gardening
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Where to Buy Vegetable Starts in Missoula
Missoula has a handful of solid options for picking up vegetable starts in spring, and knowing the difference between them matters when you are working with Montana’s short growing season. Not all starts are equal, and where you buy has a real effect on how your garden gets off the ground. Hours, seasons, and what…
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How to Grow Herbs in Missoula
Herbs are one of the most satisfying things to grow in Missoula because most of them require very little from you once they are established. A few pots on a sunny step or a small dedicated bed can keep a kitchen supplied all summer. That said, growing herbs in Missoula is not one-size-fits-all. Some are…
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How to Grow Peppers in Montana’s Short Season
Peppers are one of those vegetables that people in Missoula either swear by or give up on after one bad season. Often the problem is not the gardener. It is usually the variety, the timing, or both. Growing peppers in Montana is possible, but you have to be honest about what you are working with.…
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Missoula Soil: What You’re Working With and How to Fix It
Many struggling Missoula gardeners say they’ve tried everything and their garden still isn’t producing the way they expect. They’ve watered consistently, chosen good varieties, and planted at the right time. Often the problem is the soil. Missoula soil varies more than people realize, and what’s under your garden has a big influence on how your…
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How to Water a Vegetable Garden in Missoula
Watering is the part of vegetable gardening that trips up a lot of Missoula gardeners. Not because it’s complicated, but because our climate makes the stakes higher. Missoula averages about 14 inches of precipitation a year, according to NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 normals for the airport. That’s dry. May and June are usually the wettest…
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Growing Tomatoes in Missoula: A Short-Season Guide
Tomatoes are the crop a lot of Missoula gardeners most want to get right. They want to grow them, they’ve had mixed results, and they want to know why. The honest answer is that growing tomatoes in Missoula is doable, but it requires a different approach than what works in warmer climates. Get the variety…
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Growing More Than a Garden: Lessons from Missoula’s Short Growing Season
There was a point when I thought gardening was just about growing plants. You put something in the ground, water it, maybe add some fertilizer, and hope for the best. And sometimes it worked… but a lot of times it didn’t. I’d get frustrated with pests, tired of watering constantly, and confused about why some…
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Why Your Seed Starting Mix Matters for Montana Gardeners
Starting seeds indoors in Montana requires the right soil mix. A light, well-draining seed starting mix helps young roots develop properly and improves germination success.