Categories
Vegetable Gardening

7 Shallow Root Vegetables That Grow Great in Containers and Tough Spots

Nice as it would be, we don’t all have big plots of land and healthy, rich soil to grow our gardens. Heck, some of us don’t have any land at all, so we stick to container gardens on the balcony or front porch. Even though that may seem limiting, there are a lot of shallow root vegetables that work in containers or those tough spots that don’t seem useful for growing anything. 

Categories
Garden Design

How to Build a DIY Vegetable Trellis from Recycled Materials

It’s usually after the third or fourth big snowstorm that I start sketching out my garden design for the spring. If I’m being extra nerdy, I’ll even bust out the graph paper. My desire to micromanage each square foot of my backyard is outdone only by my desire to save money. This is where recycled materials come in! In garages, basements, and tool sheds across the world, there are gobs of recyclable materials we can use to build a DIY vegetable trellis.

Categories
Garden Design

Stalking My Local Nursery

We just had a few really warm days. We hit 60 degrees and Spring was definitely in the air. I didn’t mind taking the dogs out and stood basking in the sun while their noses twitched in the air. They were smelling what I was feeling, the basking glow of Spring! These few days caused […]

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Easy Healthy Recipes

Nick’s Southern Herb and Spice Mix: A Garden-to-Table Adventure

Hello fellow food enthusiasts! Today, we’re embarking on a delightful journey into the world of herbs and spices with Nick’s Southern Herb and Spice Mix. This aromatic blend is a family favorite that has graced the tables of our humble home and the bustling kitchen of our family restaurant. Join me as we explore the […]

Categories
Garden Design

How to Create Built-In Hillside Planter Boxes for Sloped Yards

When designing a vegetable garden, it’s a good idea to figure out which part of your yard receives the longest and most consistent light. Might as well get in a bit of sunbathing and call it “research,” right? For some, as luck would have it, the most sun-filled section of your yard will be the least conducive to growing. Sometimes your sunny spot is on concrete or pavement. Other times, you may find the sunniest area in your yard to be on a hillside or sloped land. You can work with that!

Categories
Spice & Herb Gardening

10 of the Best Savory Herbs to Grow for Family Meals

I’m taking a leap here. Anytime you offer your opinion of “the best,” whether it’s savory herbs, kitchen utensils, or watering cans, you risk missing some good stuff. And since best is a rather objective term, your idea of the best savory herbs and mine might be completely different. And that’s okay.  With that caveat, […]

Categories
Garden Tools

The Best Tool for Digging Holes for Plants Revealed

Some years ago, when I was a kid, I planted my first “garden.” It wasn’t exactly what you might recognize as a garden, and unless you count rocks, there wasn’t really anything growing in my garden. But the holes I dug were world class. Probably because, in all the wisdom of my single-digit years, I knew I had the best tool for digging holes for plants: a stick. 

Categories
Vegetable Gardening

20 Gardening Myths Busted

Sometimes, gardening advice gets passed around like gossip. It could be gardening tips from your grandfather on your mother’s side or a neighbor’s anecdotal vegetable garden evidence. It’s easy to hear something a few times, begin to believe it, and then adopt it into your own gardening practice. Here are some gardening myths that I’ve heard passed around and how they are based on misinformation or outdated methods.

Categories
Indoor Gardening

Tips for Growing Root Vegetables Indoors in Pots

You’re right. Growing root vegetables indoors isn’t exactly on the cover of Garden Glamour magazine. (I just made that up. It’s not a real magazine. But if it was, indoor root veggies probably wouldn’t be on the cover.) Sure, you’ve got your ornamental kale, your hydroponic leaf lettuce, and your indoor herb garden. I’m all for those, especially since I live in New England and can’t grow vegetables outdoors in the winter. 

Categories
Garden Design

Planting Raised Garden Beds: Spacing & Growing Vegetables and Herbs

As much as I love harvesting a bowl of sweet peas or enjoying an heirloom tomato right off the vine, part of the fun of gardening is planting raised garden beds. Garden design is where that artistic side comes out. I get to plan how my garden will look, where I want a footpath, and what kinds of raised beds I want.