6 Reasons Why Your Hydrangea Leaves Are Turning Brown & How to Fix It
We love our hydrangeas around here. And judging by the popularity of our articles on this topic, we think you might be just as infatuated with these magnificent shrubs as …
We love our hydrangeas around here. And judging by the popularity of our articles on this topic, we think you might be just as infatuated with these magnificent shrubs as …

We’ve all heard the jokes about zucchini and how productive they are. Goodness knows I’ve made quite a few right here on Rural Sprout. So, it can be a real …
As we’re burrowing deeper into the thick of this crazy summer weather, I can’t help but feel that this is the true test of the garden. Everything I’ve been working …
The inspiration for this article on hydrangea plant pairings came to me courtesy of golden hour. I was sitting on a bench next to a pink mountain hydrangea that looked …
Even if you’ve been growing tomatoes for years, you may have never heard about trusses or a ‘king fruit.’ That’s because it’s the lingo commercial greenhouse gardeners use to describe …
Bush beans are an easy-to-grow favorite of many gardeners. However, if you garden in a small space, then you know they can eat up garden real estate quickly, especially if …
With extreme heat warnings becoming a regular part of the summer landscape, it’s important to understand how intense temperatures affect the most important thing growing in your garden – pollen. …
Aside from being prolific, zucchini should also get an award for Best Garden Colonizer. They always start as a tidy little seedling, politely existing in its spot in the garden. …
Whether you’re working in your perennial beds or pruning your tomatoes, gardening can be really tough on your hands. Chipped or torn nails, hands stained black from tomato leaves, knuckles …
A bank of beautiful, deep jade green cucumber leaves dotted with lively spots of summery yellow makes for a lovely garden backdrop. But if all you’re finding among those leaves …
I like big berries, and I cannot lie. You other brothers can’t deny. And that’s about as far as I can go with the blueberry-Sir Mix-a-Lot crossover. But yes, I’m …
I got a message from a friend this week saying, “My cucumbers are covered in flowers. I’m so excited! I’ve never grown cucumbers before. I have no idea what to …
I’ve been making switchel for decades. Quite a few years ago, I introduced this summertime drink to the Rural Sprout community, and our readers loved it. As we head into …
Everyone loves a warm summer day, but if the temperatures climb too high, that summer heat can become miserable, or in some cases, dangerous. Here are fast and simple ways …
I’m a huge advocate for planting flowers among your vegetable garden. They add a lovely pop of color and attract pollinators, which means more vegetables. But when you tell me …
I’m trying out the new GreenStalk vertical growing tower that I keep seeing everywhere. Let’s put it together and give it a grow, shall we? I love vertical gardening systems. …
When the temperature spikes, few vegetables can throw a temper tantrum about it the way tomatoes can. Dropped blossoms, slow growth, suspended ripening. When your tomatoes aren’t happy, ain’t nobody …
Excuse me! Yeah, you, standing next to the tomatoes. Please, put down the hose and step away from the plant. (At least for now, anyway. You might do more harm …
If you have lupines planted in your front yard and see a stranger walking up and down the street every hour gawking at them, rest assured, I mean no harm. …
Strawberries are one of the first sweet treats that we home gardeners can look forward to each year. (There’s rhubarb, but that’s quite tangy without a lot of sugar, so …
Sometimes, I like to do counterintuitive things in the garden. I let the buttercups grow unplucked because they’re generous food sources for early pollinators. I cherish the moss between the …
A few years ago, I opened an article on iris care by stating that “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who actually bought irises to plant in their garden.” …
We’ve all seen the same advice when it comes to watering tomatoes: water them deeply, but infrequently. Okay. Well, ‘deeply’ isn’t exactly an amount. It’s not really something you can …
Beans, beans, the musical fruit. The more you eat ‘em the more you…erm, sorry. Childhood nonsense is getting the best of me. But I do love beans! String beans, snap …
Over the years here at Rural Sprout, I’ve answered hundreds of questions emailed to me by our readers. Quite often, I get asked about feeding tomatoes. There are so many …