Parcel & Roothttps://mailordergardening.com/A gardener's almanac for buying seeds, bulbs and plants by mailFruit trees and berries by mail: rootstocks, pollination, chill hours and plantinghttps://mailordergardening.com/fruit-trees-and-berries-by-mail/https://mailordergardening.com/fruit-trees-and-berries-by-mail/2026-10-25How to choose and order fruit trees, berries and grapes from mail-order nurseries: rootstocks and mature size, pollination partners, chill hours, disease resistance, bare-root versus potted, quarantines, planting and first-year care.Renting a house with a garden: what to check before you sign (soil, watering, upkeep written into the lease)https://mailordergardening.com/renting-a-house-with-a-garden/https://mailordergardening.com/renting-a-house-with-a-garden/2026-10-25A checklist for tenants renting a house with a yard or garden: sun and soil, testing for lead before growing food, water supply and who pays, upkeep responsibilities and permissions to write into the lease, documenting the garden at move-in, and gardening in ways you can take with you.Buying plants and seeds across borders and state lines: USDA and state rules explainedhttps://mailordergardening.com/buying-plants-and-seeds-across-borders/https://mailordergardening.com/buying-plants-and-seeds-across-borders/2026-10-24What US gardeners need to know before ordering plants or seeds from another country or another state: when you count as an importer, PPQ 587 permits and phytosanitary certificates, small seed lots, unsolicited seed packages, federal domestic quarantines such as citrus, and state nursery rules.Ordering bulbs by mail: spring and summer bulbs, sizes, timing and storagehttps://mailordergardening.com/ordering-bulbs-by-mail/https://mailordergardening.com/ordering-bulbs-by-mail/2026-10-24How to order flower bulbs by mail: spring-flowering bulbs for fall planting and summer bulbs for spring, bulb sizes, when to order and plant by region, storing bulbs until planting, pre-chilling in warm zones, depth, drainage and naturalising.Planning a vegetable garden from seed catalogs: what to grow, how much and whenhttps://mailordergardening.com/planning-a-vegetable-garden-from-catalogs/https://mailordergardening.com/planning-a-vegetable-garden-from-catalogs/2026-10-24A step-by-step method for planning a home vegetable garden with seed catalogs: sun and soil, cool- and warm-season crops, choosing varieties, how much to grow, sowing calendars from frost dates, succession sowing, and ordering seed and transplants by mail.Seed saving basics: which seeds to save, isolation, harvesting and dryinghttps://mailordergardening.com/seed-saving-basics/https://mailordergardening.com/seed-saving-basics/2026-10-24A beginner's guide to saving vegetable and flower seed from catalog varieties: open-pollinated versus hybrid, the easiest crops to start with, isolation distances, dry and wet harvesting, fermenting tomato seed, drying, labelling and sharing seed.Bare-root plants by mail: what they are, when they ship and how to plant themhttps://mailordergardening.com/bare-root-plants-by-mail/https://mailordergardening.com/bare-root-plants-by-mail/2026-10-23Everything about buying bare-root roses, fruit trees, berries, asparagus and perennials by mail: why nurseries ship dormant plants without soil, timing, inspecting roots on arrival, soaking, heeling in, planting and first-season care.How long seeds last, how to store them and how to test germination at homehttps://mailordergardening.com/how-long-seeds-last/https://mailordergardening.com/how-long-seeds-last/2026-10-23How long vegetable seeds stay viable, why cool and dry storage matters, the best containers, using silica gel, the paper-towel germination test step by step, and how to interpret results before you reorder from the catalog.Plugs, liners and potted plants: understanding plant sizes when you order by mailhttps://mailordergardening.com/plugs-liners-and-potted-plants/https://mailordergardening.com/plugs-liners-and-potted-plants/2026-10-23What plugs, liners, quarts and gallon pots really mean in mail-order catalogs, how to compare value, which plants are best bought small, and how to grow on young plants after they arrive.When your plants arrive: unpacking, checking and caring for mail-order plantshttps://mailordergardening.com/when-your-plants-arrive/https://mailordergardening.com/when-your-plants-arrive/2026-10-23A step-by-step guide for the day the box arrives: unpacking live plants, bulbs and seeds, checking them against the order, documenting damage, rehydrating, acclimatising, short-term storage, planting and claiming under a guarantee.Choosing a mail-order nursery or seed company: guarantees, reviews and regulationshttps://mailordergardening.com/choosing-a-mail-order-nursery/https://mailordergardening.com/choosing-a-mail-order-nursery/2026-10-22How to judge a mail-order nursery or seed supplier before you buy: transparency, plant naming, growing location, guarantees, shipping practices, state nursery inspection and certificates, invasive species, reviews and warning signs.Glossary of nursery and seed catalog termshttps://mailordergardening.com/glossary/https://mailordergardening.com/glossary/2026-10-22Plain-English definitions of the terms used in US seed, bulb and nursery catalogs: annual, bare-root, bolting, cultivar, days to maturity, F1 hybrid, hardiness zone, heirloom, open-pollinated, plug, rootstock, treated seed and many more.Hardiness zones and shipping seasons: when mail-order plants should arrivehttps://mailordergardening.com/hardiness-zones-and-shipping-seasons/https://mailordergardening.com/hardiness-zones-and-shipping-seasons/2026-10-22How to use the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, heat zones and frost dates when ordering plants by mail, why nurseries ship by zone, and how to choose ship dates for bare-root, potted plants, bulbs and seedlings.Small-space gardening by mail: compact varieties, containers and vertical growinghttps://mailordergardening.com/small-space-gardening-by-mail/https://mailordergardening.com/small-space-gardening-by-mail/2026-10-22How to garden on a balcony, patio, rooftop or small yard with seeds and plants ordered by mail: compact and container varieties, container sizes and mixes, watering, vertical growing, dwarf fruit, herbs and bulbs in pots, and practical limits for renters.Starting seeds indoors: timing, light, containers and hardening offhttps://mailordergardening.com/starting-seeds-indoors/https://mailordergardening.com/starting-seeds-indoors/2026-10-22How to start vegetable and flower seeds indoors from catalog orders: when to sow by your last frost date, containers and seed-starting mix, light and temperature, watering, preventing damping off, potting up and hardening off seedlings.How to choose and request free garden catalogshttps://mailordergardening.com/catalogs.htmhttps://mailordergardening.com/catalogs.htm2026-10-21A practical guide to garden catalogs for US gardeners: the kinds of seed, bulb, nursery and supply catalogs, how to request print and digital catalogs, what a trustworthy catalog tells you, red flags, and how to keep your mailbox under control.How to read a seed catalog: days to maturity, hybrids, heirlooms and disease codeshttps://mailordergardening.com/how-to-read-a-seed-catalog/https://mailordergardening.com/how-to-read-a-seed-catalog/2026-10-21A guide to understanding seed catalog listings: variety names, days to maturity, open-pollinated, F1 hybrid and heirloom seed, disease resistance codes, seed counts, treated and organic seed, germination labelling, and regional adaptation.Buying plants by mail: shopper tipshttps://mailordergardening.com/shopperTips.htmhttps://mailordergardening.com/shopperTips.htm2026-10-21Practical tips for buying seeds, bulbs and live plants by mail or online in the US: planning, comparing sizes and prices, reading guarantees, why the FTC's 30-day shipping rule does not cover plants, paying safely, choosing ship dates, and what to do if an order goes wrong.