The Best Gardening

Beginning with Permaculture

John — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:05:54 +0000

The use of pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, synthetic fertilizers, etc. is at an all-time high, especially among large agriculture growers. Why? Modern agricultural practices involve growing...

There's more... just click here.

Ultra-low Maintenance Food Producing Garden

John — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:32:22 +0000

I recently got a gardening question from a reader on facebook that went something like this: “We have 3 acres and a small cabin. . . . Any ideas of perennial food plants I could set in a cold...

There's more... just click here.

Sunscreen . . . Made for Plants?

John — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:19:00 +0000

Our sun showers our earth with electromagnetic radiation (light) of all varieties all the time – some of it is mild in intensity and some of it is very strong in intensity. The light that is stronger...

There's more... just click here.

Strawberries 101

John — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 20:17:41 +0000

Strawberries are one of my favorite things to have in the garden. There are many varieieties of strawberries, but essentially they all fall into one of three categories. 1 – Everbearing: this...

There's more... just click here.

Hoverfly vs. Wasp

John — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:13:50 +0000

A hoverfly is often confused with a wasp or bee (more commonly a wasp) because of their similar yellow and black coloring. This mimicry in coloring has likely helped the hoverfly survive – a...

There's more... just click here.

Sweet Gum Tree

John — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 20:10:26 +0000

The sweetgum is fairly easy to identify, if you know what distinguishes it from other plants with star-shaped leaves (especially maples). To the right and below are a couple examples of leaf shape....

There's more... just click here.

Preventing Freeze/Thaw Damage

John — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 18:41:58 +0000

You may think that you’re safe from freezing temperatures if you have very cold-hardy trees in your landscape, but there’s a sneaky way in which winter can seriously damage your trees even if they’re...

There's more... just click here.

Cutting out Disease

John — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:08:58 +0000

When a plant is diseased or wounded, it is often easier to cut out and remove the diseased portion of the plant instead of messing with chemical controls. This is especially true if you are dealing...

There's more... just click here.

Slugs and Snails: Thwarting the Slimy Buggers

John — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 20:03:07 +0000

Slugs and snails can be a problem predator for your plants. Lots of time has gone into testing methods of preventing slugs from getting to plants, including eggshells, citrus, oatmeal, beer, gravel,...

There's more... just click here.

Snow: A Good Insulation

John — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 20:02:07 +0000

In temperate areas of the world (where winters can be cold and long), it is a good thing for your plants when it snows. Snow is actually an excellent insulator. Surface ground temperatures underneath...

There's more... just click here.

Plant Adaptation for Freezing Temperatures

John — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:00:35 +0000

It’s amazing how plants can adapt and survive even in some of the most severe of climates. In the case of freezing cold, many plants have developed a unique adaptation that allows for their...

There's more... just click here.

Accelerate Seed Germination

John — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 19:59:41 +0000

Sometimes getting seeds to grow can take many days and even weeks depending on the species you’re trying to grow. One quick and easy way to accelerate seed germination without using chemicals is...

There's more... just click here.

Get a Clean Cut: Sharpening Mower Blades

John — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 19:58:24 +0000

Ideally, the sharper your mower blade is the better. Blades that are really dull tend to hack at the grass leaving frayed ends that can turn brown, or worse, invite disease because of the large wound...

There's more... just click here.

Space Above the Soil

John — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 19:57:18 +0000

When you plant seeds or seedlings in pots, be sure to leave at least an inch (2.5 cm) of space from the soil surface level to the rim of the pot. The reason for this is to leave room for watering so...

There's more... just click here.

Maple Seed Deception

John — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:55:05 +0000

Maple trees produce “helicopter seeds” (more correctly known as a samara) en masse. I can still remember seeing thousands of seeds flying through the air when a good autumn breeze picked up, making...

There's more... just click here.