Yard & Garden

Got Garlic?

By Heather Zidack, UConn Home & Garden Education Center

Garlic belongs to the allium family, which includes onions, shallots, chives, and even some ornamental plants. People have strong feelings about garlic; they either love it or hate it. Whether you add it to your pantry of seasonings or not, there are tons of fantastic reasons to plant it in your garden.

Garlic cloves
Photo by H. Zidack, UConn Home & Garden Education Center

Garlic is great for gardeners on the go. One of my favorite things about these plants is the window in which they grow. You plant cloves in October and harvest the bulbs in July. Planting garlic cloves is one of the last things I do in my garden before hanging up my gloves for the season. This means I have an entire bed already working for me when the spring starts. In early summer, you can harvest the young flower spikes, known as scapes, and use them in recipes for a mild garlic flavor. They blend beautifully with early season cole crops to make some fantastic spring dishes!

From a practical standpoint, the time saved in planting an entire bed before the season has even started is invaluable. Their presence helps to retain garden soil and prevent loss through erosion over the dormant season. Their care is minimal, only needing a side-dress of fertilizer in the spring and supplemental water when active growing starts. On top of all of that, they package themselves perfectly for storage, when cured and stored properly.

A garden bed of garlic with half of the plants removed
Photo by Heather Zidack, UConn Home & Garden Education Center

Another fantastic benefit to having garlic in your garden beds is that it is well equipped to fend off many vertebrate and invertebrate types of pests. From personal experience, my garlic beds have not needed a fenced in area like my other vegetables and have been relatively undisturbed by local wildlife.  While there are claims out there regarding companion planting, I only can confirm for certain that the properties of garlic keep animals away from garlic plants. Scientists are also studying the benefits of garlic for the microbial environment in the soil, to see what other impacts they may have.

As large bulbs develop, they help to break up the soil in the bed for whatever is next to come in the rotation. Once garlic bulbs are harvested, we usually have anywhere between 90 and 100 days left of the growing season. This is plenty of time to rotate in a fast-growing crop like leafy greens, summer squash, carrots, radish, or even some kinds of brassicas.

If you do decide to give garlic a try this year, make sure you pick up clean seed garlic from a trusted source. As with any other plant, healthy starting material will help in yielding healthy plants. Hardneck varieties tend to grow best in our climate. They have a firm stem that starts at the base of the bulb and grows through the plant, giving it a strong single stalk during the growing season (this is where the scapes come from). They need a vernalization (cold) period, which is why it is best to plant them before the ground freezes. There are many varieties of hardneck garlic with a wide range of flavors.

Do not use garlic cloves from the grocery store. Grocery stores typically carry softneck garlic, which has no central stem and may have more cloves inside. A lot of our commercial garlic is grown in California.  Softneck garlic may not grow as well in our climate. In addition, commercial agricultural produce can sometimes be treated with growth inhibitors or inadvertently carry pests or pathogens that would not serve your garden well. Local farms, farmers markets, and harvest festivals are great resources to find quality planting garlic. There are also reputable catalog companies out there, but you better get to ordering as time is short!

Garlic leaves peeking through straw mulch
Photo by Heather Zidack, UConn Home & Garden Education Center

Before planting, break the garlic bulb into its numerous cloves. Don’t be too concerned if some skin flakes off of the outermost layer, but do not peel the garlic before planting it. The intact skin acts as a protective barrier to keep them from rotting in the soil. Place cloves pointy end up in the soil at a depth of 1-2 inches, depending on the size of the clove. Water in and cover with a straw or leaf mulch, and it’s done! Don’t be too shocked if you see them start to emerge from the soil before the snow. Leave them be and assess in the spring, sometimes you don’t even have to cut those leaves back!

Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting out, garlic offers something for everyone. Its numerous benefits in the garden, plus its versatility in the kitchen provide a great starting point for those who want to have their own garden-to-table experience. You’ll be a pro in no time!

The UConn Home & Garden Education Center supports UConn Extension’s mission by providing answers you can trust with research-based information and resources. For gardening questions, contact us toll-free at (877) 486-6271, visit our website at homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu, or reach out to your local UConn Extension center at cahnr.uconn.edu/extension/locations.

This article was published in the Hartford Courant October 4, 2025

Extend Your Fall Color with More than Mums!

