Aries Rows Garden Six Pack #7

Aries Rows Garden Six Pack #7 is now available to purchase!

By now, you probably know the drill, but just in case you are new here: Six Pack #7 includes six never-before-published Rows Gardens in PDF form in four levels of difficulty, a set of solutions, and RGZ files for digital solving. The PDF layout is exactly the same as it has been since 2019, so long-time solvers will be very familiar with how these puzzles look as well as how they solve. In order to maintain continuity with the overall Aries Rows Garden series, the puzzles in this pack are officially classified as Year 13, Puzzles 13 through 18.

Order Six Pack #7 for just $6 using the Paypal applet below. If you'd like to discuss payment options other than Paypal, just send me an email. If you've already pre-ordered the Six Packs in 2026, you will be automatically emailed all puzzles, so no further payment is necessary.

The Paypal applet below also allows you to purchase Six Packs #5 and #6, released earlier this year. For many more Rows Garden Six Pack and bundles available for purchase, head over to the Rows Garden Archive. 

Happy solving!

Please note: Paypal orders are fulfilled manually. While the vast majority of purchases are fulfilled in under an hour, please allow up to 8 hours to receive an email with the puzzles that you purchased. Your patience is appreciated!

2026 Aries Rows Garden Six Packs

#7 - Fall 2026 $6.00 USD #6 - Summer 2026 $6.00 USD #5 - Spring 2026 $6.00 USD

Moving Boxes

Moving Boxes - PDF | Solution (PDF)

Back with another Boxes puzzle! This one is appropriately inspired as I moved this month. Still in Tucson but I've become a homeowner once again. So far so good! As with other Boxes puzzles, this format is PDF only. Hope you enjoy!

On the Rows Garden front, the latest Six Pack is on schedule for release tomorrow, September 25. If you didn't pre-order all the Six Packs this year, swing by tomorrow to purchase. Also be sure to scoop up this year's previous Six Packs, or if you are in need of several hundred Rows Gardens, the $50-off special on the full Archive dating back to 2014 is still available. 

Happy solving! 

Aries Freestyle August 2026

Aries Freestyle August 2026 - PUZ | PDF | PDF (Grayscale) | Solution (PDF)

It seems I've gotten into the habit of returning to my freestyle roots once a year, having done exactly that since 2024. So savor this Freestyle, clued at a super-hard level for your brain-numbing enjoyment. 

On the Rows Garden front, work on the latest Six Pack is apace and set for a September release. In the meantime, head over to the Archive to pick up some bundles if you've fallen behind, or better yet grab the Full Rows Garden Archive at a discounted rate for a limited time. 

Happy solving!

Built by Andrew J. Ries using the crossword puzzle maker from Amuse Labs

Bank Deposits #1

Banking Deposits #1 - Standard (PDF) | Harder (PDF) | Solution (PDF)

This month's variety puzzle is the exciting debut of a brand-new format called Bank Deposits! Inspired by letter banks, this puzzle type is an interesting twist on the "rows and regions" style of variety crosswords. There is a final answer to arrive at, as fully explained in the instructions. There are two difficulty levels offered: Standard, which discloses enumerations for the Rows answers, and Harder, which only provides notations such as "2 words" and "Hyph." According to test solvers, the Harder version put up a decent amount of resistance, so try the Standard version unless you're looking for an extra-spicy challenge. PDF only for this "maiden voyage" of this format.

When it comes to new formats, solver feedback is especially appreciated. I'd love to hear if you loved this, hated it, or somewhere in between, as that gives me a good idea of whether this format is something worth further exploration. Don't hesitate to leave a comment below or send me an email. Hope you enjoy solving!

[8/2/2026: New versions of the puzzle have been uploaded. No clues have been changed, but the instructions have been clarified and now include a visual sample, and the presentation of the Banks clues have also been tweaked. Thank you to solvers who have suggested these tweaks! -A.R.]

On the Rows Garden front, the first two Six Packs this year have been released to a good response from solvers, and work on the next Six Pack is well underway. If you're late to the Rows Garden party that's been going on here since 2014, now is great time to get caught up. For the first time, I'm running a special on the Full Archive, which includes all 468 subscriber puzzles released since 2014. Save $50 and scoop up the Full Archive for $199, the lowest-ever per-puzzle price that I've offered. This offer will be available for a limited time only, so jump on it now before it goes away! 

