I started the important hardening off process for my frost sensitive seedlings over a week ago, but I’ve been resisting the urge to transplant those tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, squash, and melons out into the open garden.

A recent question was raised regarding the best method to gather and store leaves for use in the garden or for making compost. Common, ordinary leaves are a very valuable resource for the home gardener and nature’s way of mining and cycling nutrients from deep underground and delivering them to the soil’s surface.

Well here’s a checklist of simple gardening ideas that can be implemented this fall to clean up and help build a healthier vegetable garden that’s enriched and revitalized when spring arrives. You’ll be rewarded for your efforts with a more productive garden that offers fresh produce far earlier and with less effort.

Vegetable gardeners have been noticing the mysterious loss of flowers and immature fruits which have been shriveling and falling off of plants such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, beans, and squash. Losing a few vegetable blossoms or young fruits isn’t uncommon, especially early in the summer and shouldn’t be a cause for alarm.

Many gardeners who desire to grow a productive vegetable garden are challenged by their limited growing area and a small space in which to cultivate their vegetable plants.
Sylvia recently raised the following question about plans to start a vegetable garden in Cleveland, Ohio: “I have only one place in my yard with sufficient sunlight to [...]

The previous gardening blunder looked at ways to reduce weed growth in the garden, today’s final blunder examines potential gardening problems that can result from the overuse of garden tillers.
Gardening Blunder: Frequent Garden Tilling
Are you one of the many gardeners who till their gardens each spring, and sometimes again in the fall, unaware of the [...]

The preceding gardening blunder examined the importance of planting at the proper time, today we’ll take a look at mistakes that gardeners make which can lead to problems with excessive weed growth.
Gardening Blunder: Missing the Causes of Weed Woes
Many gardeners view weeds from the perspective that the only way to deal with them is through the ordeal and [...]

The previous Gardening Blunder examined a simple, but important strategy for watering the vegetable garden, today’s blunder covers an important consideration when you’re ready to plant your vegetable seeds.
Gardening Blunder: Planting at the Wrong Time
It’s important that you time your seed sowing so that your plants mature under their optimum growing conditions; otherwise you make [...]