Veggie Gardening Tips
type: channel
description: Featuring Vegetable Gardening Tips, Organic Growing Techniques, and Unique Plants for the Backyard Gardener
date: 2025-09-18T14:06:04Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
items: Learn to Grow Your Own Gourmet Mushrooms
items: Making a Great Display of Culinary Herb Plants
items: Growing Winter Lettuce to Produce Early Spring Harvests
items: Troy-Bilt FLEX Chipper Shredder Attachment Review
items: The Latest Mushroom Cultivation Technique is in “Yesterday’s News”
items: VermisTerra Worm Castings and Teas for Soil Enrichment
items: A Radical Mycology Convergence Just Took Place
items: Building a Better Worm Bin for Composting

Learn to Grow Your Own Gourmet Mushrooms
type: item
creator: Kenny Point
date: 2025-04-28T12:51:34Z
subject: Growing Vegetables
subject: COREgardening-Workshop
subject: Gourmet-Mushroom-Cultivation
subject: Growing-Mushrooms
description: Come and learn how to Grow Your Own Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms at the first COREgardening hands-on workshop of 2025! This event will take place on Sunday, May 4th in Big Bend, WV. Mushrooms are not only delicious, they’re also powerful allies for your health, a key part of healthy soil ecosystems, and surprisingly fun […]
encoded: Come and learn how to Grow Your Own Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms at the <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-6305 alignright" src="https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Oyster-Mushroom-300x225.jpeg" alt="" width="279" height="209" srcset="https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Oyster-Mushroom-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Oyster-Mushroom-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Oyster-Mushroom-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Oyster-Mushroom-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Oyster-Mushroom-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 279px) 100vw, 279px" />first COREgardening hands-on workshop of 2025! This event will take place on Sunday, May 4th in Big Bend, WV. Mushrooms are not only delicious, they’re also powerful allies for your health, a key part of healthy soil ecosystems, and surprisingly fun and easy to grow once you know the secrets. Visit COREgardening.com for full details on this workshop, plus a complete list of our upcoming in-person events and agricultural programs for the 2025 growing season! Gain Valuable Skill at This COREgardening Workshop Ready to grow and harvest your own mushrooms? They can be cultivated right in your backyard, or even on a kitchen counter! Our mushroom cultivation workshop is one of COREgardening’s most popular programs and provides you with everything you need to successfully grow gourmet and medicinal mushrooms indoors or outdoors. Don’t wait, register today to reserve your spot! In this Mushroom Cultivation Workshop, you’ll learn: Precautions and safety basics for identifying, handling, and storing gourmet mushrooms Simple techniques for growing mushrooms both indoors and outdoors How to clone a mushroom and use it to produce your own mushrooms Methods for cultivating specific varieti…

Making a Great Display of Culinary Herb Plants
type: item
creator: Kenny Point
date: 2017-08-01T01:44:32Z
subject: Home Gardening Ideas
subject: Culinary Herbs
subject: Herb Garden
subject: Herb-Plants
description: Last winter wasn’t the mildest but it was a good one for over wintering herb plants outdoors in the garden. Even herb varieties that are typically borderline hardy here in my growing region survived to put on a great show in the landscape this spring and summer. A big part of that success is location […]
encoded: Last winter wasn’t the mildest but it was a good one for over wintering herb plants outdoors in the garden. Even herb varieties that are typically borderline hardy here in my growing region survived to put on a great show in the landscape this spring and summer. A big part of that success is location and taking advantage of the various micro-climates that exist on my property even if the temperature variations, southern exposures, and favorable positions are only slightly better than other spots in the garden. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5765" src="https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/P1020958.jpg" alt="Front Garden" width="450" height="338" srcset="https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/P1020958.jpg 450w, https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/P1020958-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px" /> The payoff comes the following season when over wintered herb plants show their full potential and yield results that you don’t get from herbs that are grown as annuals. Over wintered plants grow larger, bushier, and often produce flowers. You’ll also get considerable leaf production that can quickly stock your herbal pantry. Here’s a look at some common herbs from my garden that show what a difference it can make to shelter the plants through the winter and into additional seasons of growth: <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5766" src="https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/P1020953.jpg" alt="Rosemary" width="450" height="338" srcset="https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/P1020953.jpg 450w, https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/P1020953-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px" /> Rosemary isn’t very hardy in my region, but when it survives the winter it will take on a tree-like appearance and become a very ornamental evergreen in a…

