Better Mulch
There’s always more to learn about this handy ground cover
Seed Library: Check it Out!
In the quest for self-reliance, seed saving plays a big part. After all, in a "zombie apocalypse" situation you wouldn't be able to run to the store to buy seeds for your garden. You would need to produce your own supply. This is where a seed library comes in very handy. A seed library is a local endeavor, when you and your fellow gardeners gather seeds and share them in an orderly fashion. Seeds are catalogued and counted and made…
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YouTube: Bed Prep for Fall and Spring Gardening
Gardenerd is happy to announce the addition of video to our arsenal of way to deliver tips and tidbits to you, our wonderful readers. Over the next 10 weeks, we'll be posting a new helpful video each week to get you growing this season. This week: Bed Prep for Fall and Spring Gardening. It's simple and easy to do, but very important for gardening success. Learn how to get your beds ready for your next crop. https://youtu.be/0QYxh46kvCM Tune in each…
Fall To-Do List
There’s so much to do in the garden before it gets cold or late.
Really, really baby watermelons
The World’s Smallest Watermelon
It's harvest time, and while most of the harvest is abundant (corn, peppers, beans, eggplant), there were some smaller harvests--including the world's smallest watermelon. Let's not call it "disappointing" but rather a celebration of underwhelm. We planted baby watermelons (okay, so there's a genetic head start on "small" right there) late in the season, following a garlic harvest as we often do, in late June or July. Plants took off and did very well setting fruit, but at some point…
Dried tree leaves make good compost material
Ask Gardenerd: Leaves for Compost?
A great question came in from a curious gardenerd this week: "Just started composting! I have a composting tumbler in my yard as there are many animals I would need to keep out of a pile eg. deer raccoons, etc. I have a separate bin where I plan to collect autumn leaves to have available for adding to the composter with the green material. Is this acceptable? I have read elsewhere that it's better not to use dead leaves as…
Save Cash, Start Seeds
Be more planet-friendly by starting seeds in newspaper pots rather than plastic seed trays.
Biodynamic Beekeeping with Michael Thiele
I had the pleasure of taking a biodynamic apiculture class with Michael Thiele of Gaia Bees this past weekend. WOW. Talk about taking a different approach. Michael does not use smoke, doesn't wear a protective suit, and doesn't use conventional Langstroth hives to house bees. What he had to share was an entire day filled with alternatives to modern beekeeping. Just as with biodynamic farming/gardening, Michael guided the participants to view bees, the colony, the hive, and their entire process…
Using Eggshells in Your Garden
Today we have a guest post from Nancy Parker of eNannySource.com, a site that makes it as easy as possible for caregivers to sign up and find work. In addition, she spends quite a bit of her time writing freelance. Take it away, Nancy. We all love to reuse things and reduce waste, but some things still wind up in the trash. Items like eggshells often do, but what if you could use them in your garden instead? From handy…
Plant Perennials
Fall is a time to plant plants that live for many years rather than one season.