Garden Starts Nursery

06/19/2026

Why Are Your Petunias Growing But Not Blooming? Here's How to Get Them Flowering Again!

Have your petunias grown into large, healthy green plants but are producing very few flowers? Don't worry—you aren't alone. This is one of the most common questions gardeners ask every summer, and the good news is that the problem is usually easy to fix.

If your petunias have lots of leaves but very few blooms, they're trying to tell you something. The most common causes include not getting enough direct sunlight, using a fertilizer that's too high in nitrogen, inconsistent watering, root-bound containers, or simply needing a light trim to encourage fresh branching. Even healthy-looking petunias can stop blooming if one of these conditions isn't quite right.

At Garden Starts Nursery, we've grown thousands of petunias over the years, and one thing we've consistently found is that petunias are heavy feeders. Keeping them on a regular fertilizer program throughout the growing season makes a tremendous difference. We use Beat Your Neighbor fertilizer because it helps support vigorous growth while encouraging continuous flowering. Combined with full sun, proper watering, and occasional trimming, your petunias can reward you with beautiful blooms from spring until frost.

If your hanging baskets or containers have become all green with very few flowers, don't give up! A few simple adjustments can often have them blooming again within a week or two.

🌸 Read our complete troubleshooting guide:
https://www.trailingpetunia.com/blogs/news/why-are-my-petunias-not-blooming-10-common-causes-and-easy-fixes

🌸 Shop All Flower & Vegetable Seeds:
https://www.trailingpetunia.com/collections

🌱 Looking for Bulk Seed Packs?
https://www.trailingpetuniabulkseeds.com

We hope these tips help you grow healthier, fuller petunias that stay covered in colorful blooms all season long. Happy gardening from all of us at Garden Starts Nursery! 🌸

06/19/2026

Best Pepper Varieties to Grow From Seed for Huge Harvests, Incredible Flavor, and Garden Success! 🌱

Are you planning your vegetable garden and wondering which peppers are worth growing from seed? Choosing the right variety can make all the difference between an average harvest and a garden overflowing with delicious, colorful peppers.

Whether you love sweet bell peppers for fresh salads, mild banana peppers for pickling, productive jalapeños for salsa, or flavorful hot peppers for homemade sauces, starting from seed gives you access to hundreds of incredible varieties that you won't typically find at your local garden center.

Our newest growing guide explores some of the best pepper varieties for home gardens, raised beds, containers, and greenhouses. You'll learn which peppers are the easiest to grow, which produce the largest harvests, and which varieties offer exceptional flavor, productivity, and disease resistance. We also share expert growing tips to help you grow healthier plants and enjoy fresh peppers from summer through fall.

No matter your experience level, growing peppers from seed is one of the most rewarding gardening projects you can take on. With the right variety and proper care, a single healthy pepper plant can produce dozens of beautiful peppers throughout the growing season.

📖 Read the complete guide here:

https://www.trailingpetunia.com/blogs/news/best-pepper-varieties-to-grow-from-seed-for-huge-harvests-incredible-flavor-and-garden-success

🌱 Shop Smaller Seed Packs:

https://www.trailingpetunia.com/collections

🌱 Shop Bulk Seed Packs:

https://www.trailingpetuniabulkseeds.com/

From backyard gardeners to experienced growers, selecting quality pepper seeds is the first step toward healthier plants, bigger harvests, and incredible flavor. We regularly share growing guides, seed-starting tips, greenhouse advice, and expert gardening information to help you get the most from every growing season.

06/18/2026

🫐 Do I Need Two Blueberry Plants to Pollinate? The Truth About Bigger Harvests!

❓ One of the questions we get asked every year at Garden Starts Nursery:

"Do I need two blueberry plants to pollinate?"

Every year at Garden Starts Nursery, this is one of the most common questions we hear from customers planting their first blueberry bushes.

The answer is not always—but if you want the biggest harvests and the longest berry season, planting multiple varieties is one of the best things you can do!

Many blueberry bushes are self-fertile, meaning a single plant can produce fruit. However, we've found that gardeners usually enjoy much better results when they plant an early-season, a mid-season, and a late-season blueberry variety. This gives bees more opportunities to cross-pollinate flowers, often resulting in larger berries, heavier harvests, and fresh blueberries for weeks instead of just one short picking season.

Instead of harvesting everything at once, you'll enjoy berries ripening throughout much of the summer. It's one of our favorite recommendations because it helps home gardeners get more enjoyment and production from their berry patch year after year.

Blueberries also love full sun, acidic soil, consistent watering, and a healthy population of bees and other pollinators. A little planning when you plant can reward you with delicious harvests for many years.

We've put together a complete guide explaining how blueberry pollination works, whether you really need two plants, and why planting an early, a mid-season, and a late-season variety can make such a big difference.

📖 Read the full guide here:

https://www.trailingpetunia.com/blogs/news/do-i-need-two-blueberry-plants-to-pollinate-the-complete-guide-to-bigger-harvests-and-longer-berry-seasons

🌱 Shop Smaller Seed Packs:

https://www.trailingpetunia.com/collections

🌱 Shop Bulk Seed Packs:

https://www.trailingpetuniabulkseeds.com/

🫐 Do you already grow blueberries? We'd love to hear what your favorite variety is! Tell us in the comments and help inspire other gardeners.

