To start a garden bed from a lawn, you can either dig up the sod for immediate planting or use the no-dig "sheet mulching" method to smother the grass over time.
A layer of cardboard or landscape fabric will smother grass and weeds, and eliminate rogue weeds or grass from growing up through the soil. Once you have your raised bed in place, fill it to the top with a good garden soil and/or compost.
In gardening, the "70/30 rule" is a flexible guideline used in several different ways depending on your gardening goals. The three most common interpretations involve native plants, garden design, and vegetable growing.
Here are some of the most common landscaping mistakes and how to avoid them, along with how to create a beautiful garden in your own yard.
Generally March and April, when the soil begins to warm, are the best months to begin sowing many hardy annual vegetable seeds outdoors including broccoli, cabbage, chard, carrots, peas and parsnips.
Read on to learn some of the most common mistakes made by beginner gardeners—and how to avoid them.
The "3-hour gardening rule" is a safety guideline advising gardeners to avoid working outdoors between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. during the summer months. This window is when the sun’s UV rays are at their strongest and temperatures peak, posing risks for both you and your plants.
Yes, many vegetables should not be planted together. Poor pairings can lead to stunted growth, shared diseases, or intense competition for nutrients.
It is not inherently illegal for you or a farmer to replant seeds, but it is illegal to replant patented seeds or those protected by commercial contracts. Seed companies use these legal mechanisms to protect their investments in agricultural research and development.
October is the perfect time to plant trees, shrubs, conifers, and hardy perennials—or spring bulbs like tulips and daffodils—and if you're looking to sow cover crops or install lawns, now is the time for that as well.
Bugs, critters, and shade are all enemies of my garden.
The "best" garden layout maximizes sun exposure, optimizes space, and minimizes weeding. The ideal setup utilizes raised block beds or square-foot gardening. Always orient rows to run north-south, placing the tallest plants on the north side so they don't shade out shorter, sun-loving vegetables.
Gardening for mental health
It's not unusual for ADHD to be accompanied by an impact on mental wellbeing, such as increased anxiety or depression. Time spent gardening and connecting with nature can have a positive impact on mental health. It can help boost mood or reduce stress.
Two inches of topsoil is generally not enough to grow a healthy, long-lasting lawn. While grass seeds can germinate in shallow dirt, the roots will struggle to dig deep. This causes the grass to look patchy and dry out quickly during hot summer months.
Avoid planting sprawling crops (like pumpkins or watermelon), aggressive spreaders (like mint or lemon balm), and deep-rooted perennials (like asparagus or berry bushes) in raised beds. These plants either choke out other vegetables, take over the available space, or require depths that shallow raised beds simply cannot accommodate.
🍁 Mid-Fall (Late September – October)
This is the ideal window for insulating your plants and protecting soil before winter. By now, soil has cooled but hasn't frozen, making it the right time to apply mulch for root insulation.
Yes. I'm still working on a packet of 20 year old tomato seeds... Soak them in a little peroxide for about a minute to help break down the coating and then sprout in a damp paper towel.
An example of a very old viable seed that was excavated from the Arctic Tundra and germinated and flowered after an estimated record of 10,000 years is Lupinus arcticus. It is a type of lupine and is an example of a very old viable seed.
The title "King of Vegetables" is highly contested and varies depending on culinary, cultural, and nutritional perspectives. Several prominent vegetables hold this title in different contexts, with Eggplant (Brinjal) and Potato being the most widely recognized claimants.
The "Three Sisters" is the most famous and efficient 3-plant combination. Rooted in Indigenous agriculture, this symbiotic trio maximizes garden space by working together to support, feed, and protect each other:
October is the premier month for planting hardy, cool-season crops and establishing overwintering plants. Depending on your specific growing zone, ideal vegetables to plant include:
The Amish water their crops by prioritizing natural soil moisture retention over mechanical irrigation. For fields that require supplemental watering, they rely on gravity-fed systems or manual labor using buckets, totes, and traditional watering cans filled from nearby creeks, ponds, or cisterns.
Planting things too far apart or too close together
There's definitely a sweet spot with spacing between plants in the garden. If you plant things too close together they end up competing for space, nutrients and water and aren't able to grow to their mature size.
The health benefits of gardening include improved muscle strength, flexibility and heart health, as well as better overall well-being and quality of life. Gardening can improve your muscle strength, flexibility and heart health.