Aries Rows Garden - FULL ARCHIVE   $249  $199

Full Bundle 2014-2025 (468 puzzles) $199.00 USD

PDF Difficulty Level

Hardest Harder Easier Easiest

 

Aries Six Pack #6

I'm happy to announce that Six Pack #6 is now available to purchase!

By now, you probably know the drill, but just in case you are new here: Six Pack #6 includes six never-before-published Rows Gardens in PDF form in four levels of difficulty, a set of solutions, and RGZ files for digital solving. The PDF layout is exactly the same as it has been since 2019, so long-time solvers will be very familiar with how these puzzles look as well as how they solve. In order to maintain continuity with the overall Aries Rows Garden series, the puzzles in this pack are officially classified as Year 13, Puzzles 7 through 12.

Order Six Pack #6 for just $6 using the Paypal applet below. If you'd like to discuss payment options other than Paypal, just send me an email. If you've already pre-ordered the Six Packs in 2026, you will be automatically emailed all puzzles, so no further payment is necessary.

The Paypal applet also allows you to purchase Six Pack #5, released in March of this year. For many more Rows Garden Six Pack and bundles available for purchase, head over to the Rows Garden Archive. 

Happy solving!

Please note: Paypal orders are fulfilled manually. While the vast majority of purchases are fulfilled in under an hour, please allow up to 8 hours to receive an email with the puzzles that you purchased. Your patience is appreciated!

2026 Aries Rows Garden Six Packs

#6 - Summer 2026 $6.00 USD #5 - Spring 2026 $6.00 USD

Marching Bands #10

Aries Marching Bands #10 - PDF | JPZ | Solution (PDF)

Back with another Marching Bands this month. The strength of a Marching Bands puzzle depends mainly on the ability to get longish entries among the Bands. This puzzle has 24 total Band entries, a low that I've hit a few times, and I do think those grids are my favorite among MBs. Always a fun challenge to write one of these. As is standard, I've got the puzzle available in both PDF and JPZ formats. To solve digitally, first download the JPZ file, then head over to Crossword Nexus, select the file, and have at it. Either way you solve, hope you enjoy!

On the Rows Garden front, the second Six Pack of 2026 is just on the horizon, to be officially released this Friday, June 26. This latest Six Pack came together very nicely and I'm excited to have solvers get their hands on it. Stay tuned for more details.

Happy solving,

-Andrew

Twists & Turns #14

Twists & Turns #14 - Harder (PDF) | Standard (PDF) | Standard (JPZ) | Solution (PDF)

Back with another Twists & Turns puzzle! T&Ts continue to be as fun of a challenge to write as when I developed the format back in 2019. I'm finding the sweet spot is about 35 to 38 Turn answers, as a word count in that range that means there are enough long Turns to keep things interesting. As always, two difficulty levels are offered in PDF format, with a JPZ in Standard difficulty only. To solve digitally, first download the JPZ file, then upload it over at Crossword Nexus. However you solve, hope you enjoy!

The next Rows Garden Six Pack is on track for a June 26 release. A reminder that the Rows Garden Archive is always open, with puzzles available for purchase dating back from 2014. 

Last but certainly not least, the New York Times recently ran a nice obituary for crossword writer Manny Nosowsky, who passed away last week at the age of 94. As a young crossword solver, the first byline that I became excited to see was Manny's, and in particular I adored his themeless puzzles. Back in 2017 I co-dedicated The Stagger Sessions to Manny and was fortunate to exchange a few emails with him at that time. He's one of the very best to have ever written crossword puzzles, full stop. Rest in peace to a puzzling legend.   

Section Eight #5

Section Eight #5 - Harder (PDF) | Easier (PDF) | Harder (JPZ) | Easier (JPZ) | Solution (PDF)

Here's another Section Eight for this month's variety puzzle. My love of this Patrick Berry-developed format hasn't waned. If there was some alternate universe wherein I could spend all of my free time working on Section Eight grids, I'd move there in a heartbeat! If you're as much a fan as I am, or even if you're not familiar with the format and just want a super-tough variety puzzle challenge, be sure to check out 2024's S8 puzzle pack if you want more brain-twisting Section Eights. PDF and JPZ versions in two difficulty levels are linked above. The Harder version is how Berry-authored Section Eights are offered in the Wall Street Journal; the Easier version includes Ring directions and enumerations for all answers. To solve digitally, first download the JPZ file, then head over to Crossword Nexus and upload. However you choose to solve, hope you enjoy!

