Author Archives: alainorendain

Some of next summer’s best harvests begin when most gardeners are putting their gardens to bed. Garlic is one of them. Plant individual garlic cloves in fall, allow them to establish roots before winter, and the plants resume vigorous growth when spring returns. By early to midsummer, one clove can become an entire bulb. That […]

Raised beds offer warmer soil, rapid root development, and superior weed control, making them the most efficient way to grow fresh produce at home. By pairing nutrient-dense soil with high-vigor heirloom and hybrid seeds, you can easily double your harvest in half the footprint of a traditional garden plot. Top Crops for Raised Beds Raised […]

September does not mean the gardening season is over. For many gardeners across the United States, it means an entirely new planting season is beginning. Summer tomatoes and cucumbers may still be producing, but cooler nights and shorter days create opportunities for a second round of vegetables, herbs, flowers, cover crops, and plants that prefer […]

A productive vegetable garden does not need acres of land. It does not require perfect native soil. And it certainly does not need to begin with a tractor. For millions of gardeners, one of the simplest ways to start growing food is with a raised bed garden. Raised beds give you greater control over where you […]

Few things elevate home cooking quite like the vibrant crunch of a freshly harvested bell pepper or the complex, fiery heat of a homegrown chili. While garden centers offer a basic selection of standard green peppers, starting your peppers from seed unlocks a world of spectacular heirloom and premium hybrid varieties that boast incredible colors, exceptional yields, […]

For generations, starting a vegetable garden often meant doing one thing first: Digging. Gardeners turned the soil with shovels. Farmers used tillers. New beds were cultivated, loosened, flipped, and broken apart before the first seed went into the ground. But there is another way. No-dig gardening is a method of growing vegetables, herbs, flowers, and other […]