲𝐭𝐡 #𝟏: “𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫.” 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝! You can grow plenty, just not everything. ✅ Great winter container wins include: * microgreens * lettuce + leafy greens * green onions * herbs like chives, thyme, parsley (with decent light) * indoor grow-light shelf gardens Even outdoors in mild climates, cool-season greens can keep going. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞: Winter gardening shifts from “sun + speed” to “light + patience.” 𝐌𝐲𝐭𝐡 #𝟐: “𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐫𝐲.” 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐟-𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝! The air is drier… but most plants still need less water in winter. Why? * lower light = slower growth * cooler soil near windows = slower drying * roots drink less when temps drop 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞: Many winter plant problems are actually overwatering, not underwatering. 𝐌𝐲𝐭𝐡 #𝟑: “𝐈𝐟 𝐚 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐲.”. 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝! Drooping can mean: * too much water (roots struggling) * cold stress from windows * dry air stress * shock from repotting * pests 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞: Always check the soil before watering. Droop is a symptom, not a diagnosis. 𝐌𝐲𝐭𝐡 #𝟒: “𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬.” 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝! A simple grow light can be the difference between: “my herbs barely survive” and "I’m snipping fresh basil and lettuce in January.” You don’t need an expensive setup. Even a small, basic light over a shelf can make winter gardening feel possible. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞: Light is usually the limiting factor, not your skill. 𝐌𝐲𝐭𝐡 #𝟓: “𝐅𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐱 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬.” 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝! If light is low and the plant is resting, extra fertilizer can stress it. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞: In winter, focus on: * adequate light * correct watering * stable temps * a little humidity help (if needed)

January is sneaky. It feels like the garden is on pause… but it’s actually the perfect month to set yourself up for an easier, more successful growing season. Especially for container gardeners. This isn’t a “spend 6 hours planning” kind of post. It’s a quick-start checklist you can do in small bites...15 minutes here, 20 minutes there and still feel wildly more prepared. ✅ 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟏: 𝐃𝐨 𝐚 𝟓-𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞 “𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤” Grab a note in your phone or planner and answer: * What grew really well for you last year? * What struggled (and why, if you know)? * What did you wish you had grown more of? * What did you grow that you didn’t even use? This one step saves you from repeating the same frustrations. ✅ 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟐: 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 (𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭) Make a quick tally: * How many pots do you realistically have space for this year? * Any you’re not using because they’re cracked, too small, or annoying? * Do you need a couple of “workhorse” sizes (like 5–10 gallon) for bigger crops? 𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐭𝐢𝐩: Most people plan for more plants than they have containers for. This is where the chaos begins. 😄 ✅ 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟑: 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 “𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝟓” 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐬 To keep planning simple, choose 5 main things you definitely want to grow. Examples: * tomatoes * peppers * lettuce/greens * herbs * cucumbers * strawberries * dwarf beans * flowers for pollinators You can always add fun extras later, but picking your top 5 first keeps you focused. ✅ 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟒: 𝐃𝐨 𝐚 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 “𝐒𝐮𝐧 + 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞” 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 Container gardening success is mostly: 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 + 𝐩𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐳𝐞 + 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲. Ask yourself: * Which spots get the most sun (balcony, patio, porch, brightest window)? * Which spots get morning sun only? * Which spots are shaded? * Any spots blasted by wind? If you want to be extra organized, take one photo of each growing area and label it: “Full sun / partial / shade.” ✅ 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟓: 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐝 + 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 Now match your top 5 to what you’ll use: * What you’ll grow from seed (easy + fun) * What you’ll buy as starts (time saver)

Winter plant care can feel like you’re doing everything right… and your plant is still like: “Absolutely not.” 😅 One of the biggest hidden issues this time of year is something we don’t always notice until the plant starts acting weird: 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰 + 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 = 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭. Your houseplant may be sitting in a spot that looks perfect, It's has bright light on the windowsill but what it’s experiencing is basically: 𝐭𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤, 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦. That mixed signal can lead to drooping, leaf drop, brown tips, and slow growth… even when you’re watering carefully. Let’s break down what’s happening and what to do about it. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝 Even if your home is cozy, the air right next to a winter window can be 10–20 degrees colder than the rest of the room, especially at night. Plants near glass may deal with: * cold drafts sneaking in * chilly glass radiating cold * nighttime temperature dips * hot dry air blasting from vents nearby So the plant is getting bright light (good!) but also temperature stress (not good). 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 “𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝” 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 Here are common signs that your plant is stressed by the cold-window/warm-room combo: * Leaves droop even when soil is moist * Leaves turn yellow and drop * Brown tips or crispy edges (especially on tropicals) * Soft, dark spots on leaves (cold damage) * Slow growth that feels “stalled” * Soil stays wet forever because cold slows drying If your plant looks worse after a cold night, this may be the reason. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭: 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐲 Cold roots = slow roots. When a pot sits in a chilly window area: * the soil dries much slower * roots absorb water more slowly * you’re more likely to accidentally overwater So you water like it’s “normal indoor conditions”… but the pot is living in mini-winter. 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐅𝐢𝐱𝐞𝐬 (𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞) 𝟏) 𝐏𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 Even moving a plant 𝟔–𝟏𝟐 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 away can reduce cold stress dramatically. Plants still get the light, but less of the chill.

I’ve been busy growing my garden and it’s coming out pretty well. I am so proud of myself. This is my second year try.

I'm happy to be here. Can't wait for SPRINGTIME. BEEN winter sowing in my milk jugs here in frosty Indianapolis.