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Is It Safe to Plant a Garden in Galvanized Stock Tanks?
A reader wonders whether it is safe to use a galvanized stock tank as a garden planter.
New Garden Seeder Improves Planting Experience
The innovative garden seeder from Simple Seeder increases speed and ease of planting.
A Creative and Resourceful Grandmother During the Industrial Revolution
A transplanted Choctaw and Southerner, a grandmother shows her strength and creativity during the Industrial Revolution and shows how one can face and adapt to life's challenges.
Where Have All the Gardens Gone?
Is having too many gardens a detriment to selling a suburban home?
A Better Garden Next Year
A good watering system will save you time and money in your garden.
Sunny Days Ahead for the Sunset Hill School Garden
Volunteers work to start the Sunset Hill Elementary School Garden in Lawrence, Kan.
The Nature of Garden Giving
Can't have a garden of your own, but you want to garden? Urban Garden Share allows you to do exactly that!
What Did You Do With Your Garden Over the Winter?
Readers share tips and tricks for taking care of winter garden beds.
When Is the Best Time to Dig Up New Garden Beds for Next Year?
Digging up places for new garden beds can take a long time. The sooner you start, the better!
Easiest Vegetables to Grow
Ready to start your first garden? To guarantee success with your first garden, stick with Barbara Pleasant's list of easy to grow vegetables. She has advice on when and what to plant for the first time gardener. Good luck on your first garden!
Harlem Community Garden Update: Building Garden Beds
The community garden in East Harlem, Chenchita's Garden, is beginning to take shape.
Five Tips for Getting Started With the Vegetable Garden Planner
Contributing Editor Barbara Pleasant provides tips to help users get the most out of the new MOTHER EARTH NEWS Vegetable Garden Planner. This interactive software will help you plan your best garden ever!
Worm's Way Launches New Website
The set launch of Worm's Way Group's new website promises improved usability, more speed and exclusive web-based promotions.
The Aquaponics Source Announces Publication of "Aquaponics Gardening"
"Aquaponics Gardening: A Step-By-Step Guide to Raising Vegetables and Fish Together" offers advice and insight into the world of sustainable gardening
Green Victory! An Organic Food Garden at the White House
The Obamas plant an organic vegetable garden on the South Lawn of the White House.
Tough Times? Grow Your Own Food!
As more Americans tighten their belts to save a penny or two, many are finding they can save money by growing food-producing gardens.
Next Generation Gardeners
Involving children in planning a garden and growing vegetables can lead to healthier adults and a healthier planet.
Help Build a Community Garden in Harlem
You can help support a community garden in New York City's East Harlem neighborhood.
Sign Up for MOTHER's Garden Surveys
If you're a veteran gardener, please consider signing up to take out online gardening surveys. The surveys allow us to write articles based on the collective experience of hundreds of gardeners and report the results back to you by region. Sign up here.
Two Low-cost, Supereasy Ways to Protect Your Fall Crops
protect fall crops
Home Garden Laws: Weeding in the Nude and Other No-Nos
Home gardeners and urban farmers can come up against garden laws and regulations that can limit the size, style and components of their garden.
EVENT ALERT: Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello
Attend the Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello to learn more about heirloom gardening.
Garlic Time!
A brief thesis on the finer properties of garlic and planting instructions.
Continuing Fight for the Right to Grow Food: Orlando's War on Gardens
In a war on gardens, the City of Orlando has taken issue with the rows of beans, greens, and other vegetables occupying Jason and Jennifer Helvenston's front yard garden. The Helvenstons respond to the City's request they remove their "illegal" garden.
With a Packet In My Pocket
To ensure we have a full productive garden, each spring I start a habit of carrying a packet of seeds in my pocket every time I head to the garden!
Small Space Gardening That's Affordable
Regardless of how little space you have, you can grow some of your own food. Space is just an excuse. By building a self-watering container or soda bottle planter you can maximize the space that you have. You don't have to have a huge garden - growi
Gardening on a Budget: Seven Tips for Success
Don't let the cost of gardening keep you out of the dirt this year. Cheap gardening can be fun and easy. With these tips for gardening on a budget, you'll save on seeds, make your own fertilizer and impress your friends with your gardening know how.
Urban Agriculture and Garden Training
Amid mounting concerns over food security and sustainable food systems, the rise of urban gardens and agriculture has been on the rise. Due to a paralleled increase in the numbers of people interested in learning how to garden, programs in urban agriculture at colleges as well as nonprofit urban garden training programs have sprouted up across the country.
Gardening in Winter: Everything You Need to Know About Indoor Agriculture
It's absolutely possible to be gardening in winter. You simply need to understand what to plant, when to plant it and how to maintain the best possible growing conditions in your home for indoor agriculture.
September Garden Planner
End of summer is a great time to tidy garden beds and harvest herbs. Now is the time to plant your fall, winter and overwintering transplants.
Garden Fresh for the Holidays – Southern Style
The vegetables and herbs that are still available in our Southeast garden make for delicious, festive and surprisingly varied holiday fare.
Succession Planting: Lettuce, Carrots, and More
Want lettuce and carrots all year round? Ira Wallace tells us her simple simple method for keeping track of succession plantings.
Bring Garden Planning Into Your Garden With Gardening App
Try using the Grow Planner app to streamline your garden planning and your garden work.
A Hydroponic Gardening Primer
What exactly is hydroponic gardening? Though it may sound complicated, it's really not. The word "hydroponic" comes from the Greek "hydro," meaning water, and "ponic," meaning work. The basic concept is this: growing plants in a nutrient rich water solution rather than in soil.
Using Leaves in the Garden
Using leaves in the garden will boost the soil's organic matter.
CobraHead Tools — Enabling Older Gardeners
A problem for older gardeners is finding tools that make gardening easier as getting up and down becomes harder.
Getting Paid for What I Love to Do
This summer Cam became a market gardener and actually got paid for something he loves to do - grow vegetables!
Keeping Moles and Birds Away From Your Produce
Use old CDs and soda cans to keep pests out of your garden.
Keeping Garden Records
Put together a notebook with your complete garden plan. Here's some tips to get you started.
Succession Planting
Keep your garden full all season by planting the next crop as soon as the previous crop is harvested. Tips for deciding what to plant next.
Celebrate National Public Gardens Day with Free Admission at a Garden Near You
Friday, May 10 is National Public Gardens Day. Find out what special events are happening at a garden near you.
Seeds: How Many Do You Need?
Know how many seeds you need for your area considering germination rate and extras.
Learning How To Grow Tomatoes
Sue Parker shares her grandmother's secrets to a strong tomato crop.
How Has Gardening Brought People Together in Your Life?
One great thing about gardening that goes beyond soil building and crop rotations is its ability to bring people together. As spring is now officially here, it's a great time to revel in all the pleasures the season is sure to bring. Please share your thoughts and stories about how gardening has brought people together in your life.
Thinking About Starting a Garden? Jump Right In!
Catch the gardening bug, and start to grow your own food! Once you start, you'll love it. Here are some basic pieces of advice for the budding gardener.
Late October, and the Garden Is Still Going Strong
The Ogden Community Garden winds down, and one gardener marvels at the late October harvest, and on how much the garden has meant to everyone who has helped tend it.
May Garden Planner
May is a busy time in the garden for planting. Frost-free weather is the time to get summer veggies in their pots or garden spot.
March Garden Planner
March heralds the coming of spring and gardening. It is a great time to start your seeds and plants for veggies that thrive in cool temperatures.
Weed-Free, Self-Fertilizing, Till-Free Garden Beds
Want a worry-free, weed-free, organic-matter-rich vegetable garden bed? It is doable and fall is the best time to put it in action!
Fall and Winter Gardening in Pots
Even if you only have garden pots to work with, you can still container garden in fall and winter to grow vegetables.
Winners of the Fabulous Food Garden Contest
Winners of the Fabulous Food Garden Contest have been chosen. See who the lucky prize recipients are!
Survival Gardening in the Deep South
Why "hot and humid" doesn't have to equal "sad and lifeless."
World's Best Gardening Clogs
Try BOGS gardening clogs, a super-comfortable pair of gardening shoes that will stand up to tough wear.
What Gardening Book Would You Recommend for Beginners?
Gardeners suggest gardening books for beginners.
What Are Your Best Tips for Gardening in the Southwest?
Readers familiar with triple-digit temperatures share their best tips for gardening in the southwest. Get advice about what to plant, when to plant and how to plant if you live in the hottest areas of the country.
Concerns About Using Recycled Tire Planters
In the long term, using recycled tire planters or rubber mulch in your garden can cause problems. Here's why.
Find Your Average Last Frost Date
Knowing your average last frost date is key to getting your garden off to a good start.
Late-Summer Gardening
In July and August, it's time to start thinking about planting crops for fall. But how do you get good seed germination when the soil is so hot?
Broad Section of America Attends the MOTHER EARTH NEWS FAIR
I noticed, as I walked the FAIR yesterday, a broad section of America.
Colorado Garden Dreaming
Building garden boxes that keep critters out.
Company-Sponsored Organic Vegetable Gardens Promote Healthy Eating
Minneapolis public relations firm Haberman & Associates wants everyone to enjoy a company-sponsored organic vegetable garden like theirs.
Michelle Obama Campaigns for Local Food
First Lady Michelle Obama's love for local food has the nation wanting to know more about how to eat in-season. Natural Home editor-in-chief Robyn Griggs Lawrence offers a healthy helping of advice on how to eat local.
Growing the Nerves
But maybe, at the end of the day, I am just a person with weak nerves doing something that depends on so many unknown factors – the weather, the bug population, the quality of seeds and some plain ol' luck.
Fighting Over Food
Michelle discovers a new threat to her basil plants!
Overwhelmed by My Garden
At this time of year, Cam feels a little overwhelmed by the gardening chores ahead of him.
Introducing Permaculture
Maddy Harland introduces the three ethics behind permaculture design and explains why permaculture is more than a gardening technique — it's a practical tool for a better, more creative life!
Earth Gauge Tip of the Week — Spring Gardening
April is National Garden Month! Learn about the benefits of building a garden and tips on how to create one even if you don't have a big backyard.
Landrace Gardening: Food Security Through Biodiversity
Landrace gardening enhances food security by growing genetically diverse crops that are not as prone to crop failure as monoculture fields of near clones.
Who's Been Nibbling in My Garden?
Identify the animal tracks and footprints of the critters who visit your garden and yard.
Seed Bombs: Random Acts to Re-Flower the Earth
Have you heard of "guerrilla gardening," where folks toss flower seeds into vacant lots, or sometimes sneak in at night and plant flowers in unkempt highway medians or strips along city sidewalks? Check it out this year as a fun and fruitful way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.
Which Is the Best Garden Tractor?
It's time for lawn and garden work. In your opinion, which is the best garden tractor? Which tractor will you be using this year?
Urban Community Green Spaces
Urban community green spaces are an essential component of our built environment. Their significance is becoming more and more apparent to city planners and urban residences all over the United States.
Make Your Garden Work More Efficiently
Keeping your garden tools organized can help you be more efficient in your work in the garden.
The Thrill of Gardening
The experience of growing one's first garden is a thrill one will never forget.
Garden Planning: It's All About When
Here are some helpful resources to help you determine when to take care of various lawn and garden tasks, such as planting, watering, weeding, fertilizing, mulching and harvesting plants.
Sharing: Your Garden's Other Health Benefit
The instinct to share home grown herbs, flowers and vegetables runs strong in gardeners, so sharing home grown goodies brings heartfelt rewards.
MOTHER's Publishing Company Starts Garden on Front Lawn
Learn about how some members of the MOTHER EARTH NEWS team joined with others at their publishing company to start "edible landscaping" gardens on their front lawn.
Gardening: It's Not All Unceasing Drudgery
Old books can be a hoot to read! Check out these quotes from an 1890 book, How to Make the Garden Pay, by T. Greiner.
Spring Has Sprung and the Ogden Garden is Growing
Thanks to a donation from Mantis, we were able to use our new 2-Cycle Tiller/Cultivator and prep our garden for this year's growing season.
Nutsedge: The Edible Garden Foe
Nutsedge is a particularly invasive weed, but it can also be eaten raw, roasted, boiled and candied.
Photo of the Day: Trailer Garden
Photo of the Day blog features a different photo from readers each day. Submit your own photos for a chance to appear on MOTHER's website! What are your favorite facets of simple or down-to-earth living? Share your ideas or show off your land!
