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June 29, 2020

Four Mint Iced Tea (harvest recipe)

June 29, 2020/ Kelly Pemberton

If there is one plant anyone can grow, it’s mint. This perennial, hardy herb isn’t very fussy: it needs moist soil and prefers partial shade, although it will also grow happily in full sun as long as you keep it watered and fertilize with a liquid fertilizer every 6 to 8 weeks. Left to its own devices, it will take over your growing space, so it’s usually best to grow it in containers. Even a small container of mint can provide you with an ample amount of herb to use in teas and culinary dishes, and clipping once the stem has produced several sets of leaves will encourage the plant to send out produce more. In fact, it’s best to clip the leaves on a regular basis for a healthy plant that will offer you an abundant harvest.

May 28, 2020

Using integrated pest management in your home garden: why it’s more important than ever

May 28, 2020/ Kelly Pemberton

If you’ve ever had a garden, you’ve dealt with pests. That’s an inevitable part of gardening; some seasons you may find that your garden is relatively pest-free, while other seasons herbivore pests will ravage your plants. Most gardeners resign themselves to having to share at least some of their crops with pests, and some even plant things that are specifically meant to attract herbivores so that they’ll spare other parts of the garden Whether it’s insect pest or the animal variety, there are a number of steps you can take to minimize damage to your plants without harming the environment and without resorting to the use of pesticides or other poisons.

May 06, 2020

How to Create a Kitchen Garden (Infographic)

May 06, 2020/ Kelly Pemberton

Guest post by Alan Crowe

Many of us live in situations where we don’t have the benefit of access to vast open spaces of green. With apartment living, you might be lucky to have a balcony and maybe a communal space to enjoy. Just because you don’t have a garden doesn’t mean you can’t get involved in gardening, though!

April 08, 2020

5 Human-Powered Garden Tools for More Sustainable Farming

April 08, 2020/ Kelly Pemberton

(images from pexels.com and pixabay.com)

Guest post by Wendy Dessler

Humans have never been shy of using technology to make work easier, more efficient, and increase yield. Clearly, the agricultural sector has gained a lot from power-- tools used to make cultivation easier and crop farming more productive. But according to Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI), there’s a need for reforms if more sustainable farming is to be realized.

April 05, 2020

Is Your Garden Not Growing? 4 Tricks to Help Revive It

April 05, 2020/ Kelly Pemberton

Guest post by Meghan Belnap

If you’re having trouble growing plants and flowers in your garden, certain methods can be tried to increase your vegetation. Even a garden that seems like it’s beyond help can often be salvaged if the right measures are taken. Here are four smart tricks to help revive your garden.

May 26, 2019

Why Growing a Food Garden Is More Important Than Ever

May 26, 2019/ Kelly Pemberton

The industrial food system, sometimes referred to as industrial agriculture, or “big ag,” refers to the current system of commercial food production, which relies heavily on synthetic chemical fertilizers and pesticides. This system developed during World War II, when militaries relied on chemical weapons to fuel their war machines. After the war, the leftover chemicals began to be used in agricultural applications, enabling farmers to go from self-sufficiency to major commercial growth in a relatively short span of time. However, the technologies that enabled farming to go big also brought changes that are currently threatening the livelihood and health of farming families, their workers, the environment, and each one of us.

March 21, 2019

How to Use Baking Soda as Organic Fungicide for Your Garden

March 21, 2019/ Kelly Pemberton

Guest post by Owais Shah

Updated 09/28/2022

The use of baking soda as a fungicide is not new and has long been utilized by gardeners to protect their plants. Scientifically known as Sodium Bicarbonate, it has been an effective and safe fungicide for the treatment of various fungal diseases such as powdery mildew. It is also effective at eliminating the effects of fungal diseases on common vegetable plants.

March 17, 2019

How to take care of your indoor seedlings

March 17, 2019/ Kelly Pemberton

Spring is officially around the corner! Although the weather may not have begun warming significantly where you live, there’s no reason you can’t start your growing season a little early. After visiting my local nurseries for the past month now and repeatedly being told that no new herb or vegetable plants had come in yet, I decided to invest in a few simple tools and start planting some seeds indoors. Whether you’ve got the itch to grow right now, or you’re interested in getting a jump start on your gardening, there are a few things you can do today to start growing something good and make sure that it thrives well into the warm season.

