Why this site exists
You’ve got a packet of seeds in your hand, a patch of soil, and a question: *will this grow?* The instructions on the back of the packet are vague, the weather is wrong, and the last time you tried, the seedlings rotted before they sprouted.
This site cuts through the guesswork.
Here, every step is tested—not just in perfect conditions, but in the real ones. The soil you have, the light you get, the mistakes you’ll make. No fluff. No assumptions. Just what works, where it works, and how to fix it when it doesn’t.
Who writes this site
Dominic Calderon runs this site.
Do you test everything before writing about it?
Yes. Even the failures. The notes on what went wrong are often more useful than the successes. I’ve lost count of how many times a ‘perfect’ method collapsed in a different climate or soil.
What do you get wrong?
Everything, at first. I assumed basil hated drought until I moved to Arizona. I swore chili peppers needed full sun until a shade experiment proved me wrong. The corrections are in the margins.
Why isn’t there a guide to common missing topic?
Because I haven’t grown it yet—or because the ‘rules’ online are outdated. If you’ve tried and failed with something I haven’t covered, tell me. I’ll dig into it.
There’s a trowel in the corner of my workshop that’s been bent since 2012. I won’t throw it out. Every scar on it is a lesson.
How a guide is built
It starts with a seed. Not the one you plant—the one you *want* to plant, the one the packet promises will thrive. Then you ignore the packet.
The first season
Plant it. Water it. Watch it. Record every deviation: the day the first leaf curled, the week the roots outgrew the pot, the month the flowers dropped without fruit. Note the soil pH, the neighbor’s dog that trampled the bed, the heatwave that turned the leaves to paper.
By the end of the season, you’ll have data—not theory.
The fixes
Next year, adjust. Move the pot to shade. Add compost to the heavy clay. Thin the seedlings early. Some changes will work. Some won’t. The ones that do get written down. The ones that don’t get a postmortem.
What we will not do
We won’t pretend gardening is easy. We won’t sell you shortcuts. We won’t ignore the fact that half your plants will die, no matter how careful you are.
Things you will never find here
- ‘Miracle’ seeds that grow in concrete.
- Timelines that ignore your local frost dates.
- Photos of gardens that look nothing like yours.
- Advice from people who’ve never lost a crop.
Where to start
Begin with the ‘Troubleshooting’ section if your plants are already struggling. Start with ‘Soil’ if you’re not sure what’s in your bed. Use the ‘By Season’ index if you’re planning ahead. If you can’t find what you need, the contact page is open.
Say hello
I like hearing about the peppers that outsmarted you, the weeds that won, and the one variety that finally grew right. The contact page is the place to tell me about it.
The guides are grouped by category: Advice, Aphids, Blooming, Companion Plants, Pests and Pests and Diseases.