Master Gardener sharing garden inspiration and helpful tips for growing your own garden.
Although rollie pollies (also called pill bugs or potato bugs) usually eat decaying and decomposing plant matter, occasionally pill bug numbers are high and they wreak havoc on a garden. To my great frustration, countless seedlings have been destroyed by rollie pollies in my garden. As an organic gardener, I’m not willing to use pesticides […] Read more…
Understand and follow correct watering principles, and find the best way to water raised-bed gardens to have a productive and healthy garden. The best way to water a raised-bed garden will provide consistent and even watering, be easy to use and maintain, and ideally be simple to install as well. Raised-bed gardens are a productive […] Read more…
Pests are a common nuisance when gardening, but damage from pests can destroy months of hard work. Pest prevention is the goal, but it is not always possible. Learning quick and efficient ways to deal with pests makes gardening simpler and a lot more fun. Do you have a pest problem in your garden? Don’t […] Read more…
If you garden in climates where the summer sun is intense, it’s best to provide afternoon shade for many vegetables in the garden. Adding shade to your garden is like putting “sun screen” on your plants. Wondering how to create shade in the garden? Here are my favorite ways to add shade and help your […] Read more…
Including 30 Practical Suggestions for Implementing Organic Gardening Principles What exactly is organic gardening? How is it different from regular gardening? Why does it matter? Organic gardening is more than just not using pesticides and other chemicals in your garden; it is a way of gardening that makes pesticide and chemical use not needed. Disclaimer: […] Read more…
Companion planting folklore has existed for centuries. Although modern research often validates the effectiveness of some companionships, we don’t understand all the reasons why it works. Effective organic gardening techniques often implement many types of companion planting. This article covers the benefits of companion planting, and provides practical suggestions for how to implement companion planting […] Read more…
Living in a warm-winter climate means that you may try to push the boundaries of what can be grown throughout winter. Frost and cold weather can come on quickly, and knowing what to cover in a freeze can mean the difference between life and death for some of your plants. Be prepared by gathering needed […] Read more…
You may be reading this post because you are looking for a quick fix to a pest problem you are facing in the garden. There are organic pest control solutions that really work (I list them below). It is important to understand the importance of healthy soil and plants as it relates to common pests […] Read more…
How to Prevent and Treat Powdery Mildew Learn how to prevent and treat powdery mildew before it causes problems with the fruits and vegetables growing in your garden. What is powdery mildew? Powdery mildew is a disease caused by several types of fungi. It first appears as a whitish-gray powdery coating on the surfaces of plants, […] Read more…
Gardening for the last 12 years has taught me several lessons, many of which I learned the hard way. In this post I share my picks for the 10 biggest vegetable gardening mistakes. I’ll be the first to admit I’ve made most of the mistakes on this list. Learn from my vegetable gardening mistakes and […] Read more…