Seven tactics for planning next year’s garden
By Kristina Seleshanko
There are few things I enjoy more than snuggling up next to the woodstove with a cup of coffee and my garden planning notebook. Although winter might feel like a time to...
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...
Fermenting Chicken Feed
By Melissa Souza
Issue #174 • November/December, 2018
On our homestead, we eat yogurt, kombucha (fermented tea), sauerkraut, and kimchi to add probiotics to our diet. These beneficial bacteria promote good digestive health, strengthen the immune...
Growing Strawberries
By Patrice Lewis
Issue #162 • November/December, 2016
As you read this, the wind may well be howling and the snow piling deep, and you're likely curled up next to the woodstove with a mug of...
Leafy Green Vegetables — The Underrated Heroes of the Garden
By Jackie Clay
Issue #104 • March/April, 2007
When you mention "garden," everybody immediately thinks of sweet corn, green beans, and tomatoes, with a few peppers and cucumbers thrown in. But a whole lot of folks,...
Sweet Potato Greens
By Tim Scullen
Issue #168 • November/December, 2017
By now, you’ve no doubt figured out how good chard, spinach, and kale are for you. But did you know that sweet potato leaves are loaded with vitamins...
Grow Your Own Dishrags
By Alice B. Yeager
Photos by James O. Yeager
Issue #85 • January/February, 2004
Some of us are thrifty beyond measure, even growing our own dishrags. None of those flimsy, store bought cotton things for us. Our...
No Worrying About Fire Blight with Orient and Kieffer Pears
By Alice B. Yeager
Issue #52 • July/August, 1998
Everyone likes a good success story, and if I were called upon to name the most successful tree in our small orchard I'd have to say it's...
Gardening Tips and Tricks
By Charles Sanders
Issue #99 • May/June, 2006
Gardeners are an ingenious lot. Trial and error, time, study, observation, and experience all help us to come up with ideas that result in better gardens, more produce,...
Plant Your Irish Potatoes This Fall or Winter
By Robert L. Williams
Issue #48 • November/December, 1997
My family has made a practice of planting Irish potatoes in the fall rather than in the early spring. We tried it both ways for many years...
Growing and Using Peppers
By Jackie Clay-Atkinson
Issue #164 • March/April, 2017
I’ve been growing peppers for more than 50 years now and can’t imagine a garden without them. There are so many different varieties that no matter where you...
Testing Soil
By Tom Kovach
Issue #119 • September/October, 2009
Testing the soil content of a garden is very important and is quite easy to do. Soil tests are needed because some plants prefer slightly acidic soil, while...
How to Grow Potatoes
By Alice B. Yeager
Issue #97 • January/February, 2006
Potato plants need plenty of sunshine, a well drained soil, and no weed or grass interference. Ideal soil is a loose sandy loam with plenty of humus...
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...
Jackie’s Garden Primer
By Jackie Clay
Issue #117 • May/June, 2009
The birds are singing. The sunshine makes the day feel soft and warm. The soil is mellow and damp. It makes us feel like being outdoors and doing...
Grow some winter squash this year
By Lisa Nourse
I love summertime — I love the green of the trees, the warm weather, and growing my own food. I especially love growing vegetables that will store well and provide that great...