Growing Winter Lettuce to Produce Early Spring Harvests
type: item
creator: Kenny Point
date: 2017-04-07T01:49:28Z
subject: Fall Vegetable Gardening
subject: Growing-Organic-Lettuce
subject: Winter Lettuce
subject: Winter-Gardening
description: Winter Lettuce is one of my favorite crops for fall planting even though it doesn’t yield a harvest until the following spring. The name is a bit deceiving because this isn’t a single plant variety, and it isn’t a crop that is harvested during winter, at least that isn’t how I use it in my […]
encoded: Winter Lettuce is one of my favorite crops for fall planting even though it doesn’t yield a harvest until the following spring. The name is a bit deceiving because this isn’t a single plant variety, and it isn’t a crop that is harvested during winter, at least that isn’t how I use it in my garden. I treat Winter Lettuce similar to the way that I grow garlic, it’s planted in late fall and allowed to over winter as a juvenile plant in order to get a huge jump on the spring growing season. It doesn’t require much space in the fall garden as the seed is sown thickly and the plants are crowded together in a garden bed or cold frame over the winter. Winter Lettuce is Actually Sown during the Fall Months These types of lettuce varieties are super hardy, and because the plants are young and<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-5753" src="https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/P1020356-300x225.jpg" alt="Winter Lettuce in Cold Frame" width="300" height="225" srcset="https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/P1020356-300x225.jpg 300w, https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/P1020356-768x576.jpg 768w, https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/P1020356-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/P1020356.jpg 1440w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /> small they are able to easily endure even bitterly cold winters here in Central Pennsylvania. I usually broadcast the seed thickly over a four by four foot area during October or November. The seed will germinate and begin growing during the fall but will not attain any significant size going into the winter months. Once the ground begins to freeze I will place a cold frame over the patch to offer a little protection to the plants. But more commonly Winter Lettuce plants are covered with a light layer of straw for protection, or a snow cover would also serve the same purpose of prov…

Troy-Bilt FLEX Chipper Shredder Attachment Review
type: item
creator: Kenny Point
date: 2017-04-04T01:10:45Z
subject: Home Gardening Ideas
subject: Flex Chipper Shredder
subject: Troy-Bilt Flex
subject: Troy-Bilt Saturday6
description: It’s been a couple of years since I began using the innovative Troy-Bilt FLEX System that employs a shared “power base” engine that connects to a variety of attachments to perform assorted tasks around the home and garden. Today I will share my experiences with a new addition to the FLEX line of equipment; the […]
encoded: It’s been a couple of years since I began using the innovative Troy-Bilt FLEX System that employs a shared “power base” engine that connects to a variety of attachments to perform assorted tasks around the home and garden. Today I will share my experiences with a new addition to the FLEX line of equipment; the Chipper Shredder attachment. This is one of the attachments that I was the most excited about and I waited patiently until this past fall when the FLEX Chipper Shredder was released along with the new FLEX Log Splitter attachment. The Latest FLEX Attachments Added to the Line Up My initial review and video featured the FLEX System Power Base, Wide-Area<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-5743" src="https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/P1010862-300x225.jpg" alt="FLEX Chipper Shredder" width="300" height="225" srcset="https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/P1010862-300x225.jpg 300w, https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/P1010862-768x576.jpg 768w, https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/P1010862-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/P1010862.jpg 1440w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /> Mower, and the Snow Thrower. Since then I added the FLEX Power Washer and Leaf Blower attachments to use in the yard and around the house. Every attachment has performed perfectly and I have been very pleased with the FLEX concept and performance that this Troy-Bilt System delivers. Before I jump into the new Chipper Shredder it would be a good idea to provide an update on the other attachments that I’ve had a chance to use for two full seasons. The FLEX Wide Area Mower continues to do a great job on the lawn and hasn’t had any service issues. We only had one significant snow fall each of the past two winters but I was very impressed with the way the FLEX Snow Thrower handled them. This machine is a “thrower” and …

