Virtually every gardening book and website tells you to ensure your soil is “rock free.” This is especially true if you’re growing root crops like carrots or turnips. But how, exactly, do you remove rocks from soil without giving yourself a backache for the next month? Rocks can be removed from soil either by hand,…
If you’re working towards a permaculture garden, or simply want to enjoy harvesting for years after planting once, asparagus is a garden must-have. Asparagus is one of the first cultivated plants to brighten up the spring. It’s also a unique crop because it’s one of only a handful of perennial vegetables. Because asparagus is a…
If you’re new to composting, it can seem like there are a whole lot of rules. You may have heard that you can’t compost citrus for any number of reasons. People say citrus can scare off beneficial organisms that help break compost down, for example. Other people say the wax on orange peels is bad…
Coriander is a citrusy spice that’s a key ingredient in curry powder and many world cuisines. It’s used frequently in Mexican, Latin, Indian, and Spanish cuisine and pairs well with other spices like cumin and chili powder. Coriander also happens to grow on the same plant as cilantro leaves. However, it has a completely different…
Rosemary is hardy, delicious, and a fantastic companion plant for many popular herbs and vegetables. Knowing how to pick companion plants for rosemary can help your garden be more productive by warding away pests and attracting pollinators with its pretty blossoms. Read on to discover which plants to grow alongside your rosemary and which to…
Most people think of composting as just throwing trash in a big pile and forgetting about it. If you’ve ever had a compost pile then you know there is actually a lot of work to be done. As with all other gardening projects, time is everything. The aerators we gathered here are the best on…
If you want your carrot harvest to stand out, growing purple carrots is the way to go. They taste very similar to the orange variety and still contain all the good nutrients like vitamin A and beta carotene. In fact, purple carrots have extra nutrients called anthocyanins that are responsible for their purple color. They…
Swiss chard is colorful, edible, nutritious, and easy to grow. Discover how to add this vibrant veggie to your garden with this complete guide to growing Swiss chard! Ornamental and edible, chard is highly nutritious and has become popular as both a raw and cooked green. It’s also one easy vegetable to grow in your…
I love kale. Maybe that sounds strange, but it’s one of my favorite vegetables to grow! It’s easy to grow most of the year, packed full of nutrients, and can be eaten raw of cooked. If you plant kale at the right time, you’ll have a long harvest season and lots of time to enjoy…
Arugula is a spicy salad green that grows best in the cool weather of spring and fall. If you’re growing it in your garden, you’ll want to make sure you harvest as much as you can before hot weather comes. One of the best parts about growing arugula is that you don’t have to wait…