By Heather Zidack, UConn Home & Garden Education Center

A garden bed with mums cabbage and millet
Photo by H. Zidack

By September, many of our ornamental garden beds and containers are ready for a refresh. Fall annuals help us bring color and vibrancy back into the garden while we still can enjoy the outdoors. The classic go-to for many gardens is the traditional chrysanthemum. These rotund, uniform little plants come in many different colors, various flower shapes, and a wide range of blooming periods from the end of August until the end of October. For extended color, it is often recommended to plant a mix of early, mid, and late season mums to ensure that color will last throughout the autumn. Alternatively, gardeners can mix mums with other types of annuals and perennials to extend their season of color and build a textured, multi-dimensional garden display. 

A unique challenge with fall annuals is that they do not grow as vigorously as spring and summer annuals. In terms of size, oftentimes the plant you purchase is the plant you will see in your garden for the remainder of the season. It is important to purchase your plants with this in mind. Fill your space densely and don’t hold as much space for plants to “grow into.” 

Large, full ornamental grasses like Pennisetum ‘Rubrum,’ Pennisetum ‘First Knight,’ or varieties of Millet will take up a lot of space and add height and an airy texture to your annual display.   If working in a container, add these giants to the middle of your planters and work your way outwards with other annuals.  

Yellow flowers with brown centers surrounded by ornamental grasses in a display
Rudbeckia Hirta 'Denver Daisy' in an autumn display. Photo by H. Zidack

Varieties of Rudbeckia hirta, like the ‘Toto’ series can take up a large space and have an open habit and less uniformity when compared to the traditional mum. Echibeckia (Rudbeckia x Echinacea hybrids) also do a great job of filling the space. Autumn is their time to shine and shine they do! Some of them may be hardy to Zone 6 but always check the variety and plant label to know if they have a chance of survival.  

We’re always looking to get more for our money. Don’t let your fall garden spruce up be any different this season!  Garden perennials that are currently in bloom, like RudbeckiaSedum, or Asters can be purchased and planted in containers for fall display. When they start to wind down, re-plant them somewhere in the garden before the ground freezes for a chance of coming back next season. Who doesn’t love a multi-purpose purchase? 

Many of us think of pansies and violets as spring flowers. However, they are gaining more traction in the world of ornamental horticulture as an autumn accent plant. These tiny flowers are already adapted to warm days and cool nights, and come in a wide range of colors for every gardener to enjoy. If you’re lucky, they’ll drop seeds and pop back up again in the springtime!  

Annuals like Nemesia and Snapdragons are well adapted to our autumn temperatures and will produce flowers well into the autumn season, though may need frost protection to keep flowers beautiful.  

One of the risks we take with flowering annuals in the autumn is the risk of frost damaging flowers before their time. When frosts are expected, it is important to cover plants to preserve flowers. If you find this is a lot of work, let me introduce you to ornamental kale and cabbage. A symbol of a bountiful harvest, these plants naturally lend themselves to an autumn display and can last far beyond their flowering counterparts. In fact, the colder they get, the more vibrant their foliage becomes!  

A wheelbarrow full of flowers and pumpkins
Photo by H. Zidack

Again, using perennials in fall displays, lends itself to solving this problem. As hardy plants, they are able to adapt to cooler nights and light frosts. This works well with foliage plants like Heuchera, or hardy ferns, that do not need additional frost protection to survive.  

To add the finishing touches to your display, consider adding pumpkins, hay bales, or even a home-made scarecrow! Your fall garden will be the envy of the neighborhood! 

The UConn Home & Garden Education Center supports UConn Extension’s mission by providing answers you can trust with research-based information and resources. For gardening questions, contact us toll-free at (877) 486-6271, visit our website at homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu, or reach out to your local UConn Extension center at cahnr.uconn.edu/extension/locations. 

This article was published in the Hartford Courant September 27, 2025

This is For the Birds!

By Dawn Pettinelli, UConn Home & Garden Education Center

A titmouse standing on a bowl of water
Titmouse on the solar sipper. Photo by Dawn Pettinelli

As December brings frigid temperatures and snowy landscapes to Connecticut, our feathered friends face unique challenges in finding the resources they need to survive. Shorter days and frozen ground make food and water scarcer, while icy winds and snow create harsh conditions for shelter. By providing birds with seed, water, and shelter, you may be making a significant difference in their survival and well-being during this often challenging season.

