Backyard Leaf started as Marta's messy notebook of what killed her plants and what eventually saved them. It's now a small, independent site run by a handful of us who garden for fun, not for a corporation.
Most plant advice online is either copied from a nursery tag or written by someone who has never actually let a fiddle-leaf fig drop every leaf and then nursed it back. We're the opposite. Between us we've flooded pots, scorched succulents, over-fertilized tomatoes, and slowly figured out what really matters: light, water, drainage, and patience.
What we cover
Two things, really. Indoors: houseplants, from unkillable pothos to the fussier calatheas, plus propagation and the everyday "why is my plant doing that?" problems. Outdoors: vegetable beds, containers, tools, and keeping a small lawn alive without a truckload of chemicals.
How the site pays for itself
We keep Backyard Leaf free by running a few ads and by linking to products on Amazon and other shops. When you buy through one of those links we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. We only point to gear we'd genuinely use, and a recommendation is never for sale. You can read the full affiliate disclosure any time.
A quick, honest caveat
We're gardeners, not botanists or vets for your prize orchid. Growing conditions vary wildly from home to home, so treat our guides as a well-tested starting point and adjust for your own light, climate, and plant. If something looks seriously wrong, a local nursery or extension office is worth the visit.
Got a question, a correction, or a plant emergency? Say hello — we read everything.
About the editor
Marta Reyes is the founder and lead editor of Backyard Leaf. She reviews and edits every guide on the site.
Marta has been growing things for more than fifteen years, starting with a single supermarket pothos on a dim apartment windowsill and ending up with a home that now holds well over a hundred houseplants, a raised-bed vegetable garden, and a small lawn she keeps alive without dumping chemicals on it. She is a lifelong hobby gardener rather than a credentialed botanist, and she is upfront about that: everything she writes comes from years of hands-on trial, error, killed plants, and the fixes that actually worked.
Before writing full time she kept detailed notebooks on what each plant needed season to season, which is where a lot of these articles began. When Marta is not sure about something, she says so, tests it, and cross-checks it against horticultural sources and local extension guidance before it goes on the site. You can reach her and the rest of the team at [email protected].