MOTHER's Ultimate Garden Giveaway
Enter to to win MOTHER's garden prize package that is valued at $10,000 and includes 13 items that will complete your garden.
Vegetable Garden Planner Gift Cards Now Available!
Gift cards to the MOTHER EARTH NEWS Vegetable Garden Planner are now available for just $25.
Growing Healthy Lunches With School Gardens
Ditch unhealthy school lunches with a fresh lunch idea for kids: school gardens. Beyond putting fresh, healthy food in schools, cafeteria gardens are a great classroom tool and a big step towards more sustainable schools.
Landrace Gardening: Don't Worry About Plant Purity
Landrace gardening promotes hybrid vigor and avoids inbreeding depression by encouraging promiscuous pollination.
Gutter-Planted Garden Greens
It was becoming pretty obvious the crowding and lack of light were real limitations to my mini garden. Then, the idea of a trough on the windowsill came to mind, combining a way to water all the plants uniformly and efficiently all at once. Great, now how to make this trough? Wood? Sheet metal? The choices all seemed expensive, clumsy, prone to leaking...then the light bulb went on in my head: gutters!
Landrace Gardening: Survival of the Fittest
A photo essay showing off the stunning success of landrace gardening on my farm. This success was achieved because I changed my growing methods to embrace one of the key elements of landrace growing; "survival of the fittest."
6 Gardening Methods to Try in 2015
From no-till gardening to vertical gardening and container gardening, there are so many options for the creative gardener. Check out these 6 gardening options to try in 2015.
Urban Gardening and Growing Melons
An experiment in urban gardening produces a melon miracle.
Landrace Gardening: Getting What You Want
Using landrace gardening and promiscuous pollination to get what you want from your garden.
Landrace Gardening: Naming The New Varieties
Landrace gardening requires different plant naming conventions than those followed by industrialized agriculture.
How to Grow Chocolate M&Ms
Learn how to grow one of America's favorite treats, chocolate M&Ms.
Are You Growing Any Food Indoors This Winter?
If you're growing food in the house through the cold months, our readers can benefit from your experience. Have you had success at indoor gardening before? What did you grow? Share your tips and tricks!
What Are Your Favorite Gurus for Gardening Advice In Your Region?
Readers share regional gardening resources.
Learn to Create Your Own Heirloom Kitchen Garden
Learn to create your own heirloom kitchen garden at this 3-course series in Pennsylvania.
How Can I Grow a Good Fall Broccoli Crop?
Growing fall brassicas can be a challenge, but here are some tips on how to prevent them from getting eaten by bugs or withering.
Should I Build Raised Beds in My New Garden?
Organic gardening expert advises on whether to build raised beds for a new garden.
What Vegetables Would Grow Best in My Area?
A reader from Pacifica, California wants to know what vegetables will grow best when.
How Much Wood Ash Should I Apply To My Garden?
A soil fertility expert shares his advice on using wood ashes as garden fertilizer.
Is Galvanized Wire a Safe Material to Grow Food Plants on?
Find out the risks of growing food plants on galvanized wire, and what precautions you should take when handling galvanized materials.
Organic Garden Seeds
Organic seeds have benefits for your garden. Learn what our expert recommends and how to find organic seeds to plant.
Do You Recommend Peat Moss to Improve Soil?
Peat moss can help improve soil, but it can be expensive and its production can hurt the environment. Find out whether or not you should use it in your garden.
Fight for the Right to Grow Food: Orlando Man Cited for Illegal Gardening [Updated]
Jason Helvingston of Orlando, Fla., fights for his right to grow food in his front yard garden after the City of Orlando cited him for illegal gardening, pitting food self-sufficiency against city ordinance.
Learning How to Garden at the FAIR
Our MOTHER EARTH NEWS FAIR last weekend was full of great presentations about all facets sustainable living, including on learning how to garden.
Hoss Garden Seeder Perfect for Home Gardens
The Hoss Seeder's unique features include its all-metal frame and ease of attaching to the wheel hoe.
DR® Power Equipment Introduces BurnCage Incinerator
New burn barrel alternative provides safer, smarter home and garden burning for homeowners.
Nature's Footprint Proudly Launches the UrBin Grower
The UrBin Grower is a unique gardening system that takes place in self-watering containers that can be used on decks, patios, side yards or porches.
CobraHead Announces New Website
The new website offers the home gardener an expanded product selection of useful garden products.
Transformation Tuesday: An Abandoned Detroit Lot Becomes a Thriving Community Garden
The Spirit of Hope garden in Detriot offers a safe, nurtuting place for plants and children to grow.
Tips for Small-Space Gardening
Learn three simple tips for making the most of small gardening spaces, including hanging plants and advice for selecting seed varieties.
Always Have a Backup Plan
The journey to a self-sufficient life is a bumpy ride. Having a backup plan — or two — can make all the difference in your progress.
Disease Prevention for Tomatoes
Tips for keeping your tomato plants healthy.
Potatoes And Voles
Strategies for controlling voles in the potatoes in your garden.
Growing A Garden At High Elevation
Some of the difficulties we encounter in gardening at a high elevation
Chives, Mint and a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
Chives and mint come to a duel for territory in the herb garden, while the spring sap-sucker marks time.
3 Garden Tool Gift Ideas
Just in time for the holidays, here's a list of recommended garden tools made in the U.S. by family-owned companies.
Planting a Fall Garden the Easy Way
Our Vegetable Garden Planner assists you in planting your fall garden by giving you planting dates specific to your location, projected harvest dates and more.
Quick Tip: Preparing Your Potted Garden for a Hard Freeze
Give your pots the protection they need when freezing temperatures arrive with a portable greenhouse. You can also bring in pepper plants for the winter and have fresh peppers indoors.
Earn a Trowel for Your Garden Tips!
Send us your garden tips and you could win a free deluxe, ergonomic garden trowel.
Show Off Your Permanent Garden Beds
Participate in our reader photo contest by showing off pictures of your permanent raised garden beds.
Grow a Quick Crop of Lettuce Indoors
Before space beneath your grow light is needed for onions and other early seedlings, fill it with baby lettuce grown in translucent clamshell salad containers.
No Space? No Excuse! Start to Grow Your Own Food
Having little space is not a reason to not be growing your own food. It's just an excuse. I've been apartment gardening since 2009.
Reconnect With Your Food and Grow Your Own
When you grow your own food, you not take a step towards self-sufficiency. You also make a move towards better health and whole new relationship with your food.
Six Ideas for Small-Space Gardening
Here are six of my favorite ideas for those of you with small spaces and still want to get your garden on.
Have You Used Painted Pebbles to Keep Birds Away From Your Fruit?
Painted rocks or pebbles can potentially deter birds from pecking at ripening fruit. Tell us how this technique has worked for your, plus check out other readers' tips and responses.
US Households Grow Home Food Gardens
A recent poll asked you what percentage of people living in the U.S. you would guess grow food gardens. Most respondents underestimated the actual numbers of households with home gardens, a growing trend.
Great Ways to Increase Your Harvest
The actual footprint of a garden is only one of many factors for how much food that can be produced there. With succession planting, good soil and some planning the same garden area can produce substantially more food.
Summer Garden Tips
Tips for keeping your summer garden producing at top output. This is the time of year that warm season crops are at their peak. These 7 tips will give you continued bountiful harvests through the heat.
Eco-Friendly Gardening Tips for Any Season
This blog post explores eco-friendly gardening tips to refreshing your garden tools, furniture, accessories and outbuildings without the need to buy mass-manufactured goods or use harmful chemical treatments.
5 Tips for a More Productive Garden
Five tips for increasing your garden's productivity and yield. Utilize every inch, get the most from your space, and use all three seasons.
October Garden Planner for Growing Cool-Season Crops
Though summer vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, basil and cucumbers grow at a reduced pace in the fall, cool season crops like lettuce, carrots, radishes, peas, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower are coming into maturity throughout October and into November.
Starting Seeds For Spring
By starting seeds indoors, you get a jump start on spring garden planting.
Organic Slug and Snail Control for Gardeners (Video)
Watch a roundup of organic options for controlling slugs and snails in your garden, such as organic slug baits, beer traps, copper stripping and more.
Go-To Garden Supplies for the After-Work Rush to the Garden
I keep a kit of handy garden supplies waiting in my car, so I can head straight to the garden and take advantage of as many sunlight hours as possible right after work.
Spring Garden Tool Preparation
Clean and organize garden tools.
Easy Ways To Make a New Vegetable Garden
Starting a new vegetable garden bed doesn't have to be a long, tedious, back breaking job. There are a few different ways to get the job done quickly and relatively easily!
End of the Season
A philosophical look at the coming of winter, with ideas for preserving the summer after the end-of-the-season pepper harvest.
Garden Seed Tips: Organizing Seeds, Understanding Seed Catalogs and More (Video)
Get advice on all things garden seed, from organizing seeds and ordering seeds to understanding seed catalog terms such as open-pollinated and F1 hybrid.
Tips for Seed-Starting Success
You want to start your urban garden from seed this year, but you're not sure where to start because you've only started from transplants.
New Features Added to Garden Planning Tools
We have some exciting additions to announce about our award-winning Vegetable Garden Planner program and our new Grow Planner iPad app, including new seed company catalogs, a filter tool, a favorites button and an app update.
Organic Insect Control for Your Container Vegetable Garden
Dealing with insects in your garden is inevitable. It's just a matter of when it happens. Just because you have some critters munching on your food doesn't mean that you have to break out the chemicals.
Time to Plant Garlic (With Growing Tips)
Fall is the time to plant garlic. The cloves send down roots during the winter, popping their green heads out in early spring.
Seven Garden Activities to Help Kiss Winter Goodbye
So, you can't wait for the weather to warm up enough to get out and plant a few seeds in the ground? Well here is a list of gardening ideas and activities to keep you occupied and happy right up until the day that spring arrives!
Know When to Plant Each Crop in Your Exact ZIP Code
Use our popular When to Plant app to know when to plant each crop in your area.
The Fabulous Food Garden Contest
Your attractive food garden could win you $500 and a chance to be featured in MOTHER EARTH NEWS.
Great News for Southern Gardeners: Organic Tomato Transplants for Fall
To better accommodate the planting schedule of gardeners in the southern United States, California's Natural Gardening Company will make a dozen varieties of tomato transplants available by mid-August.
We Are Opening the Doors at the MOTHER EARTH NEWS FAIR!
It's opening day at the MOTHER EARTH NEWS FAIR! We're covering all kinds of cool gardening topics at the Organic Gardening Stage.
Cub Cadet Debuts RZT S ZERO Electric Zero-Turn Riding Mower
The all-new RZT S ZERO is available in select markets and will be headlining the Cub Cadet Test Drive Experience Tour.
EZ Tomato Cages Provide Support Lacking in Other Brands
EZ Tomato Cages are collapsible and sturdy unlike many currently on the market.
Barebones Welcomes You to the Outdoors
Barebones strives to make the experience of outdoor recreation and hobbies a priority.
Introducing Durable, Collapsible EZ Tomato Cages
EZ Tomato Cages are the brainstorm of two friends, both fed up with purchasing tomato cages that were cheaply fabricated, weak and difficult to store.
A Composter Anyone Will Ever Need
The Aerobin 400 uses a patented aeration core inside an enclosed bin to promote aerobic break down of organic matter. The Aerobin 400 is easy to use - just open, drop in materials, and close.
Alpaca Gold Introduces Line of New Organic Fertilizer
Introducing Alpaca-Gold, a new company producing 100% all natural, organic Alpaca fertilizer.
Do Compost Accelerators Work?
Find out whether your home compost pile will benefit from commercial compost accelerators.
How to Prepare Your Garden for Spring Planting
Taking a couple of extra steps before planting your crops will help ensure healthy garden soil. Here's how to prepare your garden for spring planting.
Growing Hand-Made Wheat and Hand-Made Kids
Steve explains how he and his 11 year old son grew a crop of wheat entirely by hand, and why this is something you should try, too.
How to Relieve Stress and More Through Gardening
Gardening offers some amazing benefits to your mental and physical wellbeing.
The Garden That Was Not
Why it is important to stay on top of a garden.
Growing the Garden Footprint
This year is the first season I had the whole garden dug and ready and boy, it's easy to plant a garden when the garden is already there.
