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Learning to grow your own seedlings is one of the most valuable gardening skills that you can acquire. By starting with seeds, you can choose from a huge selection of [...]

Each spring, I grow legions of onions and shallots from seed, and my biggest challenge is keeping them weeded. Last year, I planted pinches of arugula between the short rows [...]

Companion planting means growing two or more different plants in close proximity for a specific purpose, such as better pest control or higher yields. In the past, many companion planting [...]

Packed with vibrant flavor, onions are a staple food throughout the world. Familiar bulb onions are easy to grow as long as you plant varieties adapted to your climate, and [...]

It's an unfortunate truth that most of the things we do in a garden also encourage weeds. Bare soil in any form is an invitation for weeds to grow because [...]

TO ENSURE THAT YOUR GARDE! crops make the most of the rich, organic soil you create, you need to understand your soil's pH. The pH describes the relative acidity or [...]

You've had your eye on a certain space in your yard for a while now, thinking about revamping it into a garden, and the weekend weather forecast couldn't be better. [...]

NATIVE TO THE MOUNTAINS of South America, potatoes should be planted first thing in spring, when the soil is still cool. Numerous gardeners in the U.S., like several on the [...]

Say goodbye to growing only your old standbys. Round out this seasons tomato patch with these expert-recommended picks that get high marks for flavor, vigor or disease resistance. As you [...]

As more people recognize the many benefits of organic gardening methods, a fresh crop of organic fertilizers is sprouting on store shelves. The really amazing thing is that two of [...]

About 300,000 people are diagnosed with Lyme disease every year, according to new estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Lyme disease is caused by bacteria that [...]

ISN'T IF TIME TO MAKE mouthwatering sweet corn one of your hit crops this summer? Sweet corn requires warm soil (above 65 degrees Fahrenheit), so early summer is prime planting [...]

If you're gardening to raise as much food for your household as possible, winter squash should be near the top of your planting list. Heaps of winter squash varieties are [...]

This gardening season, with climate change causing higher temperatures and desperate droughts in multiple regions, many of us will experience weeks or even months in which sparse rainfall wont keep [...]

Ah, tomatoes--revered by many as the quintessential home garden crop. Every gardener who grows them hankers for a hearty yield, but many may not realize that tomato diseases, which can [...]

I BEGAN GROWING MY OWN VEGETABLE SEEDLINGS more than 30 years ago, and I still remember my sad first attempts. Many seedlings keeled over and died, and some seeds never [...]

As humans, it's hard to imagine sex without the ability to move, which is the fundamental challenge of plant pollination. To make seeds, reproductive cells (called 'gametes') from separate male [...]

An abundance of buzzing, hopping, fluttering and crawling insects is a trademark of any healthy organic garden. This diversity means insects that might feed on your crops are likely to [...]

The perfect garden--free of all pests, weeds and weather surprises--does not exist. Nor does the perfect place to garden, because every climate is friendly to some crops and hostile to [...]

To ensure that your garden crops make the most of the rich, organic soil you create, you need to understand your soil's pH. The pH describes the relative acidity or [...]

Dry beans and peas provide as much protein per serving as well-known protein powerhouses, such as eggs and cottage cheese, with the added benefits of fiber and an array of [...]

Native bees pollinate crops just as well as--if not better than--honeybees. Transform your backyard into a bee sanctuary with nectar-rich flowers, insect hotels and more. The planet's best pollinators are [...]

Round out your food preservation regimen! Use these great freezing tips to turn your garden harvests into delicious, off-season meals. Freezing is a fast and easy form of food preservation, [...]

During any time of year, a visitor to my Zone 6 garden will find at least a couple of low tunnels at work. Supported by wire hoops or arches made [...]

Sharp-eyed handpicking and trapping can control many garden pests, but not every insect battle can be won with hand-to-hand combat. Instead, you may need an intervention plan that affects the [...]

Two of the best reasons to garden are to grow things you would otherwise have to pay too dearly for at the supermarket and to grow great-tasting things you cannot [...]

Many people start composting for practical reasons. Composting your leaves, grass clippings, garden waste and food scraps reduces the amount of garbage you generate. Plus, compost is essential for a [...]

As more and more people recognize the many benefits of organic gardening methods, a fresh crop of organic fertilizers are sprouting on store shelves. Many are overpriced, and some are [...]

Every day is a good day to eat homegrown tomatoes, so why not do all you can to make the dream of year-round fresh tomatoes come true? It's easy to [...]

I began growing my own vegetable seedlings more than 30 years ago, and I still remember my sad first attempts. Many seedlings keeled over and died, and some seeds never [...]

Compost is the ultimate ingredient for building fertile soil. If everyone composted their kitchen and garden waste, the world would be a cleaner place, and we would all enjoy more [...]

Here in southwest Virginia, my partner and I take pride in growing and storing most of our fruits and vegetables. Knowing where our food comes from gives us confidence in [...]

Last fall, CAPPER's sister publication, MOTHER EARTH NEWS, launched its Organic Pest Control Survey to learn more about effective methods in limiting insect damage in organic vegetable gardens. About 1,300 [...]

The most personal way to forge a connection with delicious food crops--from arugula to tomatoes--is to grow them up close in containers. Special methods are needed to produce high-quality food [...]

One of the basic tenets of organic gardening is to put as much effort into improving soil fertility as you put into growing your crops. When you use permanent garden [...]

One of the hallmarks of any healthy organic garden is the effective use of mulches. Defined as materials used to cover the soil's surface, mulches help control weeds, prevent disease, [...]

Last fall, MOTHER EARTH NEWS launched our Organic Pest Control Survey to learn more about what works and what doesn't when it comes to limiting insect damage in organic vegetable [...]

Each spring, I grow legions of onions and shallots from seed, and my biggest challenge is keeping them weeded. Last year, I planted pinches of arugula between the short rows [...]

The best way to keep top-quality, organically grown produce on your table year-round is to grow as much as you can, and preserve plenty to eat for when your garden [...]

Many organic gardeners keep a bottle of liquid fish fertilizer on hand to feed young seedlings, plants growing in containers and any garden crop that needs a nutrient boost. But [...]

Whether your garden is large or small, you can make better use of every square inch by using vertical gardening techniques to grow upright crops. Pole beans typically produce twice [...]

Most organic gardeners find that following nature's patterns serves them well. When it comes to .building richer soil, nature's plan relies heavily on trees--fallen limbs, leaves, cones, seeds and, eventually, [...]

One of the characteristics of a truly sustainable garden is that it produces at least some of its own seed. This is most often done when gardeners select, harvest and [...]

Anthropologists often say that humankind went 'from bow to hoe' when switching from hunting and gathering to growing food. Garden hoes were probably the first gardening tools, made from sticks, [...]

Many people start composting for practical reasons. Composting your leaves, grass clippings, garden waste and food scraps reduces the amount of garbage you generate. Plus, compost is essential for a [...]

Most gardeners eventually have heated encounters with unwanted wild animals. The best and kindest solution is to keep them out with the right kind of garden fence. A good farm [...]

If your yard has at least a 20-by-28-foot space that gets full or almost full sun, you can grow enough vegetables to have fresh food all season with surprisingly little [...]

The surest way to have a successful tomato crop is to grow varieties with a proven track record in organic gardens in your area. Last fall, we conducted an online [...]

THE LAST CROP to go into the garden, garlic is planted in fall and harvested the following summer. Flavorful, nutritious, and helpful for warding off vampires, garlic is also easy [...]

Just as there's no such thing as a perfect garden, there's no perfect gardener either. We all make mistakes, but, in doing so, we learn which ones never to repeat, [...]