Why Gardeners Get Companion Planting Wrong & How to Get It Right
Nature does her job when we’re not standing over her with a clipboard. But many gardeners want to improve their backyard ecosystem anyway. Everyone who’s gardened for a season or …
Nature does her job when we’re not standing over her with a clipboard. But many gardeners want to improve their backyard ecosystem anyway. Everyone who’s gardened for a season or …
Pepper plants thrive in my hot, subtropical climate. They flourish and provide tons of delicious peppers year-round. But last fall, I made a tragic mistake. I surrounded the poor things …
Last fall, a fellow gardener from the Midwest made fun of me because she thought I couldn’t grow potatoes. But the joke’s on her — in Florida, it just means …
Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) is an ancient North American species, wilder than most other plants you can grow in your edible landscape. Having only been in cultivation for about 100 years …
Raspberries (Rubus spp.) are sun-loving, thorny, rambling plants in the Rose family. It’s absolutely worth a few prickles for the heavenly taste of the sweet, delicate berries, straight off the …
Companion planting is all the rage among backyard gardeners. It’s part science with a generous pinch of trial and error, followed by passing down the tradition of what works. After …
Carrots are popular crops to add to home veggie patches. There is nothing greater than pulling out crunchy carrot roots. But, planting root crops is a gamble, no matter how …
There is no need to wonder why growing strawberries is so popular. They’re extremely rewarding, not just in harvest size but in looks, and incredibly easy to grow. Their small …
Companion planting is an inexact science. There are plenty of unknowns in this arena. Surprisingly, we still have a patchy knowledge of the interactions between different plants. But what experienced …
There are a range of different onions to grow in your garden – from large bulbing onions, to red onions, to scallions. But when choosing which onions to grow, and …
Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo var. cylindrica) is a popular mainstay in the home garden. And it’s no wonder why – sow only one or two plants and you shall receive copious …
A new year means a fresh green start to your garden. The land of opportunity and of glorious harvests. Planning for the best is always an optimistic view to strive …
If you are just getting started with companion planting, you’ll likely have more than a few questions. Can I plant tomatoes next to potatoes? What can you not plant with …
Chances are good that you found this article because you are thinking about planting cucumbers in your garden – and wish nothing but the best for their, and your, success. …
Potatoes are a staple crop on many temperate climate homesteads. Potatoes are generally a relatively easy (though space consuming) crop to grow. Get it right when it comes to choosing and …
Tomatoes are one of the most popular edible plants to grow at home. Depending on your climate, you may grow them outdoors, or in a greenhouse or polytunnel. You might …
Many passionate gardeners are turning to companion planting to reduce pesticide use. Planting different species together can provide benefits. However, some species are allelopathic plants, which means they can seriously …
Have you spent hours planting green beans around your other vegetables to “fix nitrogen” and then wondered why it never made a difference? Same, girl. Same. We’ve all been fed …
On the hottest of summer days, we’re all thankful for a bit of shade, except when it comes to our gardens. Trying to plan a garden around a yard that …
Okay, folks, are you ready to get down and dirty? (I mean, we’re gardeners; it’s what we do.) Today, we’re going to settle a debate that has been rumbling around …
Every gardener’s dream is to harvest bucket upon bucket full of sun-ripened tomatoes. Even though tomatoes are relatively easy to grow, they can be finicky, which is why there is …
If you’re planning on sowing a few seeds indoors to get a jump on the growing season, then don’t forget to make room for a few flowers. We get so …
Winter is hard on us cold-climate gardeners. The days are short, and the nights so very long. It’s drab and dreary and gray pretty much all the time. The sunniest …
The growing season is still a couple of months away, but I can’t wait. So why not start right now? There are a number of important gardening chores you need …