Learning A Lot from the Happy Wanderers
Cam enjoyed another week with some volunteer helpers!
The Dieter's Guide to Weight Loss While Gardening
Cam describes his weight loss program which involves lots and lots of gardening....
Strawberries Are a Bargain At Any Price!
Michelle knows how much work it is to grow strawberries.... and she's happy to be able to buy them at any price!
Thank God I'm a (Transplanted) Country Boy
Cam has a great deal of respect for farmers.
The Dog Days of Drought
Cam is getting worn out trying to keep up with watering during a drought.
Friendly Farmhands from Philadelphia
Cam and Michelle enjoy having their first "HelpX" volunteers to help out in the gardens!
Homegrown Food without the Work
New businesses are springing up catering to folks who want their food homegrown, but without the mess of tending to the garden themselves.
Ladies in Red Shiny Armour
Who needs a TV drama, when, out the back door, we have our own alfresco drama, complete with territory battles, births, deaths, alien invasions, mystery, beauty and fornication, unfolding daily before our very eyes if we care to look.
A CSA Update
Cam is exhausted but exhilarated by the early success of his CSA.
Crossing the Gardening Rubicon
Every fall Cam is tired of gardening and vows to make his vegetable garden smaller. Every spring he is excited about getting back in the garden and ends up making it bigger!
Mountain Gardening And The Challenges - Part 2
Thank goodness for good friends who will share their garden harvest with those of us less skilled.
Week #11 of Sunflower Farm CSA
It's Week #11 of our CSA and we can't find boxes big enough to fit all of the great produce!!
I'm Not Crying Over My Onions This Year!
Cam is enjoying a bumper crop of onions this year!
The Extreme Sport of Running a CSA
Cam ponders the wisdom of starting a CSA at the ripe old age of 52.
Learning How to Grow My Daily Bread
Cam grows a patch of wheat to see how much work is involved. He will never take a loaf of bread for granted again!
My Love Affair With Garlic(2)
Cam shares his love affair with garlic and explains the work involved with growing and processing organically-grown garlic.
HOMEGROWN Life: Let's Talk About Poop
HOMEGROWN Life blogger and Bay Area homesteader Rachel discusses using manure in the garden, including which type of animal waste is best for which crops.
Let's Bring Back Victory Gardens
Bringing back Victory Gardens could help ease hunger and dependence as U.S. social aid programs, such as Food Stamps, are drastically cut.
Growing Sprouts in My Kitchen Garden
Here's a tip on how to grow sprouts in your kitchen garden for fun and nutritious eating.
Food Is Free Project
The Food Is Free Project has become a food revolution in Austin, Texas
Grow Your Own Dragon Fruit Plant
Want to learn how to go your own dragon fruit cactus? Here's how!
Composting for Anarchists
Composting doesn't have to be tough! Learn to make easy compost without the stress.
Control Grasshoppers Naturally
Grasshoppers can be devastating in a garden, an insect in the locust family. There are ways to control them naturally without chemicals.
Help a Small Organic Gardening Company Grow
An interview with the founder of a small organic gardening business that focuses on education and helping gardeners go organic. Learn more about this company and vote for it to win funding from a small business competition.
Find the Best Seeds and Tools for Your Garden
We have developed two customized search engines that make it easier to locate companies that offer specific varieties of seeds and plants, as well as organic garden products and tools.
A Perfect Ending to the Ultimate Garden Giveaway
Meet Kriste Misiak and her family, the recent winners of the MOTHER EARTH NEWS Ultimate Garden Giveaway.
Gardening in Small Spaces: My Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter
I've learned that gardening in small spaces can be challenging, but I've had great success with a Topsy Turvy tomato planter this year. Have you used similar products in your home? How do you handle gardening in small spaces?
What Are Your Best Tips for Sustainability in the Garden?
Considerations of sustainability factor into countless supplies, tools and methods present in your garden. What do you do in your own garden to be a sustainable gardener?
Permaculture Garden Observation
Showing where we were before our permaculture garden began.
Plant Garlic in the Fall for a Larger, Healthier Crop
Do you know the best time to plant garlic? Try planting in fall instead of spring for healthy, large garlic bulbs.
Container Gardening to Feed Your Family
Container gardening can be a great way to feed your family healthy food right outside your door. Lyle provides specific information on varieties of vegetables and the set-up of your container gardens.
Permaculture Garden: Will It Work for Us
Do you want a permaculture garden? An ongoing blog about our journey using permaculture design ideas, to develop the organic matter in soil and produce a higher yield.
Growing Personal Size Melons
There are many types of melons, including the new category of personal size, or individual serving cantaloupes. Lists of both hybrid and open-pollinated varieties are given here, along with information on when to harvest.
How to Supercharge Your Soil with Minerals
Your veggies contain the nutritional content that the soil can provide the plant. Saying a plant only needs NPK is like saying all humans need is carbs, fat and protein. It is much more complicated than that.
Mediterranean Diet Garden
You can grow your own Mediterranean Diet garden in the Midwest. Even a small garden can provide the staples of a Mediterranean kitchen garden.
This Year's Garden Plan
Here is what I am planning on growing this year in our garden. Some tips for how to choose what you should plant this year, customized for your space and what you like to eat.
Discovering Aji Amarillo Peppers
Aji Amarillo peppers (Capsicum baccatum) are versatile, fruity peppers used extensively in Peruvian cuisine. We have found many uses for these bright yellow and orange peppers, and our journey to discover them has only begun.
Winter Vegetables in Your Hoop House
Here is an idea of daily hoop house tasks and information on growing and harvesting abundant, healthy winter vegetables in your hoophouse, avoiding hazardous nitrate accumulation in greens.
Planning a Perennial Shade Garden, Part 2: Unique Shade Perennials
Some unique plants that will grow wonderfully in your perennial shade garden.
Favorite and Essential Gardening Tools: Part One
After decades of gardening I've come to rely on a few essential gardening tools.
10 Tips for a Sustainable Garden and Yard
Here are some easy things to do in your garden and yard to expand your sustainable foot print.
Landrace Gardening: 2014 Progress Report
The methods of landrace gardening can provide food, even when social or family troubles take us away from the garden.
Choosing What to Grow in a Small Yard
With a small space, how do you choose what to grow? You can grow an amazing variety and amount of vegetables and herbs in a very small space, integrate veggies and herbs into your flowers, and maximize the use of pots.
Planning A Perennial Shade Garden, Part 1
Definition of shade, and planning a shade garden.
Landrace Gardening: Beautiful Crops
A photo essay showing off the beauty of landrace crops.
Landrace Gardening for the Casual Grower
Exploring my hopes and dreams for the landrace seed movement with suggestions about how farmers, merchants, and gardeners could cooperate to create a more robust, secure, and locally adapted food system.
'Food Is Free' Project Losing Their Teaching Farm
The Food is Free Project has inspired thousands of individuals, families and groups around the globe to start front yard free gardens to share with friends and neighbors. They are losing their teaching farm.
Landrace Gardening: Maintaining a Landrace
Joseph Lofthouse shares how to maintain thriving populations of landrace vegetables in the garden.
Container Planting On 10 Acres
You'd think that if you have some 10 acres you'd have a wonderful fields full of fresh vegetables and fruits. You'd think you'd have a simple way to create an awesome garden. And if you live where I live, you'd be wrong.
Landrace Gardening: Fruit and Nut Trees From Seed
The principles of landrace gardening can be applied at any scale from small annual gardens to multi-generational community wide tree farms.
Nominations Sought for 2015 Moses Organic Farmer of the Year Award
The Midwest Organic Sustainable Education Service is looking for an organic farmer worthy of being named their 26th annual Organic Farmer of the Year.
Learn to Grow Food
These resources will help you learn how to grow food and start a garden.
The Power of Gardening: Start Your Subversive Plot Today
Roger Doiron, a MOTHER EARTH NEWS contributor and the found of Kitchen Gardeners International, recently spoke at a TEDx conference about the power of gardening.
Photo of the Week: Strong Swiss Chard
See this shot of Swiss chard with strong colors that any gardener can appreciate.
MOTHER Wins Eddie Awards for Gardening Content and Garden Planning Tool
MOTHER EARTH NEWS wins two exciting accolades at FOLIO's Eddie Awards, one for their article Organic Pest Control: What Works, What Doesn't and one for their Vegetable Garden Planner tool.
The Power of Pinterest
Using Pinterest can help inspire new gardening ideas.
Tomato Tastings, Fall Garden Starts, and Getting Ready for Garlic
Come rejoice in the bounty of heirloom tomatoes - experience the flavors and choose your favorites at tomato tastings throughout the Southeast. Plus, it's time to plant fall alliums - garlic and perennial onions - and fall crops for winter storage!
Summer Planting for Fall and Winter Harvest
It may be sweltering hot outside, but we're still busily sowing seeds at the Southern Exposure farms! Learn how to plant your bountiful fall and winter garden, with abundant harvests through Thanksgiving and beyond.
Using Wood Ash in the Garden
Using wood ash in the garden can be beneficial for raising the soil pH of your garden soil. These tips will help you know when to use wood ash in the garden.
What to Do With Garlic Scapes
Learn what to do when you spot garlic scapes growing on hardneck garlic types, and discover how to use garlic scapes that you remove from plants.
Heat-Tolerant Tomato Varieties
Some tomato varieties wilt when temperatures get too hot. Find heat-tolerant tomato varieties that can grow robust tomato plants in hot climates.
What Is the Best, Free Mulch for My Gardens for Weed Control?
Here are some good options for free, weed-free mulches.
Drinking From Garden Hoses
While garden hoses may leach some chemicals into the water flowing through them, there's little reason to think it's a serious health issue.
What's the Best Way to Remove Japanese Beetles?
Japanese beetles feed for six to eight weeks, and in that time, they are able to feed on over 300 plant species. Although collecting beetles may seem like an exhausting every day task, you're plants will appreciate it.
The New Gardener's Hollow Leg Junior
Smaller version of the original Gardener's Hollow Leg is perfect for picking dinner!
Introducing the Gardener's Hollow Leg
The perfect partner for pruning, weeding and harvesting.
10 Tips for a Tiny Balcony
Think your balcony's too tiny to provide food and fun? Check out Apartment Therapy's great tips for making the most of your outdoor space.
Editor's Choice: 5 Great Green Gardens
In Arizona, an intrepid desert gardener harvests rainwater to grow his own food. A Missouri garden writer feeds his soil to feed himself. In Texas, a garden wall encourages community. These are a few of my favorite gardens.
Time to Plant the Fall Garden
You can be harvesting from your garden all year long, including through the winter months! It's time to plant the fall garden.
What to Plant Now for Your Fall and Winter Garden
Ira shows how you can keep sowing and planting through late summer and into fall. Learn how to keep your garden producing abundantly through the cold months ahead.
Attracting Beneficial Insects to Your Garden
Ira Wallace inspires us to create flowering, native plant habitat in our gardens. Learn how to identify plants that are 'user-friendly' to the bugs that help keep our gardens healthy.
Sharing the Love With Community Gardening
Want to find a new garden plot for next year? Look into community gardens in your area, or start your own!
Snow in Virginia, But It's Time to Get Planting All Over the Southeast
A tour of the gardens at Southern Exposure, where we're taking advantage of warm sunny days in February to get our gardens ready for intense planting ahead. But there's still plenty to sow, indoors and out.
Compost: Food Waste Prevention and Potential Fertilizer
I say compost, you think of rotting food, dirt, flies and a horrible smell. For that reason most people wont' even consider composting at home.
Prop 37: Heirloom Corns and Other Reasons to Support California's Right to Know
Join us in fighting the threat of GMOs: California's Right to Know (Prop 37) for GMO labeling leads the nation, and the Southern Exposure lawsuit against Monsanto continues to push through the courts. Plus, fall gardening can be easier than summer!
First Time Gardener in the Office Garden
Summer intern Megan describes her first time gardening at MOTHER EARTH NEWS, planting cucumbers for the first time and watering the office garden.
A Cutting-Edge Rain Garden in Kansas City
Kansas City's 18Broadway project is a superb example of how to capture and store rainwater to grow food in the heart of downtown.
Illegal Front Yard Vegetable Gardens: Des Moines Considers Home Garden Ban
Des Moines, Iowa, gardeners may soon find themselves in hot water with their City. A local resident recently took front yard veggie growers to task for what the resident feels to be unsightly lawn growth. Beets and berries, it seems, do not have the same aesthetic appeal as a green, freshly-mowed front lawn.