Winter robs many birds of their natural food sources like insects, berries, and seeds. While it is true that birds can survive without our subsidies, supplemental feeding can provide extra energy that birds need to maintain their body heat. In December, focus on offering high-calorie foods that cater to a variety of species common to Connecticut, such as chickadees, cardinals, juncos, and woodpeckers.

Many types of bird feeders are available including hopper and platform feeders, tubes, and suet cages. Whichever you choose, it should be one that can be washed out every week or so. Uneaten seed pieces and other debris can mold plus there is the chance of contagions whenever living creatures congregate.

Feeding the birds is a popular activity and there are many types of seeds, seed mixes and other foods available for purchase. Black-oil sunflower seeds are a favorite of many birds, thanks to their high-fat content and thin shells, which are easy to crack. You can buy shelled seeds to minimize the pile of shells that accumulates under the feeder. Smaller white safflower seeds are included in many seed mixes and are reputed to be a favorite of cardinals. Thistle or Niger seeds are a sought-after treat for finches and other small birds. I have only tried using a thistle sock once and found it got soggy, and the seeds froze so maybe a specialized tube feeder would be the way to go if offering this food source.

Unshelled peanuts are a great fuel for birds supplying both protein and fat. They are also a sure way to attract squirrels. I have been buying unsalted, dry roasted peanuts and put a few handfuls on my porch railing each morning when I put out the water bowl for the birds. There’s a regular assortment of birds who eagerly await their morning breakfast and the peanuts are gobbled up by titmice, chickadees, flickers, downy woodpeckers and blue jays before the squirrel even has a chance to make it to the porch from the woods.

A good seed mix for the feeder should contain a variety of food items including black-oil sunflower seed, cracked corn, safflower, peanut chips, white prose millet, and maybe some sunflower hearts and dried fruit. Like most things in life, you get what you pay for, and cheaper mixes often contain that red milo and other fillers that birds in our area are not partial to. If you notice piles of uneaten seeds under your feeders, try switching to another seed mix.

Many bird species, but especially insect eaters, really love suet. Packed with fat, suet provides essential energy and attracts woodpeckers, nuthatches, blue jays and I’ve even had crows in queue for their turn at the suet feeder. Opt for suet mixed with seeds, berries, nuts or mealworms for added nutrition.

Place feeders in somewhat sheltered areas to protect birds from the winds but make sure that they are not located near where predators can hide. Refill regularly, as food is quickly consumed in cold weather. Be on the lookout for bears. Typically, they are not a problem from mid-December through mid-March but if a bear finds your feeder, bring it in and cease feeding.

During a typical, cold winter water is a rare and precious resource. While snow can provide hydration, many birds prefer liquid water for drinking and bathing. Maintaining a water source in freezing temperatures can be a lifesaver. I opt for a Solar Sipper that I have had for years. It is just a bowl inside a bowl with a cover that has a hole in the top. It keeps the water from freezing down into the 20s, especially on a sunny day. I just bring it in at night, wash it and put out clean water in the morning. Heated birdbaths are another more hi-tech option.

December’s freezing temperatures and strong winds make safe shelter essential for birds. They need places to roost, stay warm, and avoid predators. Encourage birds to stay in your yard by planting native trees, shrubs, and evergreens. Dense conifers like spruce, hemlock, and pine provide excellent cover from snow and wind. Additionally, leaving leaf piles or brush heaps in your yard creates ground-level shelter for birds like sparrows and juncos. Refrain from cutting back seedheads from coneflowers, coreopsis, goldenrods, sunflowers and native grasses to provide natural seed sources.

Providing food, water, and shelter not only supports birds during the toughest months but also brings joy to your home. Watching vibrant cardinals against the snow or hearing the cheerful calls of chickadees can brighten even the coldest day. By creating a welcoming space for birds in your backyard, you contribute to their survival and get to enjoy the beauty of nature during winter’s quiet, cold days.

For your gardening questions, feel free to contact us, toll-free, at the UConn Home & Garden Education Center at (877) 486-6271, visit our website at www.homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu or contact your local Cooperative Extension center.