What I'm reading in gardening
A hand-curated list, not an automated feed: research that changes something, industry shifts worth knowing about, and the occasional genuinely strange find. Updated periodically, not daily.
Older items →Research
Ohio's citizen-science variety trials are into year 8
Ohio State Extension's citizen-science variety trials are into their 8th year: home gardeners grow two versions of the same crop side by side and report back what actually held up.
Food-waste compost underperforms plain potting mix
A University of Arkansas trial found food-waste compost alone actually underperforms plain potting mix for starting tomato and watermelon seedlings — it only helped as part of a blend, not a full swap.
Trending & Curious
A 408kg pumpkin just broke a state record
A 408kg pumpkin broke Western Australia's state record for heaviest pumpkin, grown by Kelsey Freemantle, who edged out her own sister by two kilograms.
Kew Gardens named 190 new plants and fungi
Kew Gardens named 190 new plants and fungi from 2025, including a fungus that turns trapdoor spiders into spore factories and a Peruvian shrub named after Calcifer from Howl's Moving Castle.
Industry & Trends
Proven Winners is licensing a new vegetable-plant line
Proven Winners is licensing a new “Proven Harvest” vegetable-plant line through Pure Line Seeds, aiming for garden-center shelves by spring 2027.
Seed prices are up again for the 2026 season
Seed prices are up again for the 2026 season — tariffs and shipping costs are the reasons cited, in a rundown from longtime garden radio host Farmer Fred Hoffman.