'Integrated Forest Gardening' by Wayne Weiseman, Daniel Halsey and Bryce Ruddock
"Integrated Forest Gardening" is the first, and most comprehensive, guide about plant guilds ever written, and it covers in detail both what guilds are and how to design and construct them, complete with extensive color photography and design illustrations.
Winter Gardens
Easy, practical, delicious – growing an organic food garden is a skill anyone can learn: that's my main message! It doesn't have to involve a lot of work and certainly doesn't require a big investment in special products or equipment.
Three New Hand Pruners
Fiskars' new hand pruners combine form and function to make every cut easier.
EcoTulips Only U.S. Certified Organic Flower Bulb Company
This certification confirms that the company's import, warehousing, and sales processes meet the standards of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Organic Program.
Urban Gardens: Green Lifestyle and Design Blog Receives Awards, Launches New Ventures
The success of Urban Gardens is a story about an expansion of one's reach outside of one given discipline.
STIHL Earns Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award
Popular Mechanics honored STIHL with a 2010 Breakthrough Award for the STIHL HSA 65 hedge trimmer, the first product with 36-volt STIHL Lithium-Ion battery-power technology.
Underneath Bird Feeder
Duncraft introduces a new concept in bird feeding - the patented Underneath Bird Feeder
Sun Powers More Than Rice Fields
Lundberg Family Farms announces the opening of a new warehouse that is powered by 100% solar energy. Lundberg Family Farms produces wholesome, healthful rice products while protecting and improving the environment for future generations.
Everyday Families Growing Their Own Vegetables
Everyday families can now provide much of their fresh vegetables using Aquaponics. Aquaponics is the production of edible fish and vegetables growing in a drought proof, no weed, back saving growing system.
Power Rake Offers Consumers Multi-Purpose Lawn Tool
Landscapers, gardeners and DIYers have a fast and convenient solution that dethatches, bags, rakes, scalps, mulches and cuts lawns in a single tool.
Money Does Grow On Trees
The 2011 report focuses on the Garden Effect and Payback-if-sold. The Garden Effect is the estimated increase in a property's market value as a result of having beautiful landscaping.
The Gardener As Magus, from 'Beautiful and Abundant'
I was 9 when Mr. Posey "hired" me. Once I was certain he wouldn't chase me off, I started spending nearly every spare moment there. It was my first job, and I loved it.
Where to Buy Non-GMO Seeds
With GMOs seemingly everywhere you turn, it's hard to know where to buy non-GMO Seeds. Here's how to keep GMOs out of your garden.
Straw-Bale Gardening in the New York Times
Here is a great article on straw bale gardening.
7 Delightful Mini-Indoor Garden Ideas to Liven Up Your Living Space
Put together your own mini-indoor garden with these clever ideas.
Winter Challenges in the Country, Part 2
Suggestions for what to have on hand - and handy - when you hear a storm is heading your way.
DIY Garden Lights
These DIY garden lights reuse plastic bottles and provide soft, natural lighting for evenings spent outdoors.
How to Make a Pallet Garden
Recycle an everyday pallet to make a beautiful spring garden for your porch or patio.
Children in the Garden
Allowing children the space to discover the beauty and wonder of plants through tending to their own garden builds character, teaches responsibility, gives insight into the beauty of nature and fosters their connection with where their food comes from.
Household Items You Can Use in the Garden
HOMEGROWN Life blogger Rachel explains safe and easy ways you can use household items in your garden.
Working Outside of My Comfort Zone
Cam describes a recent adventure involving round bales, train tracks and a stressful drive home.
The Garden Spider
These large, beautiful, long legged creatures of late summer thrill and amaze.
Look Ma! I'm a Market Gardener!
Cam loves growing and selling food!
Running on Fumes
Do you feel like the month of June left you gasping for air? You are not alone. I am hoping July will be slower paced and full of summertime fun!
Can't You Just Spray?
Cam battles with scarabs in his raspberry patch.
All That Stuff That Comes from the Ground
Cam appreciates the simple things like rotten hay and beautiful vegetables from his garden.
The Summer Garden, Good and Bad - with Pictures
The summer garden is coming to an end. I think most of us can agree it has been a challenging year for our gardens. It is time to regroup and learn from our experiences.
Forest Gardening: Planting Small Shrubs and Soft Fruit
Maddy Harland introduces the shrub layer of a forest garden and gives six useful tips for establishing a low maintenance and healthy garden.
Appreciating Our Four Seasons
Cam appreciates all four of our seasons!
Presenting My Gardening Workshop to the Queen
Cam is hoping that the Queen attends his gardening workshop this weekend at the Royal Botanical Gardens....
Sorting, Classifying and the Heartbreak of Wasting Food
Cam has been busy harvesting and sorting potatoes.
Still Playing With Water After All These Years
Cam has always enjoyed playing with water. Now he lets his solar-powered pump do some of the work!
Find Farming Internships and Apprenticeships
Looking for a farming internship or apprenticeship? Search the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Center's online directory of farming internships and apprenticeships to find one that interests you.
I Love My 4X4 But...
Cam finds getting around in the country, especially in the winter, so much easier with his 4X4 truck.
The Most Important Four Inches In Your Garden
Cam describes "double digging" as a way of creating a new garden without losing precious topsoil.
Backyard Wild Morels
Finding wild morel mushrooms growing in our urban backyard means plenty of marvelous meals.
Mike & Melissa's Side of the Story
Our HelpXers Mike and Melissa share their experiences as volunteers here at Sunflower Farm.
Introducing Forest Gardening - Beautiful, Productive, Edible Gardens
Maddy Harland introduces forest gardening – beautiful, low maintenance and productive gardens that provide for many of our needs – food, fuel, medicines and fibers.
Why Gardening at High Elevation Is Challenging
Gardens are possible, but having a successful garden at high elevation presents a different set of challenges.
A Passion For Blueberries
It's always wonderful to meet someone who is passionate about what they do!
Summer of Turkeys
Recap of 2010 growing season in Northwest Pennsylvania
My Favorite Family Heirloom - A Shovel!
Cam describes some family heirlooms - especially his favorite one - a shovel!
Welcome Spring to Your Homestead
Yes, spring is finally here. Time to start farming.
Plant Edible Ground Cover
You can sneak a few attractive, low maintenance food plants onto your lawn, and your neighbors will never even notice.
Dealing With Drought
It's been a rough summer for gardeners and farmers alike. Here's how we've been dealing with drought and a few tips on watering.
A Home in the City, a Homestead for Life
Julie Lavigne relates her grandparent's home in the city, a modern homestead for their time, and proves you can live a self-sufficient lifestyle in an urban setting.
Cheap, Solar-Powered Haircuts and Eating My Own Masterpieces
Cam has found another way to save money - his wife cuts his hair now! He also describes how even though he isn't artistic he creates and enjoys the masterpieces from his garden.
HOMEGROWN Life: Buyer Beware, Don't Plant Those Seedlings Just Yet
We know you're anxious to get growing! But HOMEGROWN Life blogger and Bay Area homesteader Rachel says it's not time to plant seedlings just yet.
April To-Dos
Spring tasks around the homestead.
The Resurgence of School Gardens
School gardens play a vital role in our nations educational systems. Though the concept dates back to the 1800s, their role has gained popularity in the last 20 years, and for good reasons.
Rainy Day Homesteading
We don't get to sit around inside and listen to the rain on a tin roof in the summer. Instead, we're busy pulling in spring crops, putting out fall crops, and much more.
More Free Perennial Onions
Visit our blog by Wednesday at midnight for a chance to win free Egyptian onion top bulbs.
Who's That Standing in My Garden?
Cam finds an new old-fashioned way to keep the wildlife out of his garden.
Hazelnuts (Filberts) In My Garden
Growing and harvesting hazelnuts (filberts) in your garden.
Springtime Madness: Lovin' It
The peaceful tranquility of farm life is often more or less controlled chaos, especially during the busy spring season!
Zombieland Comes to Sunflower Farm
The drought conditions at Sunflower Farm are making Cam rather cranky.
Earth Gauge Tip of the Week: Pumpkin Harvest
Facts on the links between weather and pumpkins and what you can do with leftover pumpkins.
Warding Off Vampires at Sunflower (Garlic) Farm
It's an aromatic time of year at Sunflower Farm - time to clean the garlic!
Homegirl Homesteading
The how's and why's we homestead
Earth Gauge Tip of the Week — Bio-What?
Explanation of what bioretention systems are and how they are used to reduce and filter storm water runoff.
How I Ended Our Drought
Ranting about the drought worked! We got rain here at Sunflower Farm!
Getting Started With an Organic Garden
Experiences getting started gardening in the 1970's and suggestions for beginning your own projects in 2012.
The Great Sunflower Farm Food Experiment
Cam undertakes an experiment to see how much food he can produce on his one acre of garden space.
Zen and the Art of Backhoe Operation
Cam was generously offered the loan of a small backhoe and had a whale of a time getting jobs done!
Earth Gauge Tip of the Week — Celebrate National Wildflower Week!
Tips on how to celebrate National Wildflower Week, May 6-13!
The Results of My Great Wheat Growing Experiment
Cam shares the results of his experiment growing wheat in his vegetable garden.
Morgan the Wonder Dog Can Read My Mind
The right dog can be a very useful member of the family when you are growing corn!
The Summer of My Wheat Obsession
The second post (of three) describing an organic gardener's attempt to grow his own wheat.
This Is About Smut
Cam shares what he has learned about corn smut in his organic garden.
My Love Affair With Garlic
Garlic is a very labour-intensive crop to grow but the rewards are worth it!
Gardening: A New Year's Resolution
Gardening is as easy as you want it to be!
A Tool For the Trade
In praise of the garden fork.
Year-Round Mulching
Mulch, like compost, plays an important role in organic gardening. To maximize the flavor and nutrition of your produce, learn how to use and balance the characteristics of various organic materials when mulching.
Permaculture in Winter
A rundown of activities you can do in the winter to improve your homestead.
A Plant Whose Virtues Remain Undiscovered
The ACTUAL benefits of weeds in your garden. Use and value diversity! Find the benefit!
Celebrate the Harvest with Cake
Get creative in the kitchen by baking with your harvest. These sweet recipes will change the way you think about baking with fruits and vegetables.
Natural, Perpetual Garden Pest and Critter Control
Survivalist Gardener Rick Austin offers natural and long-lasting tips for repelling pests and insects in gardens hidden in the forest.
Planning a Baby Food Garden
HOMEGROWN Life blogger and pregnant Pennsylvania mama Michelle (Congrats, Michelle!) shares her plans for planting a baby food garden, including her entire seed order.
A Greenhouse: Part Two
The greenhouse takes shape with the help of family.
My Four Biggest Gardening Mistakes
Over the past year, I have made countless mistakes on my garden. In this post, I share four of my most frustrating gardening mistakes and how to avoid them.
Gardening at High Elevation
Gardening at a high elevation presents challenges such as harsh sun and a shorter growing season.
Growing Gluten-Free Grains in the Garden
Registered dietitian, Linda Simon, shares her experiences growing gluten free grains in her garden.
Hello From Raintree Nursery
Sam Benowitz and Tara Bittler are joining the MOTHER EARTH NEWS Blog Squad, and they break down the types of gardening and fruit-growing information they will share with you each week.
A Chicken In Every Garden
Learn how chickens and gardens make a great mix.
Landrace Gardening: True Potato Seeds
By growing potatoes from pollinated seeds we can develop locally adapted plants that thrive in our gardens.
Start Your Own Four-Season Garden
You can grow food year round, even in small spaces and containers. This is the definition of a four-season garden.
Legacy of Jaime Hines
In remembrance of a dear friend and steward of the Earth, a look at how others inspire us and how their legacy sculpts us.
7 Benefits of Growing a Victory Garden
From the more practical, money-saving side of things, to controlling your own destiny, the benefits of a victory garden are many.
Saving Seeds After the Harvest
There are many reasons to save seed. Why should you learn how to save seed?
Seed Starting Tips
Consult these seed starting tips for easy advice on seed planting, using the best materials, watering, grow lights and more.
The less you walk on soil, the better your plants will grow.
This photographic illustration shows how permanent gardens beds are beneficial, and prevent soil compaction.
