Gardens come in many different sizes, and you don’t need a lot of land to tend to one. As long as you have some space for a pot or two (or twenty!), you can grow a whole range of things. Herbs, both culinary and medicinal, can be grown in pots, in the same way you can grow ornamental flowers. Benefits of Growing Herbs in Containers: You don’t need a ton of gardening space....
Why Use Local Resources for Your Garden? As someone who loves growing my own food, and not breaking the bank at the same time, ive found that the secret to balancing these two goals lies in utilizing the local resources available to me. Not only is sourcing local materials great for the environment, but it also allows you to get the raw inputs needed for your garden, and often very cheaply, all while helping you to make local connections....
Some gardeners embrace all forms of wildlife in the garden, including birds and squirrels, while others go to great lengths to get rid of them. Regardless of your philosophy on garden wildlife, there’s no denying the fact that birds and squirrels have the capacity to gobble up potential harvests at an alarming rate. So what is the best way to prevent bird and squirrel damage in the veggie garden? Provide alternate food and water sources Information is mixed on whether it’s a good idea to provide food and water for birds and squirrels in the garden....
Winter is becoming a distant memory in the northern Hemisphere, and spring is in the air! And so are the pollen, mold spores, and other irritants that can cause seasonal allergies. While most of us are happy for spring’s arrival, those with seasonal allergies have mixed feelings about the misery the changing season can bring. Allergies can also appear in autumn. Those in the southern hemisphere might be experiencing fall allergies right now....
These days, many of us have chosen to live a more mindful life. We try to use less plastic when possible, buy things made with renewable materials, and choose locally grown food. We might even start a veggie garden (yay!). A garden with edibles is a must, but we also want our yards to look great with ornamentals. We can live a “greener” life and have a beautiful landscape by bringing native plants into the garden....
As the weather warms up and the growing season draws nearer, it’s important to not get so excited by the prospect of spring planting that you neglect properly preparing your garden beds! A well-prepared garden bed will be more productive, so it’s worth taking the time to do things right from the start. But what needs to be done to prepare garden beds in spring? Warm up the soil before planting Even once the warm weather arrives, garden soil can be stubbornly slow to reach warm enough temperatures for seeds to germinate and plants to grow....
When it comes to food preservation, there are countless methods to choose from. Canning, freezing, and drying are all popular options, but there’s one technique that often gets overlooked: root cellaring. Now, you might be thinking, “But I don’t have a root cellar!” Fear not, dear reader, for we are here to share with you the art of root cellaring without a root cellar. Yes, it is possible to store your fresh produce for months without the need for a traditional dedicated root cellar....
Cultivate Nostalgic Vibes with Planter’s New TV Mode! Gear up for a gardening experience that’s both familiar and fresh with Planter’s exciting new feature: TV Mode! Immerse yourself in a wave of vintage charm as your app transforms into a classic television interface, complete with a unique visual and auditory twist. TV Mode! Step back in time: Remember the warm glow of an old-school TV? TV Mode brings that nostalgic aesthetic to your fingertips....
Most gardeners know that it’s a good idea to add compost to the garden. Compost helps improve soil structure, feeds beneficial organisms in the soil, and provides a slow-release source of nutrients. The tricky part about ‘compost’ is it’s a catch-all term for many types of decomposed organic materials. Compost isn’t just a homemade compost pile with kitchen scraps and yard waste, there’s also manure compost, municipal compost, worm compost, and more....
What is a Cover Crop? The term “cover crop” is often used as a catch-all for plants whose main purpose is not to yield a food crop but rather to provide desirable benefits to your soil and the actual food crops planted after them. Cover crops are commonly used and associated with industrial farming operations but in recent years gardeners have started to realize their usefulness in personal gardening. Benefits of Using Cover Crops The most important benefit gardeners get from cover crops is that they act as a natural weed suppressant....