When is the best time to fertilize plants in your vegetable garden? In truth, that’s a bit of a trick question. There are several factors that go into the fertilizer equation. Some of those factors include the soil composition, whether your vegetables are in a container or the ground, how much a plant needs (squash, […]
Am I the only gardener who starts selecting seeds for planting the following season before I’ve harvested what’s currently growing? I’m going to guess not. It’s one of the joys of gardening. Sitting with a seed catalog and anticipating all the different possibilities is my adult version of any kid’s trip to the toy store. […]
I’ll be the first to admit that when I’m thinking about how to design a vegetable garden, my first thoughts are about the vegetables I want to grow. If time and space and reality weren’t issues, I’d probably have a large heated greenhouse, endless rows of tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, rooms full of herbs, and entire […]
Gardeners love worms. They aerate the soil, provide nutrients that plants need, and help keep the soil healthy. So a garden with lots of worms in the soil is almost guaranteed to be productive and happy. But that’s not true with one species: the Asian Jumping Worm. Jumping worms, crazy worms, Alabama jumpers, and snake […]
Have you thought much about how to preserve asparagus? I admit that I used to only think about asparagus as something to enjoy in early spring. But it sure is tough to wait ten months for a taste of sweet asparagus. Certainly, there’s something very special about the taste of fresh asparagus spears lightly grilled […]
When it’s the seed-starting time of the year, it feels like a fresh start, doesn’t it? You fill your pots and seed trays with sterile soil, baby your seeds until they sprout, and dream about how your season is going to turn out. But sometimes over-babying your seedlings can have its consequences. And in that […]
Ah… the sweet sights and sounds of spring. It’s the time of the year when robins are plucking worms from the grass, tulips and crocuses are in bloom, our radishes and peas are ready to harvest, and our spring composting work is well underway. But what is that exactly? Isn’t composting just a matter of […]
It seems easy enough. When it comes to natural light vs. artificial light, we all know plants love sunlight. They soak up the sun’s rays and turn them into the energy they use to grow and produce. Photosynthesis is pretty darn cool! Certainly, there was a time when the answer to this question was a […]
I love deciding which herbs to plant in spring. I know many of them like spending warm summer days outdoors, but the way to get there is to start them in the spring. For many herbs, this means planting them inside several weeks before the last frost. Some herbs, however, are perfectly fine with that […]
If you want a healthy garden, you have to start with healthy garden soil. That’s why you’re here, right? I’ll be the first to admit that I love to see those gardens full of bushy basil, scores of deep purple eggplants, plant after plant of yellow and orange tomatoes ripening on the vine, and on […]
