GARDENING TERMINOLOGY

December 15, 2025

COMMON GARDENING TERMS

ACIDIC: Soil, compost, or liquid with a pH below 7.0.

ALKALINE: Soil with a pH above 7.0 (up to 14.0), often referred to as “basic” soil.

ANNUAL: A plant that completes its entire life cycle—growing, flowering, producing seed, and dying—in one season.

AERATION: The process of loosening soil or compost to allow air, water, and nutrients to reach plant roots.

BENEFICIAL INSECT: An insect that helps control pests by feeding on them or laying eggs in them.

BIENNIAL: A plant that completes its life cycle over two growing seasons, producing foliage in the first year and flowers or seed in the second.

BOLT: When a plant prematurely goes to seed, often due to heat stress.

COMPOST: Fully decomposed organic matter used to improve soil structure and fertility.

COLD FRAME: An unheated structure covered with glass or plastic used to protect plants and extend the growing season.

COVER CROP: Plants grown to protect and enrich soil when garden beds are not actively planted.

CROP ROTATION: Growing different crops in the same area each year to reduce pests and soil depletion.

DEADHEADING: Removing spent flowers to encourage continued blooming and improve plant appearance.

DIRECT SEED: Sowing seeds directly into the garden soil rather than starting them indoors.

FERTILIZER: An organic or synthetic material added to soil or plants to supply essential nutrients.

FOLIAR FEEDING: Applying liquid fertilizer directly to plant leaves for rapid nutrient absorption.

GREEN MANURE: A crop grown and then worked into the soil to add organic matter and improve fertility.

HARDENING OFF: Gradually acclimating indoor-grown plants to outdoor conditions before transplanting.

HUMUS: Dark, rich organic material formed from fully decomposed plant and animal matter.

MULCH: Organic material spread on soil to retain moisture, regulate temperature, and suppress weeds.

N-P-K: The three primary plant nutrients—Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K)—listed on fertilizer labels.

ORGANIC: Derived from living organisms; also refers to gardening methods that avoid synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

PERENNIAL: A plant that lives for more than two years and typically regrows each season.

RHIZOME: A horizontal underground stem that produces roots and new shoots.

TRANSPLANTING: Moving a plant from one growing location or container to another.

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