Farmers and gardeners who have relied on the Maine-based Farmer's Almanac for advice on planting times and weather conditions must be crying in their compost bins. After 208 years, the publication will sign off with the 2026 edition. Fear not, though, because the even longer-lived competitor from neighboring New Hampshire, The Old Farmer’s Almanac, founded in 1792, will go on. Both are relics from an era when hundreds of regional almanacs dished out gardening advice, trivia, dad (or even granddad) jokes, and home remedies. The surviving almanac with the signature yellow cover will continue to serve up weather predictions, poems, and such questionably helpful tips such as “Today is the best day to: Wean children.” A caveat: A study of almanac predictions showed them to be a little more than 50% accurate, just higher than random chance.

But don’t let this plant-related news bring you down. Rather, curate your greenery (or, more precisely, their leaf shapes) to uplift your outlook. Recent research studied the leaves of 40 common houseplants on us humans and judged them according to four criteria: relaxation, concentration, liveliness, and surprise. Experts compared the reaction to the whole plant versus its leaves and “found that leaf shape significantly affected the overall plant impression,” according to the study. The upshot: small, complex leaves create calm, while large leaves have an energizing vibe.

Hurrah for more garden-based good news: Researchers at Canada’s McMaster University found a new type of antibiotic that shows promise in treating drug-resistant microorganisms and bacteria. Where did they find it? In an instance of full-tilt serendipity, it was isolated from soil samples taken in a lab technician’s garden. Called lariocidin, the molecule attacks bacteria differently than current classes of antibiotics. For those of you who didn’t ace AP Bio, the best explanation may be that it attaches to a bacterium’s protein synthesis mechanism, making it hard for it to grow and survive. And bonus: It also shows low toxicity toward human cells. This may be a bigger botanical breakthrough than everybody’s old reliable, the Mortgage Lifter tomato plant.

Pantone has announced its “Color of the Year” for 2026. Their verdict: Cloud Dancer, which they describe as a lofty white, “a whisper of tranquility and peace in a noisy world.” That’s all well and good, but we will always, always be pulling for grass green, thank you very much.

Imagine a CSA turning up on your commute. It’s happening: In Honolulu, passengers on the Skyline rapid transit metro will soon see planters full of tomatoes, eggplant, scallions, and sweet potatoes at their stations. Planted and maintained by volunteers, the boxes are part of an effort to make free food available in public spaces. Commuters can snag the fruits (or veggies) of this labor. Previous efforts were derailed (yes, we’re being punny) by fears of liability — a falling coconut or a slippery mango peel could spell trouble.

Now, we know it isn’t spring just yet, but when the time comes, you may struggle to get out of bed and tend to those seedlings. Science is happy to share that it’s not necessarily laziness that keeps you hitting the snooze button but the structure of your brain’s basal ganglia. Located deep in your gray matter, this area controls movement as well as problem solved. Natural variations as well as life events (say, a minor stroke) can impact how the ganglia function. If you’re a naturally not-so-motivated person, acting apathetically can be your default mode. You might short-circuit that, according to one neurology professor, by planning ahead and using reminders to get in a rhythm — “on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I garden”. Also remember that the physical activity will do you (and your garden) good.