Free, Easy and All-Natural Mulch
It's easy to overlook how useful grass clippings can be, but early fall is a great time to collect this valuable 'yard waste' to use in your garden as mulch.
Plant Garlic this Fall
Plan to plant garlic this fall, and enjoy unique varieties and their incredible health benefits.
Grow Extra-Early Spinach with This Easy Tip
Get an early spinach crop with this easy gardening tip.
What the Best-Dressed Beds Are Wearing This Winter
Garden soil left exposed in winter is easily damaged by compaction, erosion and leaching. Use mulches or cover crops to safeguard and build your soil during the winter months.
Got Leaves? Put 'Em to Work
Use autumn's bounty of fallen leaves to expand your garden, protect your plants and improve your soil.
Tomato Grafts Create Cool, Two-Headed Plants
Creating tomato grafts may be a great way to grow tomatoes organically. Tomato grafting has emerged as one good way to bring resistance to soilborne diseases to susceptible heirloom varieties.
Tomato Tasting Time: Planning a Fun Garden Party
A perfectly ripe heirloom tomato is one of the great joys of summer, here are some tips for organizing your own heirloom tomato party.
New Boom for Real Estate: Community Gardens
Real estate and land use demands have many people left on a waiting list by their local community gardens. Never fear: There's still plenty of options to get growing!
Good Reasons to Garden
While there are plenty of great reasons to grow a food garden, we recently polled readers to find out their primary motivation for gardening. Read their interesting results, plus tell us more about your gardening philosophy.
Harvesting Sweet Potatoes
After a summer of growing sweet potatoes, fall is the long-awaited time to enjoy the fruits of your labors. Properly harvesting sweet potatoes, followed by sound curing and storage methods, will ensure you can enjoy your crop through the winter months.
How to Graft Tomatoes
Learning how to graft tomatoes yourself not only saves money but gives you unlimited options for what varieties you choose to graft. With a little practice, you can become skilled at this worthwhile technique.
Landrace Gardening: Promiscuously Pollinated Tomatoes
Creating a landrace of promiscuously pollinated tomatoes. Details about my major plant breeding project for the next few seasons and a plea for help.
June Garden Planner
June is a beautiful and bountiful time in the garden. It is also not too late to put in a garden! With a few tips, you can get the best harvest ever.
Attend a Regional Food Workshop on Winter Gardening in Kutztown, Pa.
The Keystone Center, in partnership with the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center, is hosting a regional food workshop called "The Traditional Winter Garden: Fresh Food From December to March."
How to Improve Your Garden's Soil
A great garden needs great soil. Regardless of a garden's size, there are always ways to improve the soil quality.
How We Transplant Vegetable Plugs
This post will take a look at how we transplant vegetable seedlings in our certified organic greenhouses, especially tomatoes, peppers and eggplants.
Securing Covers on Low Tunnels
Low tunnels are easy structures to build to protect your winter veggies. Keeping the covers on in windy conditions can be a challenge. Learn simple steps you can take to make your low tunnel covers stable, no matter what the weather brings.
Landrace Gardening: Growing Popcorn
Joseph Lofthouse shares tips for growing landrace popcorn.
Landrace Gardening: Saving Landrace Seeds
Seed saving is an integral part of landrace gardening.
Indoor Seed-Starting Calendar
January is the time to start your indoor seeds for spring planting. Here is a calendar for starting your spring and summer seeds.
Permaculture Gardening Part 3
Our first project: building a small keyhole mound.
Four 'Holy Moly I'm Freezing' Keys to Gardening Success
It's freezing out - but that doesn't mean it's time to quit gardening. Learn how fall and winter are the key to next year's gardening success.
Community Container Gardening
Building community through sharing work and food.
A Fun New Way to Decide Which Tomatoes to Grow
Tap the Tomato Chooser app for info on 333 tomato varieties, plus help deciding which tomatoes to grow in your garden based on the traits you want.
Landrace Gardening: Hybrid Squash
A photo essay showing off the beauty of landrace squash.
Landrace Gardening: Replanting Hybrids
How to use hybrids in a landrace garden.
The Garden of Self-Defense
How my dad defended himself from overly generous gardeners.
Jazz Up the Christmas Feast With Garden Herbs
Use herbs from the garden in your Christmas dinner. This post shares a complete Christmas meal using garden herbs.
Survival Seed Banks, Part 3: Seed Storage Common Problems
A landrace market farmer's perspective on survival seed banks. Part 3: Storing the seeds. With careful forethought, it is possible to store seeds in a manner that will allow them to avoid or survive common seed destroying events.
A Quick Primer for Processing Figs, Sea Berries, Shipova and Cornus Mas
The ripening time of a particular fruit varies from one location to another and from year to year, though the order in which varieties ripen stays roughly the same.
Where Did Summer Go?
The Fall garden is bursting and the canning kettle hot as we draw summer to a close in North Central Idaho.
Bountiful, First-Season, No-Till Vine Patch
Planting a vine patch for the first time is easy without the need to till up a lot of soil; instead, cut out sod circles and mulch the surrounding area.
Landrace Gardening: Racing the Weeds
By applying the principles of landrace gardening, you can help your plants win the race against weeds.
Sow for Victory: Bringing Back the Victory Garden
Meredith Skyer outlines the history of victory gardens in the United States and why this nation, facing a food crisis, should start to sow for victory once again.
A Gardening Infographic: DIY Pest Control
This in-depth gardening infographic covers both good and bad insects, as well as companion plants, row covers and more.
Time to Plant Cover Crops
Cover crops protect your soil over the winter and are beneficial for soil building. Learn more about your cover crop options and the time to plant them.
Beginning the Fall Harvest
While summer's still lingering, tasks of fall have begun.
Pre- and Post-Frost Garden Tasks
The first frost of fall is a significant change in the garden. It is a sign of summer vegetables finishing and cold crops coming into prominence.
Landrace Gardening: Foreign Imports
A photo essay documenting imported landraces that I started incorporating into my existing landraces during the current growing season.
Preparing Soil in Our Community Garden
Garden like the Native Americans by digging up 18-inch-diameter hills on four foot centers. Get your crops started, then worry about working the areas in between the hills.
Grow Colorful, Crunchy Carrots Year Round
Carrots come in many colors and sizes. By picking the right ones, you can grow carrots year-round in the ground or in containers.
Garden Planning for Spring 2015: Index Your Plant Choices
It's time to start garden planning for spring 2015! An uncomplicated way of collecting and organizing your information during those long winter days is to get some index cards, scissors and tape. Cut out the plant varieties from catalogues that you find interesting, with the pertinent information tape this information to the index card to take along to the nursery come spring.
Landrace Gardening: Seed Swaps
Grow enough seed for yourself and a little extra for seed swaps and you may never have to pay for seeds again.
All About Zucchini
Zucchini is a summer crop that keeps on giving all season long. They are easy to grow.
One of the Best Gifts for Gardeners!
A Garden Planner subscription is a budget-friendly gift that offers the satisfaction of spending the chillier chunks of the calendar plotting the bounty ahead.
Landrace Gardening: Fertilizing Landraces
Landrace gardening allows us to minimize fertilization by selecting for plants that thrive in the pre-existing soil.
Design Your Own Seed-Saving Course
Interested in seed saving but worried about mistakes? Have questions about seed saving? Here's the chance to give your input in a new seed saving class!
Four Season Garden Explained
If you have wondered what a four season garden is, the definition is simple. It is a garden that you can get produce from all year long through spring, summer, fall and winter.
Survival Seed Banks, Part 1: What Seeds Are Available?
A market farmer's perspective on survival seed banks, evaluating current offerings.
Landrace Gardening: Dealing With Cytoplasmic Male Sterility
A pragmatic approach to eliminating male sterility from a home garden. Includes a diagram and photos about what to look for.
It's a Miracle!
I separate the fact from the fiction with use of soluble fertilizers.
Kale or Collards
Which grows better in Pacific Northwest gardens - kale or collards?
Planning Is an Important Key for Your Gardening Success
Are you planning to put in an orchard next spring, or re-design your landscape with more edible plants?
Landrace Gardening: Sunroots
Sunroots are a typically-cloned crop with great potential as a locally-adapted survival-of-the-fittest landrace
Top 10 Tomato-Growing Myths
There are many tomato tales out there. If you want to know which farmer stories are true, read on to get tips on growing great tomatoes.
Starting Your Own Black Cohosh, Ginseng, Goldenseal and Other Woodland Medicinal Herbs
Use the cold winter months to start your own shade garden with native woodland plants.
Plan Next Season's Garden Now
Winter down-time from the garden is the best time for planning what vegetables you want to grow in the upcoming season. Having the seeds ready and knowing when to plant them can minimize the chaos in spring and maximize harvests in fall. It's all about getting ready now.
The Two Kinds of People
Non-gardeners and gardeners are very, very different creatures.
Permaculture Gardening, Part 4
Building a layered bed to develop organic material in the soil, hold moisture and decrease the amount of work.
Egyptian Walking Onions
Egyptian walking onions are one of my favorite crops because they produce food for my family from early spring until late fall.
It's Not Too Late to Plant a Fall Garden
Follow these simple tips on fall gardening.
Late-Season Garden Vegetables
Keep those vegetable plants growing for a second harvest late in the year. Organically-grown, heirloom varieties will survive with a little help.
My Top 5 Favorite Seed Companies
Here are five great companies to buy seeds from.
Cold Frames, Kim Chee, and Lawns 2 Lettuce 4 Lunch
Progress in the straw bale and wooden cold frames, delicious Kim Chee recipes for winter harvested Chinese cabbage and winter radishes, and an update from the Lawns 2 Lettuce 4 Lunch program in Arlington, VA.
Gift Ideas for Gardeners
A short list of gift ideas for gardeners.
Easy Tips for Starting Your Seeds Indoors
One way to get a jumpstart on the growing season is to start growing your seeds indoors. For most of you it's still cold outside. That doesn't mean that you can't get a headstart on getting your garden started for the new year.
Get a Head Start With Chitting Potatoes
To make the best use of potato-growing season, use the technique of greensprouting.
Imprelis: Another Deadly Herbicide, This Time From DuPont
We've been warning you about aminopyralid-containing killer compost for quite some time. Now there's a new deadly herbicide on the market, Imprelis, and it's wreaking havoc in at least seven states.
Market Farmers Share How They Deal With the Heat
If you're a market gardener battling the heat, you'll want to check out these great tips for keeping yourself and your crops cool.
GMO Labeling, Fall Greens, Winter Storage Vegetables, Yacon and Fresh Kimchi
Killing frosts are arriving, but Ira's staying self-sustaining all winter, with winter-hardy greens and plenty in storage, from sweet potatoes to pickled peppers. Get inspired with ideas for kimchi and a fresh twist on winter salads, with yacon.
Genetic Engineering and Cell Fusion CMS
Cell Fusion genetic engineering is emerging as a hot topic in the Certified Organic seed and food industry. We can expect the resolution of this issue to impact both small-scale and large-scale growers.
Choose a Dandelion Weeder: Pulling Weeds, Not Your Back
Pick the right dandelion weeder, and ridding your lawn and garden of dandelions becomes more game than chore. Here we hightlight three popular models: the Oswego Grandpa's Weeder, the Fiskars Triple Claw Weeder and the Garden Weasel Weedpopper Step and Twist.
Planting With Preserving in Mind
This blog post discusses growing enough produce for canning.
Permaculture the Old-Fashioned Way
Permaculture has become the new buzzword in certain circles. What is it? Do we need it?
The Lazy Urban Gardener's Safety Net
So, what do you do if you neglected to start your veggies way back in January or February? You had good intentions but there always seemed to be something that stole your attention. Now it's the planting season and you have nothing to plant...
The December Garden
The December garden is still full of life, both in the beds and under cover, providing fresh ingredients for home cooked meals. Winter farmers markets and CSA's are a great way to learn what grows well in your zone.
What is Mycorrhizal Fungi?
I asked Heather, the Marketing and Customer Service Specialist over at Thrive, a few questions and here's what she said about mycorrhizal fungi.
How to Store Seeds
Good storage conditions for your garden seeds are essential. These tips will help you learn how to store seeds.
Weed Watch: How to Kill Nutsedge
Learn how to kill nutsedge, both yellow (Cyperus esculentus) and purple (Cyperus rotundus), and remove it from your garden. Pine bark mulch may be one effective way to kill nutlets from yellow nutsedge.