Regular reminder that the first Aries Rows Garden Six Pack of 2026 is available! The next Six Pack is on track for a June release. 

Happy solving!

Aries Six Pack #5

Aries Rows Garden is back! Six Pack #5, the first Six Pack of 2026, is now available to purchase. 

By now, you probably know the drill, but just in case you are new here: Six Pack #5 includes six never-before-published Rows Gardens in PDF form in four levels of difficulty, a set of solutions, and RGZ files for digital solving. The PDF layout is exactly the same as it has been since 2019, so long-time solvers will be very familiar with how these puzzles look as well as how they solve. In order to maintain continuity with the overall Aries Rows Garden series, the puzzles in this pack are officially classified as Year 13, Puzzles 1 through 6.

Order Six Pack #5 for just $6 using the Paypal applet below. If you'd like to discuss payment options other than Paypal, just send me an email. If you've already preordered the Six Packs in 2026, you will be automatically emailed all puzzles, so no further payment is necessary. . If you haven't yet preordered, the preorder option will be available until mid-June, and doing so gets you a discounted rate versus the per-pack price. The full-year preorder option is included in the Paypal drop-down menu below.   

Please note: Paypal orders are fulfilled manually. While the vast majority of purchases are fulfilled in under an hour, please allow up to 8 hours to receive an email with the puzzles that you purchased. Your patience is appreciated!

2026 Aries Rows Garden Six Packs

#5 - Spring 2026 $6.00 USD PREORDER (ALL FOUR 2026 SIX PACKS) $20.00 USD

Double or Nothing #9

Double or Nothing #9 - PDF | PDF (Grayscale) | Solution (PDF)

I've got another Double or Nothing puzzle this month. This format is always a pleasure to write, mainly because it affords the opportunity to get use long, 18+ letter entries in crosswords, typically barred entry from grids due to the size of most crossword grids being 15 squares wide or less. And while it wasn't planned, if you squint a little (so to speak), there's somewhat of a mini-theme at 22-Across and 46-Across. PDF only for this format - hope you enjoy!

Check back soon for the first Rows Garden Six Pack of 2026 to drop! Thanks to all who have preordered all 2026 Six Packs, and there will also be an option to buy individual Six Packs on their respective release day. 

Happy solving!

Aries Acrostic #6

Aries Acrostic #6 - PDF | JPZ | Solution (PDF)

Back with another Acrostic! There's a PDF for paper solving and a JPZ file for digital solving. To solve online, download the JPZ, then head over to Crossword Nexus and upload. Either way you solve, hope you enjoy!

Good news on the Rows Garden front: 2026 Six Packs are officially a go, and this year you can preorder all four Six Packs! The first Six Pack is scheduled for a March 27 release, and you can preorder now for the most convenient email delivery for all Aries Rows Gardens in 2026. For more details and to preorder, click here. 

Happy solving! 

Lock Boxes

Lock Boxes - PDF | Solution (PDF)

Back with another Boxes puzzle! I feel remiss that I didn't write one of these ingenious Patrick Berry inventions last year, so making up for that here. These puzzles are difficult to solve and a challenge to write, making this format one of my favorites. PDF only, hope you enjoy!

I've started work on the next Rows Garden Six Pack and will have more info to pass along soon as it relates to Rows Gardens in 2026. If you haven't gotten your hands on any of the 2025 Six Packs, stop by the Archive and scoop one or all of them up.

Happy solving!

Aries Six Pack #4

Aries Six Pack #4 is now available! 

The decision to shift away from weekly puzzles at the end of 2024 was not an easy one. There was risk involved in releasing Rows Gardens on a less-frequent basis. But Aries Rows Garden fans are a loyal group of dedicated solvers. Your support has made each Six Pack a success and has provided the kind of support that will keep Aries Rows Gardens coming in 2026 and beyond.

By now, you probably know the drill, but just in case you are new here: Six Pack #4 includes six never-before-published Rows Gardens in PDF form in the difficulty level of your choice, a set of solutions, and RGZ files for digital solving. The PDF layout is exactly the same as it has been since 2019, so long-time solvers will be very familiar with how these puzzles look as well as how they solve. In order to maintain continuity with the overall Aries Rows Garden series, the puzzles in this pack are officially classified as Year 12, Puzzles 19 through 24.

Order Six Pack #4 for just $5 using the Paypal applet below. Each of the previous Six Packs from this year are also available using the same applet, as well as the Full 2025 Bundle of all four Six Packs for $20! If you'd like to discuss payment options other than Paypal, just send me an email.  

