I’ve been experimenting with gardening techniques for about two years now. I started back in 2010 with my brother and Square Foot Gardening, a super-easy method of gardening at home. Funnily enough, I now also work for the author and his non-profit foundation. Table of Contents After SFG, I got into hydroponics and soil-free gardening. This was (and is) a great hobby of mine and only led me further down the rabbit hole of affordable gardening you can do at home....

Table of Contents Light affects us all in different ways. Some people want to raise their arms and greet the morning rays with gleeful shouts. Others turn into vampires and hide under the bed covers. These people usually need coffee before they’ll so much as peek out from under the sheets. Regardless how humans may react when showered with sunshine, it may be helpful for the serious gardener to know: how does light affect plant growth?...

My leeks were finally ready to harvest! I knew it was time to make one of my all-time favorite soups: potato leek soup. There are a few things I love about soups: They’re dead-simple to make They’re super nutritionally-dense They’re easy to make with ingredients from the garden! So I ventured out into the garden to harvest my leeks (see the full growing guide here). With a quick tug, they were out of the ground…but they were filthy:...

An afternoon of berry picking is a joyful memory that many of us have from our childhood. Wandering around and scouting out these delicious little nuggets of sweetness like a treasure hunt for candy can be so much fun! In adulthood, many gardeners will try to replicate this experience in their own backyard, or kitchen or patio garden! For gardeners wanting to replicate their childhood joy of picking fresh growing raspberries, consider installing a raspberry raised bed....

Table of Contents Do you love tropical, humidity-loving plants with vibrant and stunning flowers? Perhaps you’re into odd spiky “air-plants” that seem to grow with no care at all? Do you enjoy the island flavor of roasted pineapple? Or do you prefer your trees all draped in thick, swaying coats of moss? How about drought-tolerant, heat-loving plants that act a bit like succulents? If you answered “yes” to any of these, then you like some form of bromeliad....

Recently, I’ve been on a journey to understand cumin and learn how to use it correctly in cooking. Since undertaking this journey, this deliciously warm spice has blown my mind and has made me determined to start growing cumin at home! Table of Contents If you’re anything like me and have a family of plain picky eaters, then cumin is probably a little pot of brown powder, sitting on the spice rack, months out of date and rarely, if ever used....

You may have heard of horticultural oil spray, but what is it? It’s a type of natural pest control that can control insect pests and diseases in your garden, whether they’re on your landscape plants, edible plants, or fruit trees. There are many different types of oils, and making sure you use the right one can be tricky if you don’t know the difference between them. Table of Contents Some oils can be applied all year long, while others are meant to be applied at certain times in the year, like summer oil or dormant oil....

Cultivating chayote plants is a great lesson in trellising because they’re great in vertical gardens. Once you learn how to grow chayote, chances are, you’ll make it a part of your warm-season garden every year. Table of Contents There are many chayote squash varieties out there. Imported chayote is common. That’s because this summer squash has been around for a while. Each type produces plentiful leaves and grasping tendrils, along with a ton of fruit that you can eat or save for future plantings....

Packed with nutrition, lima beans are a beloved legume from Mesoamerica that is full of dietary fiber. They sometimes taste like butter when they’re cooked. And knowing how to grow lima beans is a great skill for gardeners who want to improve their health and soil microbiology. Table of Contents The lima bean plant originated in Lima, Peru, where they’ve been cultivated for over 4000 years. The Inca people there learned how to cook the lima bean properly to remove toxicity, and European settlers took the beans back to their homelands where they grew in popularity....

Plums are an excellent plant to grow, especially in North America. Growers should be aware of the necessary care for plum trees, and they should also consider what plum tree diseases they may have to contend with during the growing season. Table of Contents By understanding what bacteria, fungi, viruses, and oomycetes affect different types of plum trees, gardeners can have a healthy and happy tree. Healthy trees promote hefty yields....

