This category covers a wide range of topics focused around the benefits you will see when you learn to grow your own food. Benefits like self-sufficiency, health, cost savings, flavor, and fun!!
Quick Summary: Tomatoes benefit from companion plants that deter pests, attract beneficial insects, and don’t compete aggressively for nutrients. Excellent choices include basil, marigolds, carrots, and lettuce. Avoid fennel, brassicas planted too close, walnut trees, and other nightshades like potatoes. Read time: 12 min | Applies to: Containers and garden beds Jump to: Evidence Around …
Quick Summary: Keeping container gardens watered while traveling is one of the biggest challenges for balcony and patio gardeners. Solutions range from simple wine-bottle type of spikes for weekend trips to Smart Drip Irrigation systems for extended travel. This guide covers four approaches matched to trip length, plus an example of a setup of a …
Quick Summary: A collection of tomato recipes from 20+ years of growing heirlooms at HeathGlen Organic Farm. From fresh summer salads to preserved sauces for winter, these recipes make the most of peak-season tomatoes. Includes savory dishes, drinks, preserving methods, and tips for cooking with different tomato varieties. Jump to: Recipes with Fresh Tomatoes | …
Quick Summary: The short answer is that “low acid tomatoes” as marketed by seed companies are largely a myth. All tomatoes fall within a narrow pH range (4.1 to 4.7), regardless of color. Yellow and orange varieties taste less acidic because they’re higher in sugar, which masks the tartness. If you’re avoiding tomatoes for digestive …
Quick Summary: The best-tasting tomatoes come from healthy plants grown in good sun, watered generously while developing and then tapered off as fruit ripens, and harvested at the breaker stage. Variety selection matters enormously, but so does how you grow them. This guide covers the factors you can control to maximize flavor: watering strategy, fertilizing, …
Quick Summary: Heirloom tomatoes aren’t necessarily harder to grow than hybrids, but they have characteristics that make them different to manage. The main challenges are disease susceptibility and shorter shelf life due to thin skins, not the actual growing process. If you select the right variety for your climate and don’t have disease pressure in …
Quick Summary: Succession planting staggers your harvest by planting crops at different times or choosing varieties with different maturity dates. Three approaches: plant different crops that mature in different seasons, sow the same crop every 2-3 weeks for continuous harvest, or grow early, mid, and late varieties of the same vegetable. Benefits include no harvest …
Quick Summary: The essential Italian tomato varieties for home gardeners who love to cook. Includes paste tomatoes for sauces (San Marzano, Schiavone, Corbarino), beefsteaks for salads and sandwiches (Cuore di Bue, Costoluto Genovese), and specialty varieties for drying and storage (Principe Borghese, Piennolo). Tips on growing, container gardening, and troubleshooting. From a farmer who grows …
Quick Summary: Yes, you can grow Camellia sinensis (the tea plant) in American home gardens, but success depends on your climate. Tea plants thrive in USDA zones 7-9 with acidic soil, consistent moisture, and partial shade. In colder zones, grow them in containers and overwinter indoors. You can then harvest and process your own tea …
Quick Summary: Starting a vegetable garden begins with assessing your space, sun exposure, soil quality, and water access. Begin with easy crops like lettuce, herbs, bush beans, and radishes. If yard space is limited, many vegetables grow well in containers. Read time: 12 min | Experience level: Beginner Jump to: Planning your Garden Space | …
Quick Summary: Mini vegetables like ‘Tom Thumb’ peas, ‘Patio Baby’ eggplant, ‘Bambino’ carrots, and alpine strawberries are ideal for balcony and patio container gardens. Most need pots at least 10 to 12 inches in diameter and 8 to 12 inches deep, depending on the crop. Read time: 6 min | Experience level: Beginner Jump to: …
Quick Summary: Homemade potting soil gives you full control over ingredients but requires space and bulk materials. Commercial potting soil is convenient and consistent. Either way, use sterile mix, avoid overwatering, and keep lights close to prevent damping-off. Read time: 7 min | Experience level: Beginner to intermediate Jump to: Homemade Potting Soils | Commercial …
Quick Summary: Italian sweet peppers like Jimmy Nardello, Marconi, and Corno di Toro are sweeter and thinner-walled than standard bells. Start seeds indoors 8 weeks before last frost, transplant when soil reaches 60°F. Most Italian peppers grow well in containers. Harvest green or wait for full color for maximum sweetness. Read time: 7 min | …
Quick Summary: Container vegetable gardening requires good drainage, appropriately sized pots, sterile potting soil, consistent watering, and regular fertilizing. Determinate tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and salad greens are excellent choices for pots. Prep: Minimal | Difficulty: Beginner Jump to: Growing Vegetables in Pots | Choosing the Right Pot | How to Grow Veggies in Pots | …
Chicory is one of the most underrated vegetables for home gardeners. It’s cold-hardy, easy to grow, and includes varieties most people have never tried, like radicchio, catalogna, puntarelle, and sugarloaf. I grow several chicory varieties at HeathGlen Organic Farm in Minnesota for both fall salads and winter cooking. The bitter, complex flavor pairs well with …