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7+ Perfect Plants for an Edible Front Porch Garden
I’ll be blunt; if you enjoy cooking, you owe it to yourself to have a garden. I realize not everyone has the space for a big garden in the backyard. …
lettuce
Soil Care in Moderate Climates (Zones 6–8)
For gardeners in Zones 6–8, the soil feels like a gift. Winters are short enough to grow cover crops (or even hardy greens), summers are long enough for tomatoes, peppers, …
Soil Care in Cold Climates (Zones 3–5)
Gardening in the northern zones is not for the faint of heart. The season is short, the winters are long, and the soil often feels like it has a will …
Building Soil from Scratch: Raised Beds and Containers
Sometimes, amending existing soil feels like teaching an old dog new tricks. It can be done, but it takes time, patience, and persistence. For many food gardeners—especially those in urban …
Why Healthy Soil Means Healthy Food
The first bite of a sun-ripened tomato, still warm from the vine, can make you pause mid-chew. It’s juicy, complex, sweet with just the right balance of acidity. Compare that …
What Is Soil, Really?
When most people hear the word soil, they picture a patch of brown stuff stuck to the bottom of their shoes. Dirt, plain and simple. But as food gardeners, we …
Laugh, Grow, Repeat: The Healing Power of Gardening and Humor
Let’s be honest: gardening can be a spiritual experience. The stillness of the morning, the smell of damp earth, the thrill of spotting that first tomato—these are the moments that …
How Does Lettuce Get E. coli and How to Prevent it in a Home Garden
I love lettuce. It's so easy to grow, it's ready to harvest pretty quickly, and the multitude of varieties have so many different qualities. Who can deny the appeal of …
10 High-Yield Crops for a Cost-Efficient Garden
I'm just going to lay it on the line here: gardening can be expensive. It doesn't need to be, and certainly, the return on investment is usually pretty high. That …
The Silent Language of Plants
I once believed that plants lived their lives in quiet stillness. They stood rooted in place, waiting for rain and sunlight, subject to both care and neglect. But I was …
