KINGSTON, R.I. – Oct. 21, 2025 – While gardeners across the region are closing up shop and putting away their gardening tools, University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners say fall is a great time of year to get some plants into the ground and plan for next year.

Cooperative Extension’s Kate Hardesty, of West Greenwich, R.I., says garlic is fun to plant at Halloween to enjoy at the June harvest. She also suggests carrots, radishes, leaf lettuce, and beans from seed as easy plants for novice gardeners to consider when looking at plant catalogs over the coming winter. “They’re easy to grow from seed,” she says.

Though Hardesty worked in the landscaping field for many years, the COVID-19 pandemic made Hardesty get out in her yard and put herself in the shoes, er, boots, of new gardeners.

“COVID gave me the space and time to spend hours outdoors after work at home,” she recalls.

Having once designed a garden for the series This Old House, Hardesty now practices what she preaches by planting both for herself and her family. “I am thankful to the pandemic for providing me the time and space to find and fall in love with this new passion of mine,” she says.

Hardesty is an educator with Cooperative Extension, which provides informal education and learning opportunities to people throughout the U.S. In Rhode Island, the program delivers science-based educational programs and services to help people in their daily lives in every corner of the state.

Woonsocket resident Georgia Young completed the URI Master Gardener program in 2021 and is another garlic fan, calling it a good project for new gardeners to try in the fall.

“If you have a piece of lawn you’d like to convert to native plants or a raised bed in the spring, start the process now with the ‘lasagna method,’” Young says. URI’s Gardening and Environmental Hotline can also talk you through the process and can be reached at 401-874-4836 or via email at gardener@uri.edu.

Elizabeth Leibovitz who oversees the Heber Youngken Medicinal Garden for the University’s pharmacy program says that “neck garlic” is typically grown in New England and many of its varieties are easy to grow. URI pharmacy students study garlic as a supplement in their program.

“Buy hard-neck garlic, the largest cloves you can find, from a farmers market,” she says. “Let the farmer know you are planning to plant it and they can help you find nice large healthy cloves. Orienting the clove with the pointy tip up (the future sprout) is essential, then mulch deeply. Garlic can be planted anytime the ground isn’t frozen.”

For further advice on planting garlic—or anything else—contact the URI Gardening and Environmental Hotline. Outside Rhode Island, look for your closest Cooperative Extension office.

Most importantly, URI Master Gardeners say there’s no need to be afraid of gardening.

“You can do it!” affirms Hardesty. “Just try, observe, and make adjustments as needed. Anyone can grow food!”

URI Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardener Program offers environmentally-friendly, science-based programs for garden enthusiasts of all levels. Questions? Email coopext@uri.edu or call (401) 874 -2900. Learn more at https://web.uri.edu/coopext/.