Use a Simple Compost Test to Avoid Contaminated Materials in Your Garden
Keep your garden safe by testing your organic materials for herbicide residue. A few simple tests can help you avoid harming your plants.
Is There a Practical, Organic Way to Counteract Excess Nitrogen in My Garden Soil?
If you've added too much nitrogen fertilizer to your garden this expert advice can help you figure out how to correct the mistake.
Best Grow Lights for Starting Seeds Indoors (Video)
Learn which fluorescent bulbs are the best grow lights for starting seeds indoors.
Heirloom Vegetables: Saving Seed
Heirloom vegetables are multi-use crops that have been passed down from gardeners for decades, sometimes centuries. Respected author and gardener, William Woys Weaver, discusses his reasons for using heirloom plants and saving seed.
Make Gardening Easier: Build Permanent Beds and Paths
MOTHER EARTH NEWS Associate Editor Shelley Stonebrook offers tips for building permanent garden beds and paths. Shelley presented her workshop "10 Great Ways to Make Gardening Easier" at the MOTHER EARTH NEWS FAIR in Puyallup, Wash.
Seed Starting Video and Tips
Have you started your tomatoes and peppers yet? 'Tis the season to start seeding long season crops indoors. If you normally buy organic starts from your local nursery, try your hand at seed starting.
American Garden Tool Company
The American Garden Tool Company is an online source for American-made garden tools, products and accessories.
Doing a Little Something for Ourselves
We learned a long time ago that we couldn't attract an audience for our magazines unless we gave our readers tools they could use to improve the world personally. A backyard organic garden is the perfect symbol of positive vision and commitment.
Weed & Water Wednesday: A Favorite Desert Garden
Although winter is setting in, that doesn't mean an end to the garden season in desert climates! Get inspired by this beautiful rainwater-harvesting, food-producing desert landscape!
Wabi-Sabi Wednesday: 7 Wabi Gardens
In a wabi-sabi garden, plants are chosen because they belong in that garden and in that climate, and they're allowed to strut their stuff if they're considerate of the plants around them. Both plants and guests are encouraged to meander and explore.
Build a Rain Garden
Gardening can make a difference! Across the country, people are building rain gardens to filter contaminants and ease overburdened stormwater systems. Here's how to build a rain garden in 10 easy steps.
On Permaculture
This is an excerpt from Christopher Nyerges' "Self-Sufficient Home" book (published by Stackpole) where he talks about some of his early gardening experiences and when he learned that the health of the soil is the most important aspect of gardening.
Growing Potatoes in Containers
Growing potatoes in containers allows you to increase your yield in a small amount of space.
Flowers Add Beauty and Diversity to the Vegetable Garden
There are many logical reasons for adding flowers to your vegetable garden: attracting beneficials, crop diversity, companion-planting, barriers and healthy soil. But perhaps their beauty does not need to be rationalized at all!
Homesteading Month Brings Cold Weather Gardening to Washington's Rural Living Today
Rural Living Today founder and advocate, Marie James, told us about a Homesteading Education Month event she and her family hosted in Northeast Washington to teach gardeners how to grow vegetables in cold weather.
Toward the Future
Where are we headed, vis a vis our food systems? Can we as individuals make a difference in our food? Yes!
How Did America Lose Its Connection With Food?
While there are many events that have lead us to where we are today in terms of food, there are some things/events that stand out the most in my mind. Growing your own food is one way to reverse the trend.
Simple Reasons to Start Growing Your Own Food
When people ask why they should grow their own food, the answer that I give is often simple. I tell them, "It's because we are humans."
Three Simple Tips for Taking Care of Your Container Garden
If you are new to growing your own food in containers, these are some simple tips that should help you to get a better yield and results from your containers.
Three Ways To Reuse Soda Bottles in Your Garden
Growing your own food doesn't have to be an expensive activity. There are plenty of ways to cut back the costs and be earth-friendly as well. You can do this by giving a second life to items that have outgrown their initial purpose.
How To Make a Self-Watering Container
Containers are great for those that are gardening in small spaces. Though there is the fear of not knowing when or how often to water them. This is why I started to make my own self-watering containers.
Organic: What Does It Mean to You?
When you say "organic" most people think of elitists that are buying over priced food because they think that they are better than others. What does the "organic" really mean though?
Garden Fail: Gardening Mistakes That I've Made
Whether you are new to gardening or experienced, you will make some mistakes. Get over it and learn from it. That's the most important thing.
The Spiritual Side of Growing Your Food
A post by Maria Rodale called A Harvest of Healing got me thinking about how gardening and growing your own food is much more than what you harvest.
Food Prices Might Be Rising, But You Can Do Something About It
In the United States, we are feeling the effects of the rising food prices as well. When you take a deeper look into the prices, it's not the food that is causing the price to rise. It's everything else that goes into getting the food to your plate t
April Garden Planner
What to plant in April for your vegetable garden, and what sized pot you need for your vegetable plant.
Last Chance to Sow Cool-Weather Vegetables
Consider planting these three categories of vegetable crops during late summer and fall: Warm weather crops that will die with frost. Cool weather crops that grow well in spring and fall, but don't thrive in your summer. Cold-hardy crops to grow over the winter and get off to a fast start in early spring.
Protecting Our Right to Save Seed, Fighting GMOs, and Growing Onions
Ira Wallace covers developments in the lawsuit to protect your right to save seeds and how to take action against GMO contamination of the food supply. Also, choose the right onions for your garden and learn what to sow in January.
Cold Frames, Fresh Greens and Homegrown Roots
Ira takes us on a winter garden tour of the experimental gardens at Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. She describes the various experimental cold frames for winter gardening and winter starts. Includes a winter recipe for Sweet Potato Leek Soup.
Heritage Grinding Corns for Sustenance, Resilience and Self-Reliance
Ira Wallace talks about heirloom grinding corns that provide resilience and sustenance to gardener interested in self reliance. Includes a recipe for Southern style cornbread muffins.
Terra Madre Day—Slow Foods Celebrates Good Things from the Earth
Southern Exposure celebrates Slow Food's Terra Madre Day with a fresh winter greens salad, featuring yacon, a South American root vegetable that tastes like fresh pear! Plus garden planning to have your own farm fresh food through the winter.
Seed Swaps, Seed Saving and Abundant Winter Veggies
Host a community seed swap in honor of "National Seed Swap Day," plan to save your own seeds from the garden this year, and get inspired to cook creatively with winter vegetables.
When to Plant Corn, Beans and Squash — Natural Signs for Planting
Ira helps you get started using nature's signs to plan your garden. Don't just rely on planting dates — easy observations of what's blooming, buzzing, and singing in your garden will help you see changing patterns from year to year.
Start Early Seedlings, Get Bare Root Fruit Trees Now, Plant a Row for the Hungry
It's mid-February, time to start thinking about spring! Ira Wallace helps us make our garden plan, remember our perennials, and Plant a Row for the Hungry this year.
Gardening Doesn't Have to Be Expensive
People often dismiss gardening as an expensive hobby that they can't afford. While that can be true, it doesn't have to be. There are way to make gardening cheap.
DIY Seed Starter Pots
It might be the middle of the summer, but you should start thinking about getting your fall garden ready. If you don't have much space, to plant everything outdoors, then you can certainly start your seeds indoors.
4 Recipes for Your Summer Harvest
It's the middle of summer and you are likely enjoying the harvests. There is` so much to do with all that fresh and flavorful produce, but what should you do?
Legal Front Yard Gardens Go Beyond Containers
St. Paul, Minnesota, not only allows front yard gardens and promotes growing vegetables in containers, but encourages residents to beautify the boulevard with plants, including edibles.
The Politics of Gardening
Some people use gardening as an escape from the trials and tribulations of the real world. It's their time to get their hands dirty, connect with the earth and just be in their garden.
Growing Food as a Family
Parents will often say that they don't have time to grow their own food because they have kids. Don't let kids be the excuse. Instead make them part of the experience too. It's what families have done since the beginning of time. The past 100 yea
Urban Farms Bike Tour = Sunday Fun Day Adventure
Kansas City has a thriving city farming scene, and recently hosted an urban farms tour to showcase several of the city's market and community gardens. One of our editors pedaled along with a bike tour group to see what the city farmers have to offer.
Two Ways to Use a Shipping Pallet in Your Garden
When you are apartment gardening in a small space, you are forced to be creative due to your space constrictions. Most traditional pots and containers might not work, so you become reliant on reusing objects to better fit your space.
Grow Your Own Food as a Social Statement
Take these into consideration the next time you are making your food purchases.
Food Waste in America
We are taught when we are kids not to waste food, but it doesn't seem as if that lessen has stuck with us.
From Gardener to Farmdener
I'd like to introduce the words farmden and farmdener into the English language. I wonder if there are any other farmdeners out there. And just what is a farmden? It's more than a garden, less than a farm. That's my definition, but it also could be described as a site with more plants and/or land than one person can care for sanely. A gardener and garden gone wild, out of control.
What is an OMRI Listing?
Organic is a phrase that's tossed around and abused a lot by marketers these days. Not all "organic" products should be treated equally.
Beautiful Gardens, Heirloom Tomato Sauce, and Greasy Beans
How far along are your tomatoes? Ira Wallace gets inspired by gorgeous gardens in Asheville, North Carolina, and shares a quick, easy recipe for tomato sauce.
Okra Hedges, Sweet Corn all Summer, and Succesions for Warm-Season Crops
Hints for harvests all summer long - don't just sow once! Ira helps you plan summer successions for your garden. Plus, discover culinary secrets of okra you never suspected - okra coffee and okra oil - and a recipe for a simple okra lunch.
Be Self Sufficient with Sweet Potatoes; Harden off Your Tomatoes
At the gardens of Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, we're preparing to plant sweet potato slips, hardening off transplants, and enjoying an abundance of spring cabbage. Learn tips and tricks for getting your transplants ready for the great outdoors.
Growing Tomatoes Without Chemicals
When you ask people if they want chemicals in their garden or on their food, most will say no. They want to limit their exposure to the chemicals and pollutants.
Planting Healthy Hibiscus, Delicious Yacon and Nutritious Sunchokes
Sweet, healthy, root vegetables that love growing through the heat of summer? Learn about adding Jerusalem artichokes, yacon, and sweet potatoes to your gardens. Plus, more on the incredible health benefits of roselle (hibiscus).
Vertical Gardening and Composter in One
What if I told you that you could grow 50 plants in 4 square feet?
Keep Track of Crop Rotation (Video)
Crop rotation is good for your garden, but can be difficult to track. These tools will help you chart which crop families you plant so you can mix it up the following season.
Weed & Water Wednesday: 10 Green Gifts for Gardeners — All Under $50
Check out this roundup of 10 favorite sustainable gifts for the gardeners on your list — all under $50!
My First Time: A Garden Connection With My Grandpa
My first blog for MOTHER EARTH NEWS takes me back to a time when I didn't know I had a love of gardening. One of my first gardening experiences came during an unlikely encounter with my curmudgeon grandfather.
Great Gardening Books, Garden Planning, and the Fight Against GMOs Continues
Ira Wallace explores good winter gardening reads, gives advice on how to use the winter lull wisely to plan and prepare, and shares an update in the ongoing court battle to protect family farmers from agri-giant Monsanto.
Seven Springs Speaker Spotlight: Elsa Sanchez, Horticulture Specialist
Elsa Sanchez of Penn State University will present two workshops on compost and mulch at the Mother Earth News Fair, an annual sustainability festival, September 24-25, 2011 in Seven Springs, Pa.
Gardening With Children Workshop
Jason Akers, The Self-Sufficient Gardener, taught kids of all ages the basics of gardening on Saturday and Sunday at the Fair.
Seven Springs Speaker Spotlight: Ruth Rogers Clausen, Deer-Proof Gardener
Ruth Rogers Clausen of Timber Press will present a workshop on how to cope with deer when gardening at the Mother Earth News Fair, an annual sustainability festival, September 24-25, 2011 in Seven Springs, Pa.
Seven Springs Speaker Spotlight: Candy DeBerry, Plant Pollination Expert
Candy DeBerry, Ph.D. of Washington & Jefferson College will present a workshop on pollination at the Mother Earth News Fair, an annual sustainability festival, September 24-25, 2011 in Seven Springs, Pa.
Seven Springs Speaker Spotlight: Tammi Hartung, Herbalist
Tammi Hartung of Desert Canyon Farm will present three workshops on growing and using herbs at the Mother Earth News Fair, an annual sustainability festival. September 24-25, 2011 in Seven Springs, Pa.