06/18/2026

🌱 Why Pepper Seeds Won't Germinate: Common Mistakes and Easy Fixes for Fast, Healthy Sprouting 🌶️

Have you planted pepper seeds only to wait... and wait... with nothing coming up? You're not alone! One of the most common questions gardeners ask is, "Why won't my pepper seeds germinate?" The good news is that it's usually not the seeds—it's often one or two simple growing conditions that are easy to correct.

Our newest growing guide explains the most common reasons pepper seeds fail to sprout, including cool soil temperatures, over watering, planting too deep, poor seed-starting mix, and other mistakes that can slow or completely stop germination. You'll also learn professional tips for getting faster, more even germination and growing strong, healthy pepper seedlings that produce amazing harvests.

Whether you're growing sweet bell peppers, jalapeños, chili peppers, or other hot pepper varieties, these proven techniques will help you start your garden with confidence.

📖 Read the complete guide here:
https://www.trailingpetunia.com/blogs/news/why-pepper-seeds-wont-germinate-common-mistakes-and-easy-fixes-for-fast-healthy-sprouting

🌱 Shop Smaller Seed Packs:
https://www.trailingpetunia.com/collections

🌱 Shop Bulk Seed Packs:
https://www.trailingpetuniabulkseeds.com/

From beginner gardeners to experienced growers, understanding the science behind pepper seed germination can make all the difference. A few simple adjustments today can lead to healthier seedlings, stronger plants, and bigger harvests all season long.

Follow our page for more expert gardening tips, seed-starting guides, and growing advice to help your garden thrive!

06/17/2026

🍇 Potting Up Canby Raspberries for a Strong Start! 🌱

Today we're moving our Canby Raspberry plants from smaller starter pots into 1-gallon containers to give them more room to grow before they head to their new homes!

Potting up at the right time helps:
🌿 Develop a larger, healthier root system
🍇 Produce stronger canes
💧 Hold moisture better during warm weather
☀️ Create a fuller, more vigorous plant that's ready to thrive in your garden

We use quality potting mix, water them in well, and let them continue growing until they're strong, healthy plants ready for planting.

🌸 Looking for flower, vegetable, herb, and perennial seeds too? Browse thousands of varieties on our websites:

🌼 Bulk Seed Packs: https://www.trailingpetuniabulkseeds.com/

🌺 Regular Seed Collection: https://www.trailingpetunia.com/collections

It's always exciting to watch these small plants quickly fill out into beautiful raspberry bushes that will produce loads of sweet, delicious berries!

Have you ever grown Canby Raspberries? Let us know in the comments! 🍇👇

06/16/2026

🌲 Mugo Pine Trimming Secrets! How to Shape and Maintain Beautiful Pines 🌲

Have a Mugo Pine that's getting too large, uneven, or overgrown?

In this video, we show how we trim and shape Mugo Pines to help maintain a fuller, more attractive plant. These same techniques can be used on larger Mugo Pines as well, helping improve their appearance while keeping them manageable in the landscape.

Whether you're growing one in your front yard, garden bed, or as part of a larger landscape, proper pruning can make a huge difference in the long-term shape and health of the plant.

In this video you'll learn:

✅ When to trim a Mugo Pine

✅ How to shape overgrown plants

✅ Tips for maintaining a compact appearance

✅ Common pruning mistakes to avoid

✅ How larger Mugo Pines can be managed over time

Have you ever trimmed a Mugo Pine? Let us know how yours turned out!

🌱 Shop Seeds:
https://www.trailingpetunia.com

06/16/2026

🌱 A Heartfelt Thank You From Garden Starts Nursery 🌱

As we begin looking toward the end of another growing season, we want to take a moment to thank everyone who has visited, supported us, shared our plants, watched our videos, and been part of this journey.

This year has been unlike any other. We faced challenges that made it difficult at times to do what we love, but thanks to the support of our customers and friends, we were still able to open our gates each day and continue growing plants for our community.

We love helping people create beautiful gardens, grow their own food, and enjoy the simple joy that plants bring. That's what has always motivated us.

As the season winds down and the end of June approaches, we still have a great selection of trees, shrubs, perennials, and other plants available. If you've been thinking about adding something special to your garden, now is a wonderful time to stop by and see what's still available.

We're also taking some time to evaluate what next season will look like. Our health and family remain our top priorities, and we'll be carefully considering the best path forward while continuing to do what we enjoy.

For now, we're focused on finishing this season strong, helping gardeners find great plants, and enjoying the remainder of the growing season with all of you.

As a thank you, we're offering:

🌿 25% OFF purchases of $100 or more

We don't run sales very often because we work hard to keep our prices affordable throughout the season, but we'd love to see more of our remaining trees, shrubs, and plants find new homes before we close for the year.

Thank you again for supporting a small local nursery. Your visits, conversations, and encouragement mean more than you know.

We hope to see you before the season comes to a close!

🌸 Garden Starts Nursery
🌿 Growing Plants, Sharing Knowledge, and Helping Gardens Thrive

06/13/2026

It's a beautiful day to come visit Garden Starts Nursery, 20 Rosemary Ln S in Elma WA. Come grab some beautiful flower, trees and plants! We are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. till the end of June!

06/13/2026

06/11/2026

SUNFLOWERS GALORE! Garden Starts Nursery can add some beautiful color to your yard this Summer. The sunflowers are in full bloom and want to come live at your house! Come on out and pick some up, we are located at 20 Rosemary Ln S in Elma WA. We are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Daily till the end of June. We would love to say hi and send you home with some beautiful flowers! P.S. Bulbs are 50% off!!!!!