To elaborate a bit more on yesterday's post on how to perform a soil test, here are some guidelines you should use if you are sending soil samples off to a lab for testing. You can have your soil thoroughly tested by a local co-operative extension office or an affiliated university lab. You can...

Almost everything you read or hear about starting a new garden, mentions getting your soil tested. Testing your soil is very important in finding out your soil composition, nutrient levels, and soil pH. Testing is also key in finding out whether you have high levels of heavy metals, such as...

The next time you use green onions in your favorite soup, salad, or other dish, do not throw away the bulb at the bottom. The bulbs can actually be re-used to grow more green onions. This is a superb way to get the maximum use out of a great vegetable. Here is how you can get three or four more...

Watering the vegetable garden can be a time consuming, monotonous activity for most gardeners. Getting up at the crack of dawn to water vegetable plants can get down right tiring after a while, not to mention dragging a garden hose all over creation. However, there are some nifty projects that...

Yesterday I posted about the decline in bee populations, so I thought it would be a good idea to discuss one easy task you can do in case you are not getting many bees visiting your garden. You will know real quick if bees are not coming around. Ever noticed a little tiny cucumber behind a...

Now that summer is upon us it is time for the peskiest critter of them all - the mosquito. When the temperatures soar during the summer, the best time to venture out into the garden is right about dusk. The cooler temperatures and softer light make gardening and enjoying the outdoors very...

I know this sounds like an odd topic because soaker hoses are suppose to have holes, right? The whole point of a soaker hose is to leak water. Well, there are moments when a large hole can develop in a soaker hose, and create something that looks more like Old Faithful in your garden. This...

Poblano (or also called Ancho) Peppers are arguably the most under-rated pepper in the pepper family. They do not get nearly the attention of the jalapeno or cayenne pepper, but poblano peppers are packed with flavor. The poblano pepper is my favorite pepper because they have that great pepper...

Most of the time eggplants need to have some type of support for two reasons. One, eggplant can get quite big and droop over if not supported. Two, the eggplant fruit can get very large and heavy (some varieties can weigh over a pound), causing the plant to droop, or even break, if not properly...

There are several ways to brew your own compost tea, from buying some expensive equipment (some brewers range from $100 to $600) to brewing it right in the backyard with supplies that you may already have or can get very cheaply. Compost tea is the best fertilizer you can get, and it is totally...

The current economic recession has brought about a surge of interest in vegetable gardening. For those that are venturing into growing vegetables for the first time, the start-up costs can get out of hand in a hurry. Before you know it, the costs of maintaining a vegetable garden can be higher...

I don't know about you, but okra is one of my favorite vegetables. Mix some stewed tomatoes in the pan with some okra and corn, and I'm in heaven. I think I could eat that stuff every day! If you love okra as much as I do then you probably have a few stalks of it in the garden. Okra is very...

If you are like me, you love to grow (and eat) banana peppers. There are many uses for these delicious peppers such as in salads, pizza toppings, spaghetti sauce, and can be used as many other flavorful additions to food. There is much confusion on when is the right time to harvest banana...

Air drying herbs is not only the easiest and least expensive way to dry fresh herbs, but this slow drying process also doesn't deplete the herbs of their oils. This process works best with herbs that don't have a high moisture content such as Dill, Marjoram, Oregano, Rosemary, Summer Savory and...

You have worked hard on planning, preparing, and planting your vegetable garden. It is a delight to walk out to the garden and find that all the hard work has paid off with a bounty of beautiful seedlings sprouting. But now you must do the unthinkable, the diabolical - the insane. You must thin...

Creating a container herb garden is very simple and only takes a few minutes. You can place this herb garden on a deck or patio so that it is near the kitchen for easy access when needed. Another perk of having it on a deck or patio is the wonderful fragrance your container herb garden will...

Using a trellis to support your cucumber plants, or other vining vegetables, is the best way to grow beautiful and tasty cucumbers. Many gardeners have learned the hard way (including me) that letting your cucumber vines just spread upon the ground is a good way to not have many cucumbers. The...