Luffa with a bar of soap

Grow Your Own Sponges, Soap, Rope, Containers, and More

Gardens can be more than places to grow food and flowers, although these will always bring me joy. Many plants offer practical uses in cleaning, crafting, storing, and even building everyday household items. In this article, we’ll introduce five plants that are well-suited to home gardens, depending on climate, and how they can be processed into useful tools and materials. Luffa Luffa (also spelled loofah) is an annual vining gourd in the cucumber family....

Three pumpkins (two orange, one green) lying on dry grass in a sunlit park, with a family sitting blurred in the background, enjoying a picnic.

Love in the Veggie Patch: Understanding Cucurbit Reproduction

Growing up with fairytales, I came to believe that love is everywhere. Sometimes, you just have to look a little closer to notice it. It doesn’t always look the way we expect. It can take different shapes and happen in places we’d never think to look. Even… in your veggie patch. Let me explain. As you prepare for a season of abundance, you’ve been nurturing your zucchini plants for weeks. The vines are sprawling, the leaves are lush, and then: boom, flowers!...