The Latest Mushroom Cultivation Technique is in “Yesterday’s News”
type: item
creator: Kenny Point
date: 2017-02-24T17:49:51Z
subject: Growing Vegetables
subject: Cultivating Mushrooms
subject: Growing-Mushrooms
subject: Indoor Mushroom Cultivation
description: Here’s a really quick, easy, and simple hack for growing mushrooms at home with just a few easily obtainable items. I learned this technique from a couple members of the Georgia Mushroom Growers Club at the Radical Mycology Convergence in New York last September. The ingredient list is short and consists of “Yesterday’s News” Kitty Litter (unused […]
encoded: Here’s a really quick, easy, and simple hack for growing mushrooms at home with just a few easily obtainable items. I learned this technique from a couple members of the Georgia Mushroom Growers Club at the Radical Mycology Convergence in New York last September. The ingredient list is short and consists of “Yesterday’s News” Kitty Litter (unused and unsoiled of course), Guinea Pig food, distilled water, plastic bags, and some mushroom spawn of varieties such as oyster or shiitake. Sterile conditions are not necessary for success and there is no heating or pasteurization required. One of the Easiest Ways You’ll Ever Find to Grow Mushrooms at Home <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-5737" src="https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/P1010725-300x225.jpg" alt="mushroom spawn run" width="300" height="225" srcset="https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/P1010725-300x225.jpg 300w, https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/P1010725-768x576.jpg 768w, https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/P1010725-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/P1010725.jpg 1440w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />This process is very simple! You place four cups of “Yesterday’s News” Kitty Litter in a clean container and add four cups of distilled or de-chlorinated water. Let sit until all of the water is absorbed by the kitty litter, then mix in one-third cup of Guinea Pig Food and three-fourths cup of mushroom spawn. This mixture is then packed tightly into a plastic bag. Those long slender sleeve type bags work perfectly for this task. Tamp the media down to compress it and remove as much air as possible, then twist and tie a knot so that you are left with a solid tube of inoculated mushroom growing substrate. Cut four one inch slits in the sides of the bag to allow the spawn to breathe and place the bag in a dark, cool spot. The Spawn…

VermisTerra Worm Castings and Teas for Soil Enrichment
type: item
creator: Kenny Point
date: 2017-02-13T03:59:24Z
subject: Home Gardening Ideas
subject: Earthworm Castings
subject: Earthworm Teas
subject: Organic Fertilizers
subject: Vermicomposting
description: A previous post detailed a simple worm bin that can be made out of recycled materials and kept right inside your home. But not everyone wants to take care of worms or have them in the house, in spite of the benefits gained through recycling kitchen scraps and producing a wonderful plant fertilizer in the […]
encoded: A previous post detailed a simple worm bin that can be made out of recycled materials and kept right inside your home. But not everyone wants to take care of worms or have them in the house, in spite of the benefits gained through recycling kitchen scraps and producing a wonderful plant fertilizer in the process. Even gardeners who are committed to making and using worm castings may find it challenging to produce enough castings to supply all their gardening needs. Fortunately VermisTerra by JL Organics LLC is now supplying earthworm castings and teas that allows everyone access to the great benefits that worms have to offer the soil, and research at Cornell University even shows that earthworm castings can suppress plant disease and regulate nutrients. Using VermisTerra Earthworm Castings in the Vegetable Garden <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-5717" src="https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/P1010914-300x225.jpg" alt="earthworm castings" width="300" height="225" srcset="https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/P1010914-300x225.jpg 300w, https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/P1010914-768x576.jpg 768w, https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/P1010914-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/P1010914.jpg 1440w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />VermisTerra offers pure earthworm castings in a dry form that can be mixed with seed starting or potting mixes, be applied as a side dressing around plants in the garden and containers, or be added to growing beds along with or in place of compost and other organic amendments and fertilizers prior to planting. Also in their product lineup is a stabilized compost tea that is diluted in water and then sprayed onto the garden with a sprayer, via watering cans, or through irrigation systems. The VermisTerra castings seem to have a finer texture than other castings th…

