While many of us are still watching snow melt and feeling the bite of winter, there are others who have been basking in the warmth of spring for some time now. Today Churchill shares some of the activity and growth taking place in her home garden in Patzcuaro, Mexico…
We had a strange winter. It was [...]

Yesterday Marcy Tate joined us to cover the benefits of using mulch in the garden. Today she returns to follow up with details on some of the specific mulches available to the home gardener.
First up are some of the common organic mulches that are more natural and will decompose and add organic matter to the [...]

This article on the carefree benefits of using mulch in the garden and around the landscape is a guest post by Marcy Tate:
Garden mulch can enhance the look of your garden and help keep your garden healthy. Placing mulch in your garden can also save you time by decreasing the need for watering, applying herbicides [...]

Yesterday Stephen Scott of Underwood Gardens shared some concepts related to the importance of good soil both in and out of the garden. Today he returns to discuss some changes in the way that we think about and manage our gardens that can go a long way towards improving soil quality in our backyards:
Building or [...]

The use of zones is a practical Permaculture concept that’s worthy of incorporating into the backyard vegetable garden. The basic idea is to organize your landscape into growing zones that will make it easier and more convenient to care for your plants.
Zones are identified based on the relative location and accessibility, and then crops or [...]

Update: I just received notification that the OpenSky “Cyber Monday” promotion has come to a close, that there was overwhelming demand, and that all of the coupons have been issued. I apologize to anyone who was unable to access the storefront or take advantage of the promotion before it ended.

How would you like to receive [...]

Two recent articles have focused on the designs and construction of a bean trellis and a tomato tower for the vegetable garden. Today Barb returns to share ideas for putting those trellises to good use, and also shows how to reduce the seed budget without sacrificing variety.
Heirloom beans are a fantastic crop for the backyard [...]

It seems like many of you are pretty creative when it comes to designing unique supports for tomatoes, beans, cucumbers and other climbing vegetables and fruits. Last time P.J. shared his trellising blueprint with us and today John reveals how to construct a totally different style of plant support:
Hi Kenny!  You’ve been a big help [...]