Seven Springs Speaker Spotlight: Jason Akers, Gardener Extraordinaire
Jason Akers, The Self-Sufficient Gardener, will present two workshops on gardening at the Mother Earth News Fair, an annual sustainability festival, September 24-25, 2011 in Seven Springs, Pa.
'The Nourishing Homestead' by Ben Hewitt
In The Nourishing Homestead, Ben Hewitt along with his wife Penny tell the story of how we can create truly satisfying, permanent, nourished relationships to the land, nature, and one another. With plenty of practical ways to grow nutrient-dense food, build soil, and develop traditional skills, this book is sure to inspire a new generation of homesteaders.
The Amazing Cold Frame
If I could only pick one season extending structure, it would be a cold frame. Incredibly versatile, a simple cold frame is the key to taking your garden from a two or three-season plot and turning it into a year round vegetable factory.
'An Unlikely Vineyard' by Deirdre Heekin
"An Unlikely Vineyard" by Deirdre Heekin tells her story of growing wine in the unlikely hills of Vermont and her quest to express the essence of place in every bottle. It is about the evolution of her farm from overgrown fields to a fertile, productive, and beautiful landscape that melds with its natural environment. A gentle narrative with lush photography, this book will appeal to anyone who loves food, farms, and living well.
Upgrade a Gravel Pathway
Let's put water back into the soil where it belongs. Permeable or porous surfaces, like a gravel path or patio, allow rainfall and irrigation to percolate into the ground rather than spill into the street.
Supporting Roles in the Garden and Flowering Annual Vines of Summer
Enter attractive easy to assemble garden structures that attractively stake, prop and gently guide plants while never stealing the spotlight from the beautiful garden starlets they support.
Seven Springs Speaker Spotlight: Linda Conroy, Herbalist
Linda Conroy of Moonwise Herbs and Brooms will present a workshop on bioregional herbalism at the Mother Earth News Fair, an annual sustainability festival, September 24-25, 2011 in Seven Springs, Pa.
Dispelling the Myth: Chickens and Gardens Don't Work Together
When I first got chickens many years ago I had two initial goals: to let my flock roam free range and live as close as possible to how they would naturally, and to build my soil with their manure.
Create a Garden That Works for You
When a vegetable garden doesn't look like a vegetable garden, what is it? A polyculture, where gardeners strive to address this simple truth: The most effective way to grow healthy plants is to create gardens that replicate nature.
Crafting a Handmade Garden
I'm a handmade gardening gal – part eco-friendly, non-traditionalist; part crafty creative with more ideas than money, and an abiding aversion to off-the-shelf shopping. My garden is my canvas, my vision, and my voice.
How to Buy Seeds
Deciding where to buy seeds can be a perplexing challenge. How does a conscientious gardener choose seeds that will grow well, look lovely and taste great, but also support sustainable seed farmers and healthy environments?
Puyallup Speaker Spotlight: Erin Harwood and Eloyce O'Connor, Herb Enthusiasts
Erin Harwood and Eloyce O'Connor of the Garden Delights CSA and Herb Farm will present a workshop on natural remedies at the Mother Earth News Fair, an annual sustainability festival, June 4-5, 2011 in Puyallup, Wash.
Puyallup Speaker Spotlight: Lindsay Lee, Grafting Gardener
Lindsay Lee, nursery owner and Seed Savers Exchange advisor, will present a workshop on grafting fruit trees at the Mother Earth News Fair, an annual sustainability festival, June 4-5, 2011 in Puyallup, Wash.
Puyallup Speaker Spotlight: David Tracey, Guerrilla Gardening Expert
David Tracey of New Society Publishing will present two workshops on organic gardening at the Mother Earth News Fair, an annual sustainability festival, June 4-5, 2011 in Puyallup, Wash.
Puyallup Speaker Spotlight: Jessie Price, Healthy Cook and Linda Gilkeson, Master Gardener
Linda Gilkeson, master gardener, and Jessie Price of EatingWell Magazine will present workshops on gardening and healthy cooking at the Mother Earth News Fair, an annual sustainability festival, June 4-5, 2011 in Puyallup, Wash.
Top 5 Things to Consider Before Moving to the Country
Unprepared for their first foray into country living, Kristy Athens takes what she learned and focuses on 5 areas to be considered before moving to the country: Land, buildings, animals, food and community.
Flowers - Food for the Soul
This garden is practically maintenance free as it produces some of the most beautiful and most beloved flowers. After you have tried it, you will wonder, why didn't I start growing hardy annuals sooner? Don't miss the opportunity to garden in the forgotten seasons.
TimberTech Earthwood Evolutions™ Goes Natural
Three New Colors Provide More Options for Consumers
Albuquerque Company Turns Landfills into Fields of Beauty
Growstone makes breakthrough, high-performance hydroponic growth mediums and soil aerators from discarded glass.
Kioti Enters Subcompact Tractor Market
The CS2410 subcompact tractor is appropriate for those homeowners with property sizes ranging from just under an acre up to 5 acres, possibly more.
Rainwater Hub Offers Efficient Rainwater Harvesting
The Rainwater Hub is an entirely new answer to the limits of traditional downspout diverters and rain barrel systems. The Rainwater Hub distributes rainwater up to 150 feet through regular garden hoses.
FarmTek Announces Fall 2012 Photo Contest
Do you love showing off your FarmTek products? Think you're using them in a unique and interesting way? FarmTek would love to see!
Introducing the New Kubota ZP330 Propane, Zero-Turn Mower
Kubota partners with the Propane Education & Research Council to offer $1,000 purchase incentive on its ZP330, delivering 'green' performance and more 'green' in your pocket.
Grasshopper Receives Award
Investments in lawnmower fabrication processes save more than 310 tons of steel annually.
Cut Yard Clean-Up Time In Half With Leaf Loader
Wide-mouth funnel design super-stuffs bags and cans in less than a minute.
Coast of Maine Organic Products Releases Video
We produce wonderful, organically approved soil products for the independent garden centers.
Breakthrough Cordless Chainsaw Power: Like Nothing You've Seen Before
Blount, the world's largest manufacturer of saw chain, announces the launch of the new OREGON PowerNow 40V MAX* Cordless Chainsaw.
New Product from Hoelscher
Hoelscher Commercial Products announces a new product for pulling out trees, posts, shrubs and vines.
New Product from Hoelscher(2)
Hoelscher Commercial Products announces a new product for pulling out trees, posts, shrubs and vines.
ECHO Bear Cat Announces the Addition of NEW 2" ChipperShredder
ECHO Bear Cat is pleased to introduce the 2" SC2170 Chipper/Shredder to its line of outdoor power equipment.
Save Time and Money with Environmentally Responsible Grass Trimmers from STIHL
The new FSA 65 and FSA 85 grass trimmers, the latest products available for the 36-volt STIHL Lithium-Ion battery technology system, deliver fuel savings, time savings and environmental benefits for gasoline-free trimming applications.
New KIOTI Snowblowers Enhance Tractor Attachment Line
KIOTI Tractor is pleased to announce the expansion of their popular implement and attachment lines.
Founders Seed Collection Offered by the Living Seed Company
The Living Seed Company is creating a platform to inspire gardeners and gardeners to be.
Land Pride Introduces New Rotary Tillers
The RTA12 & RTR12 Series Rotary Tillers from Land Pride till soil for seedbed and planting preparation with uses and applications in landscaping, gardens, and residential areas.
Winter Challenges in the Country, Part 1
Life on a farm blanketed in snow.
Grow Indoor Winter Crops
It is possible to grow fresh crops through the dark months even without a greenhouse, and even where we live, a thousand miles from the Arctic Circle, where the winter sun brings only brief and meager light.
Plant a Medicinal Garden, Part 1: Immune-Boosting Herbs
Learn growing methods, health benefits and preparations for echinacea, elecampane, sweet Annie, spilanthes and astragalus.
Earth Gauge Tip of the Week — Container Gardening for Rain
Rain gardens provide many benefits including filtering out pollutants and keeping runoff out of city storm sewers.
Challenges Of Mountain Gardening
Tips that we have learned gardening at a high elevation.
Forest Gardening: Choosing Smaller Trees & Shrubs
The next installment of Maddy Harland's blog series on forest gardening. This week how to choose the lower canopy.
Designing & Planting Your Own Forest Garden: Selecting Trees for the Top Canopy
Maddy Harland describes the canopy layer of a temperate forest garden and shares some useful tips on designing and planting useful and edible tree crops.
A Hoophouse on the Horizon, Part 4: Learning Curve
Gardening for the first time ever in a hoophouse is a lot like gardening elsewhere. But, it is gardening in a whole different climate!
Backyard Homesteading Memories: Buttermilk Biscuits and Fig Preserves
Anna remembers her grandmother's tasty buttermilk biscuits with fig preserves and her mother's stories of growing up on a small, in-town homestead in the 60s.
Preparing Your Vegetable Garden for Winter
It pays to spend time preparing your garden for winter. You can improve your soil, increase your harvest, decrease garden pests and make next spring's planting much easier.
Urban Oases
My mission was to find like minded 'earth nurturers' in a neighborhood where there seems to be a dearth of us! What I found was humility and kindred spirits, and the makings of a great dinner party!
Growing Up Poor on a 1-Acre Farm
Gene GeRue relates the lessons he learned from a childhood of frugal living.
What We're Planting Right Now - Spring Garden
It's spring garden planting time! Here are a few things that can be planted while the ground is still cold and there is a nip in the air.
Barnheart: Yearning to be a Farmer
If you have a constant, overwhelming urge of wanting to be outside breathing in the fresh air and partaking in various farming activities, you may be suffering from barnheart.
The Unstoppable Forest is Taking Over
Mother Nature has a way of filling in the blank spots....
Garden Designs for Beauty and Function
A well-thought-out garden design will make your work enjoyable and manageable and will encourage the gardener's presence and attention.
Why Homestead?
Raising and growing your own is more than a lifestyle — it is life.
Questions! Questions!
Your local county extension office can answer questions on gardening, livestock, poultry, crops, garden pests and more.
Planning Yard Projects for Next Year? Begin With a YardMap
The YardMap Network is a citizen science project designed to cultivate a richer understanding of bird habitat, for both people concerned with their local environments and professional scientists. The program is housed at the Lab of Ornithology, in Ithaca, New York. We collect data by asking individuals across the country to draw maps of their backyards, parks, farms, favorite birding locations, schools, and gardens.
Raspberries At 9,759 Foot Elevation
Growing raspberries and other vegetables at high elevation and the challenges.
Conserving Water with a Rainwater Cistern Tank and Gravity Watering System
A gravity watering system can consist of a cistern to save roof top rain water and elevated tanks to gravity feed this water to your garden. As climate change makes rain less predictable, you can both water your garden and help save ground water.
Hoping for Prettier Sweet Potatoes
Cam describes the method he used when planting his sweet potatoes this year with hopes that he'll end up with a prettier finished product!
I'd Better Make it Meaningful
Cam contemplates his place in the universe while weeding his corn patch....
Trellising Cucumbers
Trying to decide the best way to trellis my cucumbers and learning some new techniques.
Solar Panels, Garlic Scapes, and Barn Floors
We heard from a variety of experts about the type and number of batteries to use in our DIY solar setup. Meanwhile, we checked in with the garden and bees.
And Then There Were Two (Greenhouses)
Cam is trying to extend his growing season with DIY greenhouse structures.
DIY Electric Fence Wire Holder
Talking about how to make a DIY electric fence wire holder and how we got a tailgate transplant for around 150 dollars and some signs of spring.
Homesteading Book Deal Gets More Real
Talking about the excitement of Anna's new book cover that we got to preview from the publisher this past week and the anxiety of our new born chicks as they go out into the big world. Also have some details on how to make your own cleft graft.
Homegrown Wedding
A wedding using homegrown and local food and no disposable items. Decorations were things already on hand. The ceremony took place in a field and the reception was in a barn...and there was love-lots of it!
Mountain Gardening And The Challenges
The challenges that we encounter trying to grow a garden at high latitude.
Plan Next Year's Garden Now
Plan fall cover crops to feed back the soil and leave the bed ready for when you need to plant the main crop next year.
Earth Gauge Tip of the Week: Earth Science Week
Tips on how to control soil erosion and help protect one of Earth's most important natural resources.
