A free, self-paced textbook in 8 chapters. Read a chapter, then drill it with the 203 companion flashcards using spaced repetition.
Gardening is the cultivation of plants for food, beauty, or ecological purposes, while horticulture is the broader science and art of growing plants. Gardeners work with three main...
Plants are living systems that carry out several essential processes. Through photosynthesis, they convert sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water into sugars and oxygen, fueling their...
A seedling is a young plant grown from seed, and germination is the process by which a seed begins to sprout. Some seeds have built-in requirements that gardeners must meet. Strati...
Once plants are growing, several hands-on techniques keep them healthy and productive. Deadheading, the removal of spent flowers, encourages many species to produce more blooms rat...
Soil is far more than dirt; it is a living mixture of mineral particles, organic matter, water, air, and countless organisms. The three main soil textures are sand (large, loose pa...
How a garden is laid out shapes everything from yield to pest pressure. Raised bed gardening grows plants in elevated containers, which warm faster in spring, drain better, and eas...
Healthy gardens require ongoing attention to threats from pests and diseases, ideally through a holistic approach known as integrated pest management (IPM). IPM begins with prevent...
Gardens take many forms depending on purpose and style. A vegetable garden focuses on edible plants, ideally located in full sun with good drainage and a nearby water source, and e...