Use Plastic to Get a Head Start on Corn in the Fall
By Mark and Lynn Klammer
Issue #41 • September/October, 1996
As spring approaches each year, we can hardly wait for the feel of warm earth between our fingers. And so, while most avid gardeners let Mother...
Clover — From Livestock Forage to Medicinal Tea, This Humble Plant is One of...
By Eugene Mitchell
Issue #130 • July/August, 2011
Whether young or old, lying in the grass and searching for four-leafed clovers is timeless fun. Sometimes they're so elusive, like the leprechaun, it seems they don't exist....
Growing the Eternal Tomato
By Leonard Trebor
Issue #57 • May/June, 1999
It's an old story to longtime gardeners (and a new story to novices): each spring you buy some superb tomato plants, set them out on May 1 (or...
Plant Once Harvest for Years
By Jackie Clay-Atkinson
Issue #140 • March/April, 2013
Year after year we start seeds, till the ground, plant, weed, harvest, then tear it all out at the end of the season. It's a lot of work,...
Leaf Mold is Another Way to Build Your Soil
By John Fuchs
Issue #41 • September/October, 1996
Leaves are an excellent way to add organic matter to the garden. However, using rawor unprocessedleaves has some drawbacks. Raw leaves are more acidic than composted leaves, and...
A Small Space Yields a Big Crop of Garlic
By Howard Tuckey
Issue #131 • September/October, 2011
In less than an hour last fall, I tilled up a 4x8 foot garden bed and planted 250 seed cloves of Chesnok and Russian Red garlic. I've been...
Love Those Green Beans
By Alice B. Yeager
Issue #68 • March/April, 2001
Anyone with some gardening space, a sunny location, and good loamy soil with pH 6.0-7.5 can grow snap beans. With some good recipes, you'll have people begging...
Put Your Garden to Bed for the Winter
By Jackie Clay
Issue #95 • September/October, 2005
During the crispy fall afternoons, we listen often and intently to the weather forecasts. "It's going to be clear tonight," I'd tell my late husband, Bob, and my...
Want More Fruit From Less Space? Espalier Your Trees!
By Rev. J.D. Hooker
Issue #79 • January/February, 2003
After originating in the semi-arid regions of the middle east, espaliering (is-'pal-yer-ing) became a commonly employed fruit tree growing method of the Greco-Roman world. Later, during the...
Garden Seeds — A Great Winter Pastime
By Jackie Clay
Issue #67 • January/February, 2001
Start your garden this year while the snow is still on the ground. I start all of my own plants from seeds. One of my favorite winter pastimes...
Rotten Luck: The Skinny on Composting
By Patrice Lewis
Issue #141 • May/June, 2013
For much of human history, people have tried to prevent things from rotting. Literally every food preservation method we've come up with in the past few thousand years...
How to become a backyard beekeeper
By Sheri Jones
If you’ve been intrigued by the idea of becoming a beekeeper but think you don’t have the space, resources, or knowledge, you’re about to be pleasantly surprised. Backyard beekeeping is a lot...
Pruning Blueberries
By Kristina Seleshanko
When we purchased our mountaintop homestead, I was excited to discover four blueberry bushes that were already established on our property. Not all of them were large, but they were an excellent...
Build Your Own Hoop House
By Jackie Clay-Atkinson
Issue #171 • May/June, 2018
I’ve had my own garden for more than half a century, and I have learned a few things after all these years. One of the most valuable things...
Cheaper than Store-Bought Eggs
By Kristina Seleshanko
Issue #177 • July/August/September, 2019
Something we heard a lot when we first started raising chickens in the suburbs was, “For the cost of raising those birds, you could buy an awful lot...
You Can Make Your Own Fertilizers
By Christopher and Dolores Lynn Nyerges
Issue #44 • March/April, 1997
For some people, home gardening is an expensive pursuit, which seems a bit backward to us. At one time, people gardened because home-grown produce was...






























