Affiliate Disclosure

The honest version.

Outdoor Plant Care is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, the Home Depot affiliate program, and the Lowe's affiliate program — affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by linking to their products.

What this means in practice

Many gear and recommendation pages on this site contain affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and purchase a product, I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. This site is supported by these commissions.

What this does not mean

• It does not change what I recommend. Picks are made based on personal use and primary-source guidance from university Extension publications, not on affiliate availability or commission rate.
• It does not mean every product I recommend has an affiliate link. Some don't. I link directly to manufacturer pages or specialty retailers when those are better sources.
• It does not mean reviews are sponsored. Nothing on this site is sponsored as of launch. If that ever changes, sponsored content will be labeled clearly and separated from editorial recommendations.

How recommendations are made

A product gets recommended on Outdoor Plant Care if it meets at least one of these criteria:

1. I have used the product personally on my Long Island (zone 7a) garden and it performed as claimed.
2. The product is the universal first recommendation from primary horticultural sources (university Extension publications, RHS, peer-reviewed research) for the specific use case.
3. The product is the only option that meets a specific technical requirement — for example, a particular Bacillus thuringiensis strain for a particular pest where no functional substitute exists.

If a recommended product is later replaced by a better option, the recommendation is updated and the change is noted in the article.

Why Amazon, Home Depot, and Lowe's

These three retailers cover ~95% of typical home-garden purchases. Amazon for hand tools, chemicals, seeds, and small items where shipping is favorable. Home Depot and Lowe's for bulky items (raised beds, bags of mulch and soil, large fertilizer bags) where ship-to-store pickup beats Amazon shipping costs — and where you can return locally without printing a label.

Other affiliate programs

If I add specialty programs in the future (specialty plant nurseries, seed companies, soil amendment suppliers), they will be disclosed here. As of June 2026, Amazon Associates, Home Depot Affiliates, and Lowe's Affiliates are the only affiliate relationships on this site.

Contact

Questions about this disclosure: thomas at outdoorplantcare dot com.

FTC compliance

This disclosure is provided in compliance with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." Material connections between this site and product manufacturers/retailers are disclosed in plain language.