March 14, 2019

A Beginner’s Guide to Successful Indoor Gardening

March 14, 2019/ Kelly Pemberton

When the winter gets you feeling down and you find yourself dreaming of fresh herbs and veggies from the summer garden, consider creating your own garden indoors! Besides providing plenty of delicious food to eat, indoor plants clean the air in your home and add a pop of vibrant green space to the indoor space.

Indoor gardening is a great solution for those who do not have enough outdoor space, especially for those who live in cities where space is at a premium. Plants do not have to take up much space - if a sunny window, table, or shelf can work with the current configuration of your space, then a plant can thrive. For outdoor garden spots, indoor gardening may be a great way to get seedlings going before planting them outside the spring.

Here are some important things to consider when starting an indoor garden:

February 07, 2019

How to Safely Transport Your Plants

February 07, 2019/ Kelly Pemberton

guest post by Tess Halpren

(image by Brina Blum on Unsplash)

There has been a ton of research to establish why plants have such a positive impact on the environment, and on our well-being. They add more than just aesthetics to a room. Some of their many other benefits include

Improved air quality
Improved humidity levels
Reduced stress and improved well-being
The ability to evoke a calmer, happier effect
Reduced negativity in the workplace and home
Ability to absorb noise
Help in saving energy
Aid in speeding up recovery from illnesses
Help in reduction of carbon dioxide levels

Based on these impressive benefits, it’s no surprise people hold their plants so dearly. And if you’re planning on moving or relocating in 2019, the thought of how to best transport your plants might have already came to mind. The Zebra created this helpful guide on how to effectively and safely transport your plants. It includes best practices, safety precautions, and helpful tips for before, during, and after your move.

January 28, 2019

Soil Amendments for Organic Gardening

January 28, 2019/ Kelly Pemberton

Guest post by Anna Wrench

The right type of soil is important for plant growth, especially in organic gardening. The gardener or specialist in soil knows exactly how the soil has to be treated in order to make it more fertile. If you are cultivating crops, then it requires that the soil be enriched with apposite nutrients to help in the proper growth of crops.

The modern trend is inclining towards environmentally-friendly and healthy organic gardening. Organic gardening seeks to maintain balance and harmony with nature. In this context, soil supplies help with the decomposition of toxins, play an essential role in root growth, maintain the health of the root, and lessen the gardener’s dependency on fertilizer. It is indeed essential for growing productive and healthy crops that are healthier not just for the consumer but also for the environment.

January 20, 2019

The Perfect Rainwater Collection System for Homesteaders and Urban Gardeners

January 20, 2019/ Kelly Pemberton

Guest post by Jon Godfrey

Rainwater collecting is enormously helpful. However, if you understand the infrastructure that you put in place, it can be even better for your home and garden. Let's look at how you can set it up yourself.

1. Set Up Your Roofs and Gutters

Your house, garden gazebo, shed, garage, and every other building on your property should have excellent gutters all the way around the roofs. Run a garden hose in them and walk around, carefully checking for any leaks that would cut down on efficiency.

December 16, 2018

5 Things you can do now to have a winter food garden

December 16, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

Most people who garden believe that the growing season ends when the weather begins to turn cold and morning dew turns to frost. This is absolutely not true, though. A few places (USDA zones 0-2) have extremely short growing seasons that make it very difficult to grow vegetables outdoors without using specialized techniques and growing plants that are uniquely adapted to grow in that climate. However most people, even those who live in places where it reliably snows every winter (like Ontario, Canada), can continue to grow fresh herbs, vegetables, and even some flowers all year round.

December 04, 2018

How small-scale farming can help reduce the effects of climate change

December 04, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

This past summer was terrible for my crops. I eagerly started the process of sowing seeds and transferring seedlings and cuttings into their permanent homes and looked forward to the day I could begin harvesting the results of my hard labor. I was also in the process of renovating my home for sale and purchasing another, so working in the garden was a welcome relief from the stress and uncertainty of that process. At least it was supposed to be…

September 19, 2018

The Five Steps to an Eco-Friendly Garden

September 19, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

Guest post by Katie Myers

Did you know that 44% of young people are unhappy with the current state of the environment? There are many ways that we can help to improve the state of the environment, and many of these we try to practise daily such as recycling and leaving the car at home when we can. However, whilst many of us often try so hard to make our homes eco-friendly, we often forget about our gardens.

Becoming an eco-friendly gardener is not nearly as hard as it sounds. There are just five easy changes that you can make to transform your outdoor space into an eco-friendly one. The right gardening techniques will not only help you to achieve your eco-friendly status, but will also attract a wider range of wildlife into your garden, help you save money on your water bills and can even help you to lose weight.