Beehaviors: The Waggle Dance (Part 1)
Last summer, we put our apiary through some major changes. We broke some “traditional” beekeeping rules and tested some new ideas. One of the chances we took was moving a colony from one hive to another, but only two meters away from the original one. An old saying teaches beekeepers to move your hive less […]
How To Make Homemade Vegetable Broth
Who says leftover vegetable scraps are all destined for the compost heap? There are many good uses for them, and making a homemade broth is one of them! Lots of delicious recipes call for vegetable broth. From soups and risottos to couscous salads, cooking with broth is an excellent way to add extra flavor to […]
‘Tis The Season For Festive Poinsettias
With a bright red, showy display that blooms every December, it’s no wonder poinsettias are used to spread cheer during the holiday season! Fun Facts Interestingly enough, what most people believe to be the plant’s flowers are actually red-colored bracts or modified leaves; the actual flowers are the tiny yellow buds resembling stamens. If you […]
How To Compost In The Winter
With the cooler weather here, it’s time to put the outdoor gardens to bed for another year. But what about the compost heap? Not so fast! Composting in the winter is possible, it’s just a slower process than it is in the summer. It’s slower because the heap won’t ever be hot enough to get […]
Korean Natural Farming: Seed Soak Solution
Let’s face it; the early stages of life are most crucial for pretty much any species on Earth. If the start of your life is all stress and turmoil, chances are you’re going to suffer for it at various points throughout your life. On the flip side, if you’re born with a silver spoon in your mouth and given all the opportunities you could ever desire, you are much more likely to become highly successful. Everyone might hate you for the unfair advantage you’ve had, but at least you will be warm and smug come winter while sleeping on your pile of money.
Yarrow: From Garden Weed To Powerful Medicinal Plant
This hardy plant feels at ease pretty much everywhere and thrives in a wide range of climates and soil conditions. The poorer the soil it grows in, the stronger its potency and the scent of its oils will be. A garden weed by nature, it tends to spread quickly! If you are lucky enough to find yarrow growing in your gardens, think twice before throwing it on the compost pile. It is a powerful plant that has much to offer.
Tips For Growing An Urban Orchard
Fruit cultivation is more popular than ever in North America and Europe. Borders planted with fruits and urban orchards are now part of the landscape of many cities around the world. Some people are reluctant to introduce fruit trees into their gardens; they are known to require a lot of care and phytosanitary treatments to […]
How To Use Herbs For A Perfect Cup Of Tea
The colder months are for getting cosy by the fire with a warm cup of tea. While bags are easy and convenient, you don’t get as big a bang for your mug. According to The Herbal Handbook For Homesteaders, storebought teabags often contain only dust; the smaller particles oxidise more quickly, leading to a greater […]
Seed Saving Part 1: The Lost Art of Seed Saving
This article originally appeared in Garden Culture Magazine UK30 & US28. Ten years ago, at a local gardening group, I heard an elderly gardener extolling the importance of saving seeds with a great sense of urgency. At the time, I thought ‘why bother?’ when seeds are so cheaply available. However, the insights he provided that […]
Vermicompost: Mushrooms In The Worm Bin
I’ve experienced a roller coaster of emotions when it comes to my worm compost bin. First, there was the fear of failure. When castings appeared, there was excitement. But complete and utter panic set in when I found mushrooms growing in the bin. That’s right. Mushrooms. Not just a few of them, either. Large clusters […]
Featured Flower: Dahlia
As the summer comes to an end, many blooms wilt and call it another year. But one flower that can generally withstand cooler nights and provides beautiful pops of color even throughout the fall is the dahlia. A Rainbow of Color True showstoppers, dahlias are sure to impress in the garden. Over the years, I’ve […]
Fungi – The Key To A Successful Food Forest
Written by Simon Hart Simon has been gardening for over 40 years, including work in the 1980s with nutrient film technique and tissue culture. As a garden experimenter, Simon has taken various skills over the years and applied them to his plants, focusing on observation and soil health both indoors and out. Practical hands-on experience […]
Thinking Ahead: 5 Tips For Helping The Garden Survive The Heat
There are many indications that climate change is upon us, and the crippling heat waves taking place across the globe is one of them. The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions says our days will only be getting hotter; if greenhouse gas emissions aren’t significantly reduced by midcentury, scientists expect 20 record highs for every […]
A Guide To Growing Edible Plants For Protein
A flexitarian is someone who limits his consumption of meat, but who is not exclusively vegetarian. The flexitarian diet can be practised in a variety of ways: some people do not eat meat every meal or regularly choose to make an entire day meatless, while others are vegetarians most of the time, but occasionally eat meat.
Giving Your Zucchini Plants A Nudge With Hand Pollination
If you’re growing zucchini in your garden this year, you best be armed with a plethora of recipes that call for the vegetable. Believe it or not, a single zucchini plant can produce up to 10 pounds of zucchini in one growing season. Yikes! I have four plants…that’s right, four. I have myself and a […]
How To Grow Huge Strawberries
Growing strawberries is satisfying, and you can yield a decent size based on the richness of your garden soil, the fertilizers, or hydroponic nutrient concoction used. Often, the size of your strawberries will have a lot to do with the variety you’ve chosen to grow! To be honest, you can’t get impressive sized berries from […]