Transferring a plant from pot to ground can be like sending your firstborn child to the first day of school. You pull the plant from the pot and stare at the root bundle: do you leave it alone, or should you loosen the roots before planting? Gardeners should loosen roots before planting. Unless the plant…
Raised garden beds have swayed many gardeners on their side for some apparent benefits. Other than the visual appeal, raised gardens will benefit from better quality soil, reduced interference of pests, and easier maintenance. Are you among the several gardeners thinking about making the fruitful switch to raised bed gardening? If so, the first thing…
Compost is the key ingredient behind every successful garden. Those vibrant plants laden with juicy red tomatoes, peppers, and lemons won’t come out of bland soil. They have a nutrient-rich foundation with soil that’s incorporated with some quality organic compost. While compost improves the soil’s texture and nutrient composition and encourages microbial activity, it’s not…
Many gardeners are writing about the benefits of lasagna gardening, and it thrills me to see this method used more widely. I’ve been using this technique exclusively for years because it is so easy and healthier for the soil. One question I often receive is: how soon can the garden be planted after setting it…
Do you cringe at the mere name of “earthworms”? Many homeowners might not like the idea of earthworms in their beautiful garden. However, did you know that these tiny, seemingly repulsive creatures offer many potential benefits to the soil? So should gardeners be adding worms to the garden or compost? If worms haven’t already found…
The most stunning gardens I’ve seen combine flowers and herbs together to create a diverse, multi-faceted, colorful garden. I’ve always wanted to create a space like this but I didn’t know where to start. There are so many types of herbs and varieties of flowers and it’s difficult to know what to pair together. After…
As an organic gardener, I prefer using natural pesticides whenever possible, especially when it comes to my vegetable plants. I’ve read a great deal about neem oil and how it is excellent to combat insect infestations and fungal diseases. But, also, I have read mixed reports about its safety. So, I decided to delve into…
Do you have a nice, big swimming pool that you want to drain for maintenance but don’t want to waste all that water? How about watering the garden with it? Is it safe to water plants with pool water? Which kind of water is safe for plants and which kind isn’t? So how does pool…
So many types of soil are available at the garden store that it makes my head spin! Which one do I use to start my seeds? Will my plants suffer if I use the wrong one? It’s a gardening nightmare! My garden is my life, so I dove into this subject fervently, determined to do…
Is it necessary to buy a new bag of fertilizer each spring for garden plants even though last year’s pack has still enough to suffice? At some point, most gardeners might start wondering if fertilizer really goes bad. A bunch of techniques can come in handy when it comes to the effective storage of fertilizer…
