The soil in your garden was created over thousands of years through the disintegration and decomposition of rock and organic matter. Temperature and rainfall, the life and death of plants, animals and bacteria, and fungi, and the rocks that were there, to begin with: all contributed to the soil you find in your garden today….
Planning the home fruit garden requires a bit more future-thinking than the vegetable garden. Most vegetables are annuals or biennials and spend just one or two seasons in the garden. Most fruits are trees or shrubs and live for 10 to 50 years or more. The first consideration in planning an edible garden—either fruit or…
Hardiness or cold-hardiness is a term used to denote a plant’s ability to withstand cold temperatures. Cold-hardiness commonly specifies the minimum temperature to which a plant can be exposed and still be able to resume growing. At the end of the growing season, tender and very tender vegetables must be protected from cold or they…
Intensive vegetable gardening is the name given to a way of using garden space and soil nutrients to produce high yields of flavorful crops. The intensive planting method of vegetable gardening is perhaps the most efficient and effective of all growing methods. It is both resource-conserving and sustainable. The origins of this method can be…
Hardy is a term used to describe a plant’s ability to survive in a specific climate zone—even through the cold of winter. Commonly gardeners use the term “hardy” to describe a plant that can survive a freeze, frost, or cold snap. Half-hardy is a term used to describe plants that can survive only limited or…
Late spring and early summer is the time to set out heat-loving crops–tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, zucchini, squashes, cucumbers, okra, and melons. Plant these crops where they will get plenty of sunshine for rapid growth and timely harvests. Work plenty of aged compost or commercial organic planting mix into the beds, mounds, and hills ahead…
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