Table of Contents As gardeners, we’re always trying to make the most of what we have… But sometimes our creative juices need a refill! Here are 15 different ways you can upcycle and repurpose items in your garden! Be sure to comment below with your own methods :)​ 1. Turn Styrofoam Cups Into Planters source Ideally you’re not using a lot of styrofoam cups to begin with, but sometimes it’s unavoidable....

Coleus is a gorgeous ornamental plant with many different forms depending on the variety. Its colorful foliage is what makes people want to nurture an indoor coleus plant or grow them outdoors. If you’re aesthetically specific when it comes to gardening, chances are there are coleus varieties that suit your preferred look. Table of Contents But what is this plant? Sometimes called painted nettle, they are multi-hued, stunning plants grown for their leaves rather than flowers....

Pineapple plants grow in sunny regions of Central and South America, Hawaii, and the Philippines. But did you know you can plant the crown of a store-bought pineapple and grow a new pineapple plant? If you’d like to learn how to grow a pineapple, keep reading as we’ll cover the ins and outs of how to start from one pineapple crown. Table of Contents Pineapple, a type of bromeliad, is a lovely tropical addition to your garden....

If you love the nutty taste of sunflower seeds, you’re going to adore these sunflower microgreens. They keep all the flavor while adding a crunchy texture and ample supply of nutrients. Plus, they’re super fast and easy to grow! Table of Contents So what sets sunflower microgreens apart from full sunflower plants? They’re still the same species that grow into giant yellow blooms, but they’re harvested much sooner. When growing microgreens, we’re after the cotyledons, which are the first leaves to emerge from the seed....

Table of Contents One of the more annoying problems we deal with as hydroponic growers is keeping an oxygenated root zone at the perfect water temperature. It’s crucial to squeeze as much yield out of our plants as possible and minimize the potential of disease and infection. However, keeping your hydroponic reservoir cool can be a challenge. Why Do Roots Need Cool Temperatures? Most indoor hydroponic growers that use a deep water culture system will run into the reservoir temperature issue at some point in a grow....

Named for their bottle brush-shaped flowers, this plant can grow as a bottle brush tree or a shrub. Originating in Australia, there are around 50 species of bottle brush plants, each one with a slightly different growth pattern. Table of Contents Great attractors of pollinators, the bottle brush tree is a close relative of the paperbark melaleuca. It’s such a close relative, in fact, that all but four varieties have been moved to the melaleuca category!...

The first time I tasted corn smut was in a food hall in Mexico City while visiting some friends there. Before making our orders, my friends urged me to try huitlacoche (pronounced weet·luh·ko·chay), a delicacy in Mexico and a unique ingredient that I wouldn’t be able to find easily back home. As a lover of edible fungi, I eagerly dug in. To my delight, I enjoyed the earthy flavor and the delicate texture of huitlacoche and have been on the lookout for them in the U....

Kale has been eaten for thousands of years, and in the Middle Ages, it was used to feed both humans and livestock. Originally descended from wild cabbage, most kale varieties are native to Europe and parts of Asia. Table of Contents Able to withstand frost and cold climates, kale often symbolizes the coming winter season. Kale is so traditionally popular in Scotland that kitchen gardens there are called “kale yards” and a general dinner meal is called “kail”....

A brown spot on a leaf could have so many causes. A disease could occur, or it could be a condition that changes the appearance of your plant. It could stem from one particular issue, or it could be a combination of problems that cause your plant to develop brown spot symptoms and lesions. It could also be a seed-bourne illness. Table of Contents Some of the discoloration you see could be a very minimal problem that’s easy to remedy....

Crassula perforata is an impressive-looking succulent that’s great for beginners. It comes in varying shades of green, blue, grey, and pink. The chunky, triangular leaves spiral around the stem, hence the common name String of Buttons. Such a charming plant will elevate any space, including yours! Table of Contents String of Buttons is versatile in its planting locations. It’s commonly found in terrariums and rock gardens. Because of its sprawling nature though, it also grows well as a ground cover and in hanging baskets....