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The Great Debate! Choosing Between Bush Beans vs Pole Beans
True fact: I rarely buy green beans from the grocery store. I find them to be waxy and virtually tasteless most of the time. They’re one of the vegetables I only eat during their growing season. That’s why I think they’re one of the most “worth it” vegetables to grow in your garden. One of […]
Growing Zucchini 101: A Beginner’s Guide
Growing zucchini is one of my favorite things to do in the summer garden, even though — let’s be honest — it can completely take over your season if you’re not careful. One or two plants is genuinely all you need, and some years that still feels like too many! But that’s also part of […]
Watering Potatoes: Best Practices for a Healthy Harvest
Potatoes are a delicious part of most gardeners’ diets. They’re tasty no matter how you eat them – baked, fried, mashed, or stuffed, with or without a big pat of butter. And if you know how to care for them correctly to set them up for success, they can be easy to grow in your […]
5 Reasons Why Your Pepper Plants Aren’t Growing
After teaching gardening for over 20 years, I can confidently say that many gardeners in colder climates like mine have difficulty growing peppers. The problems often begin in late winter when gardeners are starting peppers indoors and continue into the summer when they wonder why are their pepper plants not growing. I used to struggle […]
DIY Tomato Cage: How to Make the Best Affordable Option
We gardeners love our tomatoes! You seldom see a vegetable garden without at least one tomato plant growing. They’re really remarkable if you think about it. You plant a small seedling in spring, and then by the end of the summer, the plant is a huge monster producing more tomatoes than you can possibly eat. […]
Here’s a Quick Way to Prune Indeterminate Tomato Plants
Pruning indeterminate tomatoes should be at the top of your garden task list this season. Why, you ask? Take a moment and read through these questions… Do your tomato plants grow huge and out of control each year? Do they flop over, get taken down by diseases, or overwhelm parts of your garden? Do you […]
My philosophy?
Get more with less.
Keep it simple.
Learn how to garden the smart way & get great results.
We’ll start with the top 5 mistakes to avoid.
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Tips for Starting Tomatoes from Seed (You’ll Never Buy Transplants Again)
We gardeners love our tomatoes! I know we all agree that there’s nothing quite like plucking a warm, sun-ripened tomato straight from the vine. But here’s the thing — if you’re still buying tomato plants from the garden center every spring, you’re missing out on one of the most rewarding parts of growing tomatoes. Starting […]
Perfect Timing: When is a Tomatillo Ready to Pick?
Tomatillos aren’t just green tomatoes! They’re a unique vegetable with it’s own tangy taste that’s nothing like its cousin tomato. They may not be as popular in home gardens, but those of us who do grow them have learned that they’re extremely productive and definitely deserve space in our garden beds. Although tomatillos definitely fall […]
Are Tomatillos Self-Pollinating? A Gardener’s Guide
One season, I was tending to a client’s garden and her tomatillo plant was flowering, but wasn’t producing any fruit. I was confused because usually tomatillos are super productive. It’s easy to grow more than you can use in your kitchen. What the heck was going on? I was comparing the tomatillo plants in my […]
The Big Question: How Long Does It Take for Tomatoes to Grow?
I know we all agree, there’s nothing quite like the taste of a homegrown tomato straight from the garden! No wonder it’s one of the most popular vegetables grown by gardeners. Since you’re probably counting down the days until your first harvest, you’re likely wondering how long does it take for tomatoes to grow? It […]
When to Start Seeds Indoors in Zone 5 Demystified
I’ve lived and gardened in zone 5 (Madison, Wisconsin) for the bulk of my gardening life, over 20 years! This zone is no joke with bitterly cold winters and hot, humid summers – we have it all. The winters are long in Wisconsin, which is one of the reasons why I love starting seeds for […]
Seed to Harvest: Growing Pumpkins in Raised Beds
After building several different gardens of my own and working with hundreds of gardeners over the years, I’ve found that building and growing vegetables in raised beds is the best choice for most people. Raised beds offer lots of important benefits: they require less work to prepare in spring and less long term maintenance, they’re […]
Books to help you get the most from your vegetable garden
Grow more vegetables than ever in your garden this season. This book is a fresh and simple approach to planning your garden. At the end, you’ll have a personalized blueprint for what a successful season in your garden looks like.
Eat food from your garden all year round! Preserving food doesn’t have to be difficult or take up a lot of time. And if you think canning is the only option – this book is for you! I’ll teach you how easy it can be to use your basement, fridge, and freezer instead.
sUMMER
Mastering Brussels Sprouts Growing Stages for a Bountiful Harvest
If you’re reading this article, I’m going to assume you’re a proud member of the group of people who love Brussels sprouts! I’ll be honest, I didn’t eat one until adulthood when I became a gardener. In that way I’m spoiled because I never had to suffer through frozen or grocery store sprouts. […]
Timing Matters: Know When to Harvest Zucchini
All summer you’ve been busy growing zucchini, and now it’s time for the most fun part of all – harvesting. Zucchini grows quickly, and within 45-60 days after planting you will likely see small fruits emerging from the large, colorful blossoms. But how do you decide when to harvest zucchini? Knowing when it’s ready to […]
Pushing the Limits: How Late Can You Plant Potatoes?
Where I live in Wisconsin, there’s lots of garden lore around when you should plant potatoes – on St. Patrick’s Day, when you see the first crocus, the first day of Lent, or as early as possible after the ground thaws. All of these times are very early in the gardening season. And it’s true, […]
When to Pick Cherry Tomatoes: Tips for Optimal Flavor
If I had to pick one variety of tomato to grow I would be hard pressed to make a decision. Would I skip the production and flavor of a classic paste tomato like Amish Paste? Or would I ignore the delicious flavor and beautiful color of the solid slicer Moonglow? I do know one thing, if […]
Want More Peppers? Try Pruning Pepper Plants
Who doesn’t love peppers? They’re crunchy, sweet or spicy, and they’re wonderful eaten raw or cooked. If you’re like many gardeners, you’ve even plucked one straight from the plant and eaten it on the spot. They’re not always easy to grow, but it sure is gratifying to see those small seedlings flourish and produce fruit. […]
Storing your homegrown onions for winter
Onions are one of my favorite vegetables to grow in my garden each year. Most seasons I plant between 300-500 and the majority of them go into storage so we can eat our own onions all winter long. Figuring out how to store garden onions can be tricky, but I’ve been doing it successfully for […]
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