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Daily gardening tip · Southern hemisphere · Saturday 29 August 2026 · late winter

Draw a Crop Rotation Map

Sketching your vegetable beds today prevents soil disease and nutrient depletion before the spring planting rush begins.

Draw a Crop Rotation Map
20 minuteseasyplanning
  1. Draw a simple diagram of your garden beds on a sheet of paper.
  2. Label what you planted in each bed during the last growing season.
  3. Draw a second diagram representing your upcoming spring garden.
  4. Move each vegetable family, like nightshades or legumes, to a different bed on your new map.
  5. Keep this paper map in a safe place to guide your planting next month.
A garden in late winter

Why it works

Different plant families feed on different nutrients and attract specific pests. Rotating where you plant them each year stops soil-borne pests and diseases from building up in one spot and prevents the soil from running out of specific minerals.

Drummond's Jimmyweed

Plant of the day

Drummond's Jimmyweed

Isocoma drummondii

A low-growing, resinous subshrub native to South Texas and Mexico, typically found in saline soils. It produces small, yellow discoid flower heads in late summer.

Read about it →

Gardening news

Gardening news

Nicholsons expands forestry and environmental services into South West

A company named Nicholsons has opened a new office near Exeter to bring its tree, garden, and nature services to the South West region.

The Dirt · 2026-08-28
New research

Research examines how greenhouse coverings improve plant health and energy use

Scientists and industry experts evaluated new types of greenhouse light coverings designed to support plant growth. These advanced materials give growers precise control over light, energy use, and temperature conditions inside growing spaces. Controlling these environmental factors helps plants thrive while using fewer natural resources.

greenhousegrower.com · 2026-08-26
On this day

Botanist and chemist Victor King Chesnut passed away in 1938

On 29 August 1938, American botanist Victor King Chesnut died at the age of 71. He worked for the United States Department of Agriculture and led pioneering early research on poisonous plants. His published works helped establish the scientific study of plant toxicology.

en.wikipedia.org · 2023-04-22

Written for the southern hemisphere. Gardening north of the equator? See the northern edition

Your garden, remembered

Photograph anything growing and find out what it is, whether it's healthy, and what to do about it. Free to start. No card needed.

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