A Radical Mycology Convergence Just Took Place
type: item
creator: Kenny Point
date: 2016-11-15T00:14:51Z
subject: Garden Shows & Events
subject: Cultivating Mushrooms
subject: Farming the Woods
subject: Garden Fungi
subject: Radical Mycology Convergence
description: The 4th Annual Radical Mycology Convergence was held last month and for the first time the event took place here on the East Coast. I had been hoping to travel out west one year to attend this gathering that is focused on all things related to cultivating, foraging, and consuming mushrooms, so when I saw that […]
encoded: The 4th Annual Radical Mycology Convergence was held last month and for the first time the event took place here on the East Coast. I had been hoping to travel out west one year to attend this gathering that is focused on all things related to cultivating, foraging, and consuming mushrooms, so when I saw that it was happening in nearby Wingdale, N.Y. it was an easy decision to go. The convergence was held over a span of five days and included, camping, meals, and a host of workshops, forays, and demonstrations covering many aspects of fungi. The event was held at the Harlem Valley Homestead, on over one hundred acres of farmland that plans to become a staging location for similar educational agricultural gatherings in the future. Speakers at this year’s event included Peter McCoy of Radical Mycology, Olga Tzogas from Smugtown Mushrooms, and Steve Gabriel author of “Farming the Woods.” Also on hand to provide lectures and workshops were Willie Crosby, Mara Fae Penfil, William Padilla-Brown, Fern Katz, and others that made up a talented collection of mycology experts. There were workshops focused on medicinal mushrooms, how to cultivate cordyceps, mycoremediation, crafts involving fungi, liquid culture techniques, mushroom identification, and aseptic lab construction and operation. Other activities included forays to gather fungi, exercises into reading the forest landscape, collection of mosses, and even opportunities to hike up to the nearby branch of the Appalachian Trail. Following are some photos taken during the convergence and I’ll have more to share later about specific techniques and information that was presented during the event: <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5695" src="https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/IMG_0259.jpg" alt="Sunrise over Campsites" width="450" height="338" srcset="https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/IMG_0259.jpg 450w, https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp…

Building a Better Worm Bin for Composting
type: item
creator: Kenny Point
date: 2016-09-01T02:33:32Z
subject: Home Gardening Ideas
subject: Composting
subject: Vermicomposting
subject: Vermiculture
description: There are plenty of options for raising composting worms in bins, from basic home-made boxes to high-tech structures that can be purchased at retail stores or through the Internet. I tried many types of worm bins before finally settling on a simple and effective version as the best for my purposes, and will share that design with you […]
encoded: There are plenty of options for raising composting worms in bins, from basic home-made boxes to high-tech structures that can be purchased at retail stores or through the Internet. I tried many types of worm bins before finally settling on a simple and effective version as the best for my purposes, and will share that design with you today. This home-made worm bin is based on a Vermiculture workshop that I attended at the Rodale Institute several years ago and have I have managed to keep a colony of composting worms alive and well ever since then with no losses. By “no losses” I mean that the worm population did not die off or migrate out of the bin. Achieving Care Free Success with Composting Worms <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-5679" src="https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/P1040599-300x225.jpg" alt="Composting Worms" width="300" height="225" srcset="https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/P1040599-300x225.jpg 300w, https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/P1040599-768x576.jpg 768w, https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/P1040599-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://veggiegardeningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/P1040599.jpg 1440w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />In addition the bedding has remained in good condition, the worms have multiplied, and the moisture levels have remained consistent without the extremes of drying out or becoming over saturated to the point of leaching liquids. My bin has been relatively care free; all I’ve done is feed the worms. The only possible issue has been the infiltration of foreign soil organisms such as snails and other tiny creatures. Even this has not created a problem and probably could have been avoided if I had not introduced organic matter and some yard waste from the garden into the bin. On the other hand the diversity could actually be a sign of a healthy bin and nothing has grown out of contr…