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Soil & Fertilizer

Is it Safe? How to Test Soil Quality Before Growing Edible Plants

I’ll be the first to admit that when I’m dreaming about a new garden, I don’t put a lot of thought into learning how to test soil quality. Or I didn’t, anyway. I do now. I’m not talking about pH levels or how well the soil drains here. This is about the safety of the soil. 

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Soil & Fertilizer

5+ Soil Additives to Improve Drainage in Soggy Gardens

After a rainstorm (or even a heavy watering), does your vegetable garden resemble day three of Woodstock? Soil drainage may be an issue! The good news is that there are soil additives to improve drainage in soggy gardens.

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Soil & Fertilizer

5 Benefits of Worm Castings for Indoor Plants

Let’s just get this out of the way: Worm Castings = Worm Poop. But, “castings” is a much more civilized way of describing the digested waste of your garden variety earthworm so we’ll just stick with that!

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Soil & Fertilizer

How to Make Banana Peel Tea for Plants

I know what you’re thinking, but banana peel tea isn’t some new trendy thing that you’ll find in a cafe alongside classics like Assam or Earl Grey. Although there are some folks who swear that it’s a great drink to induce a restful night of sleep, I’m happy with my chamomile.  This isn’t about me, […]

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Soil & Fertilizer

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Adding Manure to Garden Beds

I might be dating myself here, but anytime I think about adding manure to garden beds, I have a vision of the scene from Back to the Future. You know the one – Marty (played by Michael J. Fox) is on a skateboard and getting chased by the bully Biff and his cronies. Biff is in his convertible car (top down) when Marty makes a quick turn. Biff tries to follow, but the car slams into a dump truck full of… you guessed it: manure. The manure falls out and fills the car. Talk about a smelly situation!

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Soil & Fertilizer

7 Tips for Preparing Clay Soil for Planting Vegetables

I’ll admit that part of the joy of gardening is having a good excuse to play in the dirt. As adults, we don’t get to do that very much, but it sure does feel good. Of course, playing in the dirt actually means getting the soil ready; there’s always compost to add or weeds to dig up. Even when you have “perfect” soil, you still have to do some prep work. Preparing clay soil for planting your garden isn’t that much different. 

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Soil & Fertilizer

Is Cow Manure Fertilizer Safe for Vegetable Gardens?

If you’ve ever driven through farm country at the right time, you’re already somewhat familiar with cow manure fertilizer. That’s one of those rare times in life where I think I would appreciate stuffy sinuses!

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Soil & Fertilizer

How to Mix Your Own Potting Soil for Container Vegetables

Container vegetable gardens are the versatile champions of any garden. I love container gardens because you can start them indoors and transition them outdoors without disrupting the vegetable roots. They’re ideal for small spaces, porches, balconies, and even that sliver of side yard you might have that gets great sun exposure but is too small for a garden bed. The key to a successful container garden is your potting medium. There are many different store-bought varieties of potting soil and potting mix, but in my opinion, the best potting soil for container vegetables is a hand mixed.

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Soil & Fertilizer

The Best Type of Manure for Vegetable Gardens

My summer cookouts are not for the faint of heart. It’s not that there’s anything scary or bad. But conversations tend to skip the polite weather talk and get straight into things like garden pests, favorite heirloom tomatoes, and the best type of manure for vegetable gardens.

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Soil & Fertilizer

Can Fertilizer Go Bad? And 5 More Facts About Garden Food

I think fertilizer companies have borrowed sales strategies from hotdog bun companies. There’s either too much fertilizer left over, or not enough to complete the task.  I always seem to wind up with leftover fertilizer. What to do with the leftover garden food? Will it keep until next season? Can fertilizer go bad?

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