Tilling has become a polarizing issue in gardening – there are those who can’t imagine gardening without tilling, and those who avoid it at all costs. But like most aspects of gardening, there are positives and negatives associated with tilling. Some of the best...

Growers of blueberries, azaleas, rhododendrons, potatoes and conifers know their plants need more acidic soil, while artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, parsnips and sunflowers prefer more alkaline soil. But why? The “pHact” is, it’s not that plants crave or detest acid....

Unlike hummus, humus is not very tasty with pita chips and feta cheese. It is, however, one of the most important components of healthy garden soil. Humus is the fully-decomposed remains of plant and animal life, broken down by bacteria, fungi and oxygen through a...

Now that we’ve covered the most important organisms in the soil food web from bacteria to birds, we’ll circle back to some peripheral players. First up is algae. Algae are single-celled or thread-like photosynthetic organisms. Most of us associate algae with water –...

Saving seeds isn’t just for flower gardeners! Seeds from open pollinated vegetables can also be saved successfully for one or more years, saving money and time spent flipping through seed websites. Some vegetable seeds even save themselves, popping up as “volunteers”...

Decisions, decisions, decisions. Gardening is one giant series of decisions, isn’t it? Deciding what to plant, when to plant, where to plant what, when to fertilize, how to fertilize, how or whether to till, when to harvest, what to do with your harvest, when to give...

When I was a kid in Ohio, springtime meant fistfuls of violets, plucked from pockets of purple in the otherwise green grass around our house. Even now, when I find myself back home during violet season, I always pick my mother a bouquet. And she still oohs and ahhs...

So you finally feel like a successful gardener and have buckets of produce coming out of the garden. The big question my husband always asks me is, “Now what are you going to do with it all?” In reality, it is generally the same question that bounces through my brain...

It’s not too late for a new New Year’s resolution, is it? Because this year, I resolve to keep more gardening records. Because when the seed catalogs start arriving, my husband and I start having the “broken record” conversation over… and over… and over again. “How...

The more into gardening I get, the more I notice the plants and flowers whenever I travel. I’m continually amazed by the diversity of plant life and how different landscapes look from one state or region to the next. Comparing my Minnesota town’s plant life to Phoenix...