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Your hub for growing beautiful blooms and fresh flavors outdoors.
Choose Your Growth Journey
Dig into easy tips and inspiration to get your dream garden growing!
Starting Your In-Ground Garden
Start With Great Soil
Soil rich with nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium is key to great growth. So is soil consistency! Too compact and roots can’t breathe. Too loose and it won’t hold water. Miracle-Gro soils feature continuous release plant food with the ideal nutrient ratio and consistency so you can skip the guesswork.
Choose Your Location
Sun: Choose an area that gets plenty of sun. Many plants need 6–8 hours daily.
Drainage: Avoid low spots that collect water or areas crowded with roots.
Placement: Plant tall plants at the back. Group ones with similar watering needs or that benefit each other, like basil, which helps repel certain pests from tomatoes!
Plant Your Perennials
Perennials return each year, dying back in winter and regrowing in spring. Plant spring bloomers in fall and summer/fall bloomers in spring. A few beautiful summer bloomers include:
Black-Eyed Susans
Shasta Daisies
Asters
Daylilies
Add Your Annuals
With their never-stop-blooming habit, annual flowers are perfect for creating a colorful flower garden all on their own or with perennials. Great summer planting annuals include:
Sunflowers
Zinnias
Petunias
Marigolds
Don’t Forget Trees & Shrubs!
Whether you’re lounging in their shade or admiring their stunning views, trees and shrubs make your yard shine. Learn how to select them, when and where to plant, and how to care for them so you can enjoy the ultimate backdrop while you’re living it up outdoors.
Caring For Your In-Ground Plants
Way to go! Your first in-ground garden is off and growing. These easy care tips will help your veggies & herbs grow at their freshest, and your blooms at their most vibrant, which is what makes gardening so much fun!
From balconies, to patios, to decks, container gardening makes it fun and easy to enjoy veggies, herbs, and blooms almost anywhere!
Starting Your Veggies and Herbs
Select a Sunny Spot
Choose a spot that gets at least 6-8 hours of sun daily. If you're growing climbers like pole beans and peas, place containers near a wall, trellis, or fence to give them a surface to grab onto.
Pick Your Pots & Soil
Choose pots big enough to give your veggies plenty of room once they reach their full size. Make sure your pots have drainage holes in the bottom.
Fill an inch or two below the rim with a nutrient-rich Miracle-Gro Potting Mix, and plant away!
Smaller Container Combos
These beautiful (and tasty!) varieties grow great together:
10" Bowl Planter Veggie & Herb Garden: leaf lettuce + chives
14" Pot Veggie & Flower Garden: bush beans + marigolds
16" Pot Mexican Herb Garden: cilantro + oregano + thyme + parsley + mint
Larger Container Combos
These beautiful (and tasty) varieties grow great together:
18" Pot Cucumber Salad Garden: dill + bush cucumbers + scallions
20" Pot Lemonade Garden: stevia + lemon balm + lemon mint + lemon basil
22" Pot Pizza Garden: bush tomato + oregano + chives + basil
Caring For Your Container Garden
Water Frequently
If the top inch is dry to the touch, it's time to water! Soak each container, concentrating water at the plant's base until the soil surface is visibly moist and water runs out the drainage holes in the bottom.
Feed Regularly
Feed every 7–14 days during one of your regular waterings. Miracle-Gro Organic Plant Food is a great option made from 94% plant-based ingredients and feeds instantly for healthier, more resilient plants!*
If you used a Miracle-Gro soil, wait 30 days before your first feeding. *Vs unfed plants, when used as directed
Watch for Pests
Holes, brown spots, and brown or yellowing leaves can be signs of pest problems. Set up barriers, elevate, or relocate your containers if critters are snacking on your plants. If you see beetles or aphids on your plants, make sure to remove them right away.
Watch for Diseases
Fungus and mildew might mean your plants are too crowded, not getting enough air circulation, or not getting adequate sun. Brown or mushy stems may be a sign of root rot from poor drainage.
Prune as Needed
Pruning occasionally will result in a more plentiful harvest, more blooms, and a more beautiful container garden!
Soil and water are just the start. Your plants also need food to truly grow above and beyond!
Choosing the Right Plant Food
Nutrients to Fuel Growth
Plants need three key nutrients to grow their best: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K). Miracle-Gro plant food is expertly formulated with the ideal ratio so your plants thrive, and you can skip the guesswork.
Instant Feed
Offers a quick nutrient boost Provides more control over your feeding schedule Requires more frequent applications (every 1 to 2 weeks)
Continuous Feed
Delivers a slow, continuous release of nutrients over time Requires fewer applications (1–2 times per season) Not ideal for addressing urgent plant deficiencies
Feeding 101
Feeding Veggies, Herbs & Blooms
Feeding Trees & Shrubs
Start with the best foundation, then feed to help your plants thrive. Discover the perfect soil and plant food for your outdoor garden.
Shop All Soils
Stunning growth is rooted in great soil, literally! Discover the perfect mix for your outdoor garden.
Shop All Plant Food
Thriving plants need more than light and water — they need food, too! Give them the nutrients they crave.
We've Got Nutrition in the Bag
At Miracle-Gro, we craft every formula with a just-right balance of nutrients that plants need to grow at their best. Learn more about our commitment to making sure what’s in our products is just as good as what you grow with them!
