Grow Food

Oh man, I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to bite into that first cool, crisp slice of cucumber from the garden this year. But before we can …

Summer is right around the corner! We blinked, and now spring is halfway over. If you had plans for a spring garden, but the season got away from you, it’s …

Remember when we were all, “Myco…what did you say?” It was only a few years ago that most of us had never even heard of mycorrhiza. Many barely paid attention …

I first came across the term “edimental” when I was looking up whether I could eat this mesmerizing little plant that I had bought on impulse. It’s called purple Shiso …

With the explosion of e-commerce over the last few years, most people seem to have far too many cardboard boxes lying around. Luckily I’ve got a great way to make …

Tomato cages are the cruelest punk on home gardeners. They’re never tall enough and always seem to fall apart as soon as the branches get unwieldy and the fruit gets …

These days, it seems like you can order anything online. I’ve purchased a sectional sofa online that arrived in three boxes. I’ve ordered live tomato hornworms (don’t ask). Recently, I …

Tomato plants are green. In fact, I’d go so far as to say most of your vegetable seedlings are green. Thanks, Tracey. I appreciate you pointing out the obvious. What’s …

Up until a few years ago, I used to think of bare-root planting as an advanced gardening skill. Something that I felt slightly intimidated by. Surely a skill that I …

Gardening is a joy; there’s no denying it. I love walking barefoot along the sun-warmed paths of my garden, nibbling on a green bean or two, tucking a few tomatoes …

You may not realize it, but every summer, you grow a vegetable that unites all of humankind. Yes, that’s right, tomatoes. We may not agree on much these days, but …

I don’t know about you, friend, but I’m already looking forward to that first juicy ripe tomato come July, which is funny considering there are snow flurries outside my window, …

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 …

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 …

Let me guess, you heard it through the grapevine that spring is a good time to prune your grapevines? I guess they are sending out the same message to us …

Important author’s note: This method works! When I wrote this piece, I didn’t have anything planted in my garden yet as we’re still weeks away from my zone’s last frost …

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 …

Oh, March, we can always count on you for an adventure. Between the start of daylight savings time (yuck) and the weather whiplash, we all feel a little dazed by …

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 …

But what about hybrids? What? That’s not how you thought this was going to start? Well, I know you guys. I can already hear you grumbling about hybrids. We’ll get …

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 …

This is the year we should all throw in the trowel and quit gardening. Yup, it’s time. The whole grow-your-own-food movement of the past 12,000 years or so was cute, …