As mentioned above, these Six Packs will continue next year, with the first Six Pack of 2026 scheduled for a March release. Stay tuned for more details. A hearty "thank you" to all who support Aries Rows Garden and has made this project a success for twelve years strong!  

Please note: All orders are fulfilled manually. While the vast majority of purchases are fulfilled in under an hour, please allow up to 8 hours to receive an email with the puzzles that you purchased. Your patience is appreciated!

2025 Aries Rows Garden Six Packs

#4 - Winter 2025 $5.00 USD #3 - Fall 2025 $5.00 USD #2 - Summer 2025 $5.00 USD #1 - Spring 2025 $5.00 USD FULL 2025 BUNDLE (ALL 4 SIX PACKS) $20.00 USD

PDF Difficulty Level

Hardest Harder Easier Easiest

Aries Cryptic #36 - "Christmas Acrosses"

Aries Cryptic #36 - "Christmas Acrosses" - PUZ | PDF | PDF (Grayscale) | Solution (PDF) | Intro to Cryptics (PDF)

Back this month with a cryptic! I didn't realize it's been nearly two years since the last cryptic that I posted here. I have something of a love-hate relationship with cryptics, so it's a format that's probably best that I only do sporadically. This one is a scaled-down 11x11 block cryptic. I had a couple of Christmas-related cryptic angles that I wanted to use and with the smaller grid size it was nice to be able to get all the Across clues to feature some surface sense related to the holiday. There are PUZ and PDF options above, and an applet for online solving below. As always, hope you enjoy!

On the Rows Garden front, the fourth and final Six Pack is on deck for a December 26 release, so stop by very soon to purchase!

Happy solving!

Created by Andrew J. Ries with the crossword puzzle creator from Amuse Labs

Twists & Turns #13

Twists & Turns #13 - Harder (PDF) | Standard (PDF) | Standard (JPZ) | Solution (PDF)

Back with the annual Thanksgiving Day T&T! Enjoy this puzzle sometime in between the turkey, the football, and the inevitable food coma-induced nap. There are two difficulty levels offered in the print-and-solve PDF options, and a Standard-difficulty JPZ version for digital solving. To solve online, first download the JPZ and then head over to Crossword Nexus to upload and solve. Happy solving!

On the Rows Garden front, the fourth Six Pack this year is in progress and in line for a December release, so stay tuned! If you haven't already, get your hands on any of the previous Six Packs this year, or any of the archived puzzles dating back to 2014 at the Rows Garden Archive.

Happy Thanksgiving!  

Section Eight #4 (Guest Puzzle by Roger Barkan)

Section Eight #4 - PDF (Harder) | PDF (Easier) | JPZ (Harder) | JPZ (Easier) | Solution (PDF)

I'm excited to let a guest constructor take over the reins this month! Roger Barkan has recently caught the bug that is Section Eight constructing and this puzzle is one result of Roger's dedicated efforts. We both love this format which was developed by the great Patrick Berry. Roger also wrote another of these recently published at Outside the Box, so be sure to check that out as well. 

Like the other Section Eights featured here, such as last year's S8 Puzzle Pack, there are two difficulty levels offered. The Harder version is how Section Eights are presented in the Wall Street Journal presents them, with the Ring directions and enumerations not given except for the outermost Ring. The Easier version discloses the directions and enumerations of all Rings, so do check out that version if you're new to the format. There are PDFs for print-and-play solvers as well as JPZ files for digital solving. To solve online, download the JPZ file and then head over to Crossword Nexus and upload. Either way you solve, hope you enjoy!

Good news on the Rows Garden front: Juliana Tringali Golden at Stay Golden Puzzles is launching a regular series of original RGs for sale. Juliana writes that she's planning to release a new puzzle every weekend. Like Juliana's earlier "Gardening Lesson" suite of RGs, these puzzles are top-notch quality, so scoop these puzzles up if you haven't already.  

Over here, work on the fourth Six Pack of the year is ongoing and on track for a December release. So stay tuned, and as always, happy solving!   

Aries Acrostic #5

Aries Acrostic #5 - PDF | JPZ | Solution (PDF)

Back with another Acrostic! There is a print-and-solve PDF option as well as a JPZ file for digital solving. To solve on your computer, download the JPZ file and then head over to Crossword Nexus and upload the file. Either way you solve, hope you enjoy!

