Grow Food

Imagine a vegetable garden where the tomatoes are plump and juicy with perfectly unblemished skin, pepper plants so strong that they easily bear the weight of their dangling bell fruits, …

Let’s be honest, tomatoes are kind of a pain. We put in months of work for a few short weeks of fruit, only to start over again each spring. But …

Did you know that pepper plants are perennials with a lifespan of one and a half to three years? But it can take a while for peppers to get started. …

As far as garden vegetables go, zucchini are pretty tough plants. They’re naturally drought tolerant, will grow in all kinds of soil and will continue to provide you with summer …

Love it for its nutrients, or hate listening to all the hype, kale is here to stay. Literally. Plant it one year, and if you allow it to spend the …

Pruning. It’s one of those garden chores that leaves many of us scratching our heads. What plants need to be pruned, when and how? New and seasoned gardeners alike struggle …

It can be incredibly discouraging nurturing along tomatoes with dreams of thick BLTs and juicy slices topped with mozzarella and basil, only to come out one morning and find a …

You need to prune your potatoes. Maybe. Possibly. It depends on the weather. Generally, potatoes are one of the few plants you can leave unattended in the garden. Rarely do …

Don’t you wish the title of this article was “6 Vegetables You Can Plant and Forget About All Summer that Will Still Produce Tons of Food?” Yeah, me too. But …

I love growing pumpkins. It’s fun to watch them start as tiny little orbs beneath a yellow flower and grow into orange wheels for baking. I especially enjoy seeing the …

Spring is the beautiful time of year when most gardeners are out buying new garden seeds, if not sorting through their leftovers from last season. It’s a time of hope …

When it comes to gardening and popular vegetables, tomatoes are at the top of the list. But not far behind are cucumbers. Whether you enjoy homemade pickles or the cool, …

In the realm of sustainable gardening, you’ll quickly find what is old is new again. The techniques of the past, forgotten and rediscovered, are a fount of knowledge and inspiration …

You’ve been dreaming of tomatoes since you patiently started the seeds in February. And you’ve been diligent in their care since transplanting them. You watched as green tomato after green …

When mixing up that batch of chocolate chip cookies or making your bacon and eggs for breakfast, hang on to the eggshells. Believe it or not, the benefits of the …

If you’re new to growing peas this year, by now, you’re noticing they’re getting pretty tall. And you’re probably scratching your head and thinking, “I wonder if these need a …

Note: Rural Sprout and the author are not medical experts, nor do we give out medical advice. If you or someone you love is struggling with depression, we encourage you …

Container gardening has a lot of great things going for it. As a beginner-friendly introduction to growing fruits and vegetables, getting a container garden set up couldn’t be easier. All …

When it comes to superfoods, the elderberry stands out among its peers, offering an impressive array of health benefits and culinary delights from a tiny little berry. Bursting with antioxidants, …

Nothing announces the arrival of summer better than the first bite into a sun-warmed strawberry. This berry is a summertime staple, from strawberry shortcake to home-canned strawberry jam. Heck, there …

For ages now, there has been a war waged against tomato suckers. Prune ‘em, pinch ‘em, cut ‘em off. That’s what gardeners have been told for generations. So that’s what …

Where I live in zone 5b, the final vestiges of winter are – at long last – behind us. Days past the last frost date, we had some very cool …

Many a gardener, both new and seasoned alike, have been surprised by the discovery of hard bumps running up and down the stem of their tomato plants. You may wonder, …

Over the past few years, drought has become a common issue for gardeners everywhere. Locations that rarely had to worry about water issues in the past now deal with water …