A lot goes into planning your perfect spring 2024 garden. Lucky for us, nature is pretty darn good at figuring things out, so as long as our plants get the right combinations of water, sunlight, and temperature, we’re off to a good start. As simple as that is, it’s not always without challenges. Some plants… READ MORE
Winter is the season of garden planning, and once the holidays are over, I like to sit down and dream about what my garden will look like in the spring and get a head start on my gardening wishlist. It's a good time to think about what you like to eat from your garden all summer and plan accordingly. READ MORE
When you come up with a plan for your garden, do you usually have a cuisine in mind? I know that when I plant, I always want to have tomatoes and basil on hand for Caprese salads, pesto, and tomato sauce. Though in reality, because my garden is always so full of fresh juicy vegetables, they sometimes go to waste because I haven't gotten to them in time. I'm sure you know what I mean, frustrating, right? READ MORE
In the cooler months, one of my favorite gardening activities is looking through seed catalogs and planning my spring garden. And I don't know about you, but I know that in my experience it can be very tricky to get my hands on certain varieties of seeds that are either rare or in high demand. That's why I don't like to leave it to chance when I find a veggie I love, like a special heirloom tomato. Saving seeds from vegetables may seem like a lot of work, but if you enjoy it, it's really just part of the gardening cycle. If you want to learn how to get seeds from your vegetables, I'm going to show you how! READ MORE
If you've been looking for a way to grow more squash in your vegetable garden, but don't have the space or time for lots of plants growing every which way they please, then you should know how to train squash to grow vertically. It's easy and it will help maximize your space without sacrificing yield. Plus, squash and trellises are basically made for one another. Squash vines are vigorous, they love to sprawl out and they need support on which to climb. READ MORE
Pole beans are my favorite things to grow. If I had to choose only 3 things to grow, it would be tomatoes, peppers, and pole beans. I harvest them all, cook with them constantly, and while some gardeners get overwhelmed, I say "bring it on!" READ MORE
Forget everything you know about gardening. Hold up. Maybe that's a bad idea. But if you've always had an in-ground garden and you're planting in raised beds this year, there are some differences you may want to know about. I recently turned my very low-maintenance in-ground garden into a fully raised-bed garden. Mostly for the vanity of it (let's be honest, they're just prettier) but also I'm getting old and my back hurts...get off my lawn.READ MORE
When I updated my garden from in-ground to raised beds, one thing became apparent very quickly—that I'd need to come up with a DIY irrigation system, which is something I know most gardeners realize, at some point. The 'ol timed sprinkler is a good trick that I've used for many years, but raised beds are a whole new ballgame and they can dry out more quickly, just like other containers. READ MORE
Let me tell you about that time I built a raised bed garden directly under a maple tree, and then didn't attempt to cover it or anything as all the seeds fell in the spring. Well friend, that is how you create a maple tree garden, because as innocent as those little seeds look, they… READ MORE
If there's one thing I love to do in a deep February New England winter, it's planning out my vegetable garden. Last year it was a whole new ballgame because I decided to plant new raised beds and I have almost always planted my garden directly in the ground. One thing I knew was that… READ MORE
There are three main ways to irrigate a garden, and all of them take effort (sorry!). I mean, yes, a sprinkler will do the job, but they're not efficient and vegetables want to be watered from the ground up if they have the choice - so give them the choice. The three DIY methods I… READ MORE
When we moved to my new town, I was absolutely astonished by my first water bill. Our town not only has a brown water issue on rainy days, but they also bill at rates that are unheard of to "fix" the water (jury's still out on that one). Getting these new outrageous bills has made… READ MORE
Not everyone needs to enclose a vegetable garden, and that's super great for them, but if you're in a wooded area and sometimes see Bambi and bunnies frolicking in your yard, it's probably likely that an enclosed vegetable garden is something you'll need to invest in at some point. Sure, there are other deterrents. I've… READ MORE