Earth Gauge Tip of the Week: Be Penny-Wise and Water Smart
Tips on how to conserve water in the fall with weather-based irrigation controllers.
New Chicken Webcam Goes Live
Announcing our new webcam that will be showing the latest flock of new born chicks in all their cute and feathery glory.
Composting toilet compromise
The last week of the month has been a busy one with are preparations for the ending of winter and the start of a new growing season. We've got some details on a new cover crop and why we choose and simple composting toilet system compared to others.
LivingOff Grid - Our garden at Elevation 4200'
Success at growing food at the 4200' elevation and some of the challenges.
On Growing All Your Own Food
Thoughts on growing all your own food. How much space is required and other things to consider.
The Greenhouse Dream Fulfilled
Cam has been collecting old windows for years and has finally put them together to make a greenhouse!
Homestead-Based Income Key to Success
There are many more ways than ever to earn income without ever leaving the homestead. As energy prices rise, earning the money you need without traveling is key to success. It just might not come from the place you expect.
In Praise of Livestock Panels
Using 16-foot livestock panels in many ways on your homestead.
Finding Non-Medicated Chicken Feed
A summary of our quest to find non-medicated chicken feed that has higher quality ingredients than the typical feed store bag of chicken food.
The Case for Doing Nothing about Pests
This spring when the pests arrive in your garden try this radical strategy - Do nothing!
From Typewriter to iPad in Three Easy Decades
Cam is getting burned out on technology and seeks solace in his "low tech" garden.
It's Time to Start Those Veggie Gardens!
Barbara Pleasant offers a step-by-step plan to starting seeds.
What a Mild Winter Means
The good, the bad and the ugly of a nice mild winter and its effects on the homestead in 2012.
HOMEGROWN Life: How to Schedule your Planting by the Moon
How to Schedule your Planting by the Moon
Walden Effect joins Mother Earth News
We're gearing up for spring on our southwest Virginia farm, planning the garden, pruning the perennials, and getting ready to raise bees, broilers, and mushrooms.
How to Regrow Lettuce
Purchase romaine lettuce once, regrow it again and again! Use this simple tutorial to slash your salad bill while enjoying tasty, healthful greens.
It Feels Like Christmas Morning in the Sweet Potato Patch
Cam enjoyed a very successful sweet potato harvest!
Three Ways to Enjoy Beans
Beans are usually divided into two categories: shell and snap. Shell beans have thicker pods and are typically cultivated for their seeds. Snap beans are harvested before their seeds ripen and are grown for their tasty pods. However, I've discovered there is some leeway in how beans are harvested and used.
Sprouting: An Edible Experiment
DIY sprouting experiment to get kids interested in growing and eating sprouts.
Natural Garden Amendments
Here are some ways we use natural materials to improve our garden and orchards.
Great Day to Plant the Garden
With the fence in (just barely), this rainy Wednesday looks just perfect for planting.
Canning Summer's Bounty: Easy And Low Tox
Canning is a great way to preserve your own harvest. When canning acidic foods like fruit or tomatoes or anything using vinegar or sugar, you can likely use only a water bath. There are many chemical free canning jars available today for low tox canning.
Living on a farm in the city
Don't let your wanderlust for more space hold you back from creating your homestead in the city.
Holes: A Homesteader's Narrative
Just when you've got something broken in on a farm, the holes begin to appear. There's a hole in the bucket, a hole in my muck boots — and of course there are holes in the fence! But it's not all bad, so here's a homesteader's narrative that provides a good chuckle about life on the homestead with all its wrinkles…and holes.
World War II Magazine Emphasizes Frugality
A copy of "Good Housekeeping" magazine from 1944 reminds us how housewives found ways to stretch meals, repair household items and plant gardens to overcome wartime rationing hardships.
Always Getting Ready on the Homestead
Each season brings its own work on a homestead. In the autumn, the garden and animals still require work, but this is also the time to put in a cistern and begin a smoke house.
Fresh Strawberry Recipes
Sweet, juicy and blissfully bite-sized, homegrown strawberries embody everything we love about eating from the summer garden. Get your fresh red beauties performing deliciously in these dishes both sweet and savory.
Starting Seeds with Children
Starting seeds with children indoors is a project that extends into outdoor planting of the seedlings in spring and harvesting produce in the summer. It allows you to share success and satisfaction with children and makes it more likely they'll eat their vegetables!
The Post-Frost Garden
The first killing frosts of the season change the garden-scape.
Cooking Greens for Greens Haters
The right recipe can convert people who think they don't like cooked greens, or energize cooks in need of fresh ideas. Here we offer a roundup of recipe ideas for garden-fresh greens from arugula to turnips.
March Vegetable Garden Planner
Overview of the activities of a garden in March. How to prepare the soil for spring. What varieties I am planting this March in our Zone 6 garden.
Small-Scale Seed Starting
Seed starting techniques and timing for an urban homestead in the Pacific Northwest.
Sneak Preview of the First CSA Harvest
A first look at the newest vegetable crops in the garden before the CSA harvests begin.
A Homesteader's 5 Favorite Gardening Tools
A good gardening tool is lightweight, ergonomically correct and has a positive impact on the soil. We only use hand tools (non-powered) in our gardens since we find that we can get the job done easier and more efficiently with a more correct impact on the soil and less impact on our bodies than we would with any machines.
What Your Garden Can Teach About Cities
Shifting our built environments from the current linear blocks of car-centric urban sprawl to more integrated human-scale and life-sustaining organisms is not much different in principle than turning a concrete yard into a permaculture plot. We have to think in terms of arrangement of vital nodes, distance between interdependent threads, paths of least resistance, utilizing existing natural conditions, and maximizing water, energy and food sources.
Understanding Seed Catalogs: 15 Features to Look For
Reading between the lines of the seed catalog variety descriptions is a science and an art. How not to get carried away by all the positive exclamations and miss some basic fact that would tell you this variety is not for your farm? This post provides tips.
Try This Technique: Grow Lettuce Under Shade
Many gardeners take lettuce off of their summer planting lists, but shade covers can put garden-grown lettuce on your table more than a month sooner this fall.
Know When to Plant What: Find Your Average First Fall Frost Date
Learn how to calculate best planting times for fall harvested crops.
Garlic Seed Sources
Find garlic seed stock for growing garlic.
The Garden Is In
The garden is 58 by 112 feet and it's planted!
Why, How and When to Plant Garlic
Garlic is one of the easiest plants you can grow, and fall is the time for planting. Here are a few resources to help you get started.
This Lawn is Your Lawn: Let's Grow a Food Garden on the White House Lawn
Help grow an organic food garden on the White House lawn. Here are some easy ways you can participate.
Take Our Nationwide Companion Planting Survey
Companion planting can be a great strategy for organic gardeners. Take our nationwide companion planting survey to help us gather useful information about this gardening technique.
Feeding Communities With City Farming
A potential solution to rising food prices, food insecurity and the obesity epidemic may call into play raising farms inside the city limits.
Hydroponic Vegetable Gardening: Could Soil Go Out of Style?
Recently a trend in farming called hydroponics has resurfaced and gained national attention that has grown in popularity with some, but has left others with mixed feelings.
Compost Awareness Week 2010: Composting Outside the Bin
MOTHER EARTH NEWS contributing editor and compost expert Barbara Pleasant provides some great homestead compost tips in celebration of Compost Awareness Week.
How Much To Grow
If you know much of each food from your garden you consume each year, you can better plan how much to grow.
Preparing for Seed Saving at Twin Oaks Seed Farm
Twin Oaks Seed Farm's focus has been producing seeds on contract for a handful of small seed companies. The author discusses involvement in starting a new cooperative retail seed project, Common Wealth Seed Growers.
How to Store Carrots Under Straw for Winter
Not being a fan of frozen or canned carrots, I began to wonder how to store carrots under straw for winter to enjoy organic carrots throughout the winter. Living in Central Oregon where beach sand is not at the hand, I gathered garden straw from a local farmer. It is important that you know that straw for the garden has not come from crops treated with herbicides to control broad-leafed weeds.
What Keeps Farmers Busy in the Winter?
Wintertime for a farmer is full of projects and planning.
Seed-Buying Tips from a Professional Seedsman
This article takes an insider's look at how the seed business works, and what you can do to get the best-quality seeds.
Deep Mulch Gardening: Building a Habitat for a Whole-Soil Ecosystem
Using these techniques you can spend an afternoon building a deep mulch garden and stop tilling and composting for up to 30 years.
Get Started Growing Hops
This blog post shares some of The Thyme Garden's experience with growing hops for over 25 years. It includes history of hops, useful information about hops and how and where to grow them.
Compost Piles in Your Garden Rotation
Compost piles don't have to be relegated to an out of the way bin. If your compost-making materials are being produced in your garden, as they are following biointensive methods, the best place for the compost piles are in rotation right on your garden beds.
Poof! You Are a Scientist: Or Adventures in Beginning Gardening
You're not just a beginning gardener - you're also a scientist!
Growing and Using Multipurpose Calendula
Calendula flowers make a lovely floral component for an organic vegetable garden. Plus, they pull their weight in terms of productivity: The petals are edible and can be used in skin-healing salves and balms.
Dried and Everlasting Flowers
Choosing, growing, and drying everlasting or dried flowers for beauty that can be enjoyed for seasons to come.
Start the Seeds Already
Dragging my feet to get spring started, afraid to fail and making the decision to jump in an succeed or fail already!
Distribute the Surplus Tomato Seedlings
Spring tomato rituals and a discussion of good varieties for the Pacific Northwest garden.
Gourmet Garlic: Porcelains
Do you eat garlic for its health benefits? Choose a Porcelain cultivar for maximum impact!
Self-Directed Gardening Education
Winter is the best time to step back from your garden and learn something new. Do some research, participate in learning programs, and work on your garden notebook. When the opportunity arises next year, visit the MOTHER EARTH NEWS FAIR.
Plants Change Wasteland to Wonderland
The healing power of plants can remediate years of soil and water pollution, and create unexpected islands of beauty.
Grow Chard for Year-Round Steamed Greens
Chard is a wonderful green, chock full of vitamins. It can be eaten when small in salads. The large leaves can be harvested for steamed/cooked greens. It is a perennial that with cover can be harvested all winter.
The Larder
Winter food storage in a naturally cooled space.
Propagating Lavender
This blog takes a look at the steps taken to propagate lavender by taking cuttings.
Aeroponic System Basics
Growing lettuce and other leafy greens indoors with an aeroponic system in a south-facing window seems like a wise move, especially during this long, snowy winter. Here I will explain the basics of growing greens with an aeroponic system, starting off with the initial expenses and moving on to pH and nutrient solution. Then I'll hope the sun provides enough life-giving rays long enough each day to grow some leafy greens.
Growing Herbs Outdoors Year-Round
Why pay high prices at the grocery store when growing herbs outdoors is achievable all winter long?
Seed Catalogs
Four questions I ask of new varieties, before ordering seeds.
The Story of Seed, Part 1: An Introduction to Seed Saving
The first of 12 posts, seed saving begins with an introduction to the stories behind seeds and why they are so important. From preserving our shared botanical heritage to protecting a diverse and decentralized food supply, the story of seed is as varied as the people who plant them.
Drip Irrigation for Raised Bed Gardens
This blog post tells you how to set up a drip irrigation system in a raised bed garden.
Better Lettuce Seed Germination
When lettuce is mentioned, many think of the standard iceberg lettuce found in supermarkets and restaurant salads. That is changing with the growth in popularity of the different types of lettuces from Romaine to head and leaf-type lettuces, mainly due to the flavors and colors that they offer from deep red to almost white and noticeably sweet to tangy and slightly bitter.
Vegetable Transplant Growing Secrets of a Greenhouse Professional
This blog post takes a look at some of the methods we have developed over the last 25 years growing vegetable seedlings in our certified organic greenhouses. This time we take a look at the conditions required for healthy seedling growth.
When to Plant What: Handy Charts for Garden Planning
Seed Germination depends on Soil Temperature. Transplants need to survive a late spring frost. Here are some handy charts and a lookup tool that will help your timing for a successful garden.
Garden Layout for Seed Saving, Part 2: Nightshades
Peppers and tomatoes are some of the easier plants to save seed from. This post covers isolation distance and introduces basic seed saving techniques.
How to Determine Whether to Keep Hardy Perennials in Your Garden