10 Ways to Make Summer Vegetable Garden Maintenance Tasks Easier
Almost any gardener can tell you that the beauty and joy of a garden are proportional to the amount of work that goes into it. That gorgeous garden with deep …
the compost
Fruit Hoarder
I am out for a walk in early June in Seattle when Anna, our neighbor on the corner, alerts me about her pears: “There’re going to be a lot of …
Atlas, the Kingsnake, and Contemporary Landscaping
I didn't start out to re-landscape the yard. I was just frustrated by our slow—and expensive—curbside trash pick-up. But then came drought, and global warming, and the extinction crisis, to …
5 Winter Mulching Tips for Cold Zone Perennial Crops
There's not a lot going on in the garden in the middle of winter. Most of the plants are gone; the carrots have all been pulled up and stored; the …
5 Mistakes to Avoid When Starting Seeds Outdoors
One would assume that starting seeds outdoors is as simple as putting them in the ground, throwing a bit of dirt on top, and leaving the rest to nature. I …
5 Benefits of Fermenting Compost for Your Garden
Compost, that black gold of the garden, has a very intriguing inner life. Bacteria, fungi, microorganisms, chemical reactions, and fascinating transformations are all present in the midst of our compost …
How to Make Natural Compost from Everyday Food Waste
Did you know that, according to the EPA, the United States produces more than 42 million tons of food waste every year? That's 210 cruise ships filled top to bottom, …
Winter Is Coming
Winter isn’t the season for everyone. “I shudder at the approach of Winter,” wrote Thomas Jefferson from his mountaintop in (cold) Virginia to John Adams in (colder) Massachusetts. “Winter is …
When Should You Toss Stored Potatoes and Root Vegetables?
I've always loved root vegetables. You can roast them with some olive oil, salt, and pepper for a lovely side dish. You can make a hearty winter stew or a …
How to Use Animal Manure as Fertilizer for Food Gardens
Using manure as fertilizer is not new. Commercial farms have done it for ages. But given that most of us home gardeners don't have the same space or tools as …
