Food
Three Quick and Easy Tomato Dishes for Summertime
Between work and kids and life in general, it can be hard to make time for gardening. You have to sneak it in the edges. My favorite time to get a few minutes in the garden is just before dusk. A little weeding and mulching. And of course, picking the fruits and veggies that are…
Read More5 Facts to Help You Grow the Best Tomatoes Yet
As Lewis Grizzard said, “It’s difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.” If you’re aiming to grow your own tomatoes this year, here are five facts about botany, pollinators, and pests you can put to use in your own garden to increase your harvest of homegrown tomatoes. Now that the…
Read MoreChoosing the Best Location for Your Garden
Your garden’s location is key to your success or failure with growing fruits and vegetables. In this video, I walk you through a simple exercise to evaluate your yard to determine the “ideal” spot for your veggie garden. This exercise is especially good for new gardeners, but is also handy for not-so-new gardeners looking to…
Read MoreHow to Start an Easy Potato Bed
When we see the yellow of dandelions and daffodils, it’s time to plant potatoes. (That’s about St. Patrick’s Day in Western North Carolina’s Zone 7.) *We are waiting a bit longer this year…update below!* We needed a quick way to plant that was easy enough for kids to help.
Read MoreHow to Decide Where to Put Your Garden
If you’re starting to grow vegetables or adding another growing area to you yard, you want to find the best location for your garden. Maybe you’ve looked at the possibilities and wondered…
Read More7 Favorites for Spring Planting (and Eating!)
“Plant as soon as the soil can be worked.” Reading instructions on a seed packet, these words make me smile in late winter and early spring. When we get sunny weekends, I can hardly wait to get out into the garden. If you’ve still got frosts ahead, but you have the same itch to plant something…
Read MoreEdible Perennials for Spring
They are the happy little ones that greet you early each spring. They make gardening easier and easier each year. And they can be delicious. I love perennials, especially edible perennials! In the videos below, I profile some of the best edible perennials you can add to your garden for lovely growth and delicious eating…
Read MoreAre My Seeds Too Old? How to Check Viability with a Seed Germination Test
Or How to Sneak a Peek of Seeds Starting to Grow! If you’ve ever wondered, “Are these old seeds still any good to plant?” this tutorial will help you find out. It’s also a fun way to see what happens when seeds sprout, a process that is usually hidden from view under the soil.
Read MoreFive Simple Steps You Can Take Today to Get Your Kids Gardening
Healthy eaters. Active explorers. Curious questioners. Gardening can help us guide our children into good habits and promising paths of learning. How can you get started?
Read MoreA Gift from Above: 8 Ways To Use Fall Leaves
Fall is here and so are the leaves. Fall leaves in the yard can be a nuisance—something you have to clean off your yard so the grass doesn’t die. Bag ’em up and drag ’em to the curb. What a pain! At least, I used to think that way.
Read MoreGardening Tasks To Do in October
We’ve stopped stop eating breakfast outside. After a summer of eating almost every meal outdoors, mornings are a little too cool for pajamas and bare feet. But once we put on jackets and shoes, these cool October days feel perfect for working and playing in the garden. Nature is getting ready for winter as monarchs migrate, plants…
Read More11 Reasons to Garden with Kids
Fresh air, exercise, good food… You take the kids into the garden thinking it must be good for them. And you’re right! The benefits of kids spending time in nature are plentiful. But, it’s not always easy to garden with kids.
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