In case you missed last week's announcement, Rows Garden Six Pack #3 is now available! Click here for more details and to purchase. 

Happy solving!

Aries Six Pack #3

 Aries Six Pack #3 is now available! 

The first two Six Packs released this year have been well-received by solvers, so thanks to your ongoing support, here are some more brand new puzzles!

Six Pack #3 includes six never-before-published Rows Gardens in PDF form in the difficulty level of your choice, a set of solutions, and RGZ files for digital solving. The PDF layout is exactly the same as it has been since 2019, so long-time solvers will be very familiar with how these puzzles look as well as how they solve. In order to maintain continuity with the overall Aries Rows Garden series, the puzzles in this pack are officially classified as Year 12, Puzzles 13 through 18.

Order Six Pack #3 for just $5 using the Paypal applet below. You can pick up one or both of the prior two Six Packs using the same applet. Anyone who has purchased Aries Puzzles offerings through Venmo or Zelle are welcome to do the same for Six Pack #3. If you'd like to discuss alternative payment options, just send me an email. 

Please note: All orders are fulfilled manually. While the vast majority of purchases are fulfilled in under an hour, please allow up to 8 hours to receive an email with the puzzles that you purchased. Your patience is appreciated!

2025 Aries Rows Garden Six Packs

#4 - Winter 2025 $5.00 USD #3 - Fall 2025 $5.00 USD #2 - Summer 2025 $5.00 USD #1 - Spring 2025 $5.00 USD FULL 2025 BUNDLE (ALL 4 SIX PACKS) $20.00 USD

PDF Difficulty Level

Hardest Harder Easier Easiest

Marching Bands #9

Aries Marching Bands #9 - PDF | JPZ | Solution (PDF)

Back this month with another Marching Bands puzzle. Print-and-solve and digital solving options included. To solve online, first download the JPZ and then head over to Crossword Nexus and open the JPZ file. As always, hope you enjoy.

On the Rows Garden front, I wanted to plug a couple of recent releases. My Vox crossword colleague Juliana Golden Tringali released a suite of Rows Gardens with a thematic tie-in called "Gardening Lesson." For more details and to purchase, click here. Also, Peter Baronowski has launched a Rows Garden-focused Substack and has four free RGs posted so far, which you can check out here.

Over here, Six Packs #1 and #2 have been released and thanks to all who have purchased packs so far. If you haven't gotten your hands on either of these packs yet, click here to purchase through the Rows Garden Archive. Your support keeps the puzzles coming! Six Pack #3 is in the testing stage and is on track for a September 19th release, so stay tuned for more Aries Rows Gardens coming very soon!

Happy solving!

Puns & Anagrams #5

Puns & Anagrams #5 - PUZ | PDF | PDF (Grayscale) | Solution (PDF)

Back with another Puns & Anagrams puzzle! I hadn't realized it has been so long since I've posted one of these -- three and a half years to be exact. For a quick refresher on P&As:

1) Puns & Anagrams feature a fully interlocking grid, and each answer is an acceptable entry in a standard crossword. Unlike standard block cryptics, where roughly 50% of the squares are checked by crossing entries, P&A grids qualify as standard themeless crossword grids, with a max of 72 entries in the grid. Every square is a part of an across and down entry. This affords solvers many more opportunities to solve an entry than a cryptic does, which helps explain some of the looseness of P&A clues.

2) Anagram clues (which comprise about half of the clues in a P&A) do not include anagram indicators, which are required for cryptics. In addition, homophones of letters (or groups of letters) included in the anagram are fair game. So, the word "sea" could signal a C to be included in the anagram; the word "seize" could signal multiple Cs to be included in the anagram; and "seedy" could signal the letters CD to be included in the anagram. The best anagram clues incorporate an anagram into a natural-reading definitional hint for the entry.

3) While anagram clues will include a definitional hint to the entry, non-anagram clues do not require a definitional hint. Non-anagram clues will include cryptic tropes such as hidden words, reversals, and homophones, as well as more P&A-typical conventions as visual rebuses, puns, and fill-in-the-blanks.

One principle I keep top of mind while writing P&A clues is that no clue in a P&A could be a legitimate clue in a cryptic crossword. I get annoyed when I hear P&As described as "watered-down" or "lesser" cryptics. While certainly as a format Puns & Anagrams is indebted to the cryptic, it stands alone and does its own thing. 

Happy solving!

Made by Andrew J. Ries with the crossword puzzle maker from Amuse Labs