The essentials for living your best life.
The essentials for living your best life.
Soil testing is the simplest way to take the guesswork out of gardening and get a true picture of your soil health. With the right results, you can choose smarter soil amendments, improve mulch maintenance, and build a healthier garden season after season.
Soil testing is more than a one-time check—it’s the foundation of smarter garden records and healthier beds year after year. When you track results over time, you can make better decisions about soil amendments, mulch maintenance, and overall soil health with far less guesswork.
March gardening works best when you start with the soil: the right amendments can set the stage for stronger germination, healthier roots, and easier spring growth. From cool-season crops to careful pest inspection, a little planning now helps your garden get off to a steady start.
January gardening is the perfect time to step back, make smart choices, and set your garden up for success before spring arrives. From garden planning and winter pruning to soil testing and seed ordering, these quiet-season tasks can save time and lead to healthier, more productive plants later on.
Compost around trees and shrubs can do wonders when it’s placed in the root zone, not piled against trunks or buried too deeply. With the right landscape compost application, you can improve soil health, boost moisture retention, and give woody plants the support they need to thrive.
September cover crops can turn an empty bed into a living shield before winter settles in. With the right cover crops by hardiness zone, you can boost fall soil improvement, prevent erosion, and set the stage for a healthier spring garden.
Regenerative gardening and no-till gardening overlap, but they are not the same. Learn how soil health, cover crops, composting, and biodiversity set them apart.
Compacted garden soil can slow growth, but deep tilling isn’t the only fix. Learn how a simple broadfork alternative and targeted aeration can improve soil structure and root penetration without turning your beds upside down.
Sunflowers serve various purposes such as producing seeds, oil, and flowers while enriching garden ecosystems. Organic cultivation is preferred for soil health. They thrive in warm, well-drained soil with adequate sunlight. Different varieties offer diverse aesthetics and benefits. Careful pest management and proper planting techniques are essential for optimal growth and yield.
Grow fava beans with ease in cool weather and enjoy a rewarding harvest of tender pods, nutritious greens, and soil-boosting benefits. These hardy legumes need little fertilizer, thrive with simple support, and make an excellent choice for both food and cover cropping in the garden.
Turn everyday cardboard and heavy paper into a simple, budget-friendly mulch that smothers weeds, holds in moisture, and feeds healthier soil as it breaks down. Layer it with bark, wood chips, or leaves for a low-maintenance landscape that looks great and saves time, water, and money.
Crop rotation and cover crops are powerful tools for building healthier soil and more resilient harvests. By mixing deep- and shallow-rooted plants, legumes, and cover crops, farmers can boost nutrients, suppress pests and weeds, and support stronger yields with fewer chemical inputs.
Healthy, fertile soil is the foundation of higher yields, stronger profits, and more sustainable farming. Discover practical ways to build soil health with organic matter, smart nutrient management, and conservation practices that keep roots fed and crops thriving.
Want bigger harvests with less effort? Companion planting pairs crops that naturally support each other—like corn, beans, squash, and leafy greens—to help deter pests, boost soil health, and make the most of every inch of garden space.
Don’t toss those used tea bags just yet—they can help enrich your soil, deter pests, and even give your garden a natural boost. It’s a simple, eco-friendly way to reduce waste while making your plants happier and healthier.
September is the perfect time to give your garden a head start against spring pests with a few simple, high-impact moves. From fall cleanup and cover crops to row covers and healthy soil, these easy steps help protect your plants now and set you up for a stronger garden next season.
Vermicompost tea is an easy, natural way to supercharge your garden with beneficial microbes, nutrients, and disease-fighting power. Use it as a soil drench or foliar spray to help plants grow stronger, absorb nutrients better, and thrive from the roots up.
Compost enriches your soil over time, improving structure, moisture retention, and overall garden health, while fertilizer gives plants a quick boost of essential nutrients. Learn when to use each one—or how to combine them—for a stronger, more productive garden.
Healthy garden soil is alive, teeming with microbes, worms, and nutrients that work together to nourish plants from the ground up. Learn how compost, cover crops, worm castings, and more can transform tired soil into a thriving, self-sustaining ecosystem.
Growing beans at home is an easy way to enjoy fresh, flavorful harvests while boosting your garden’s soil health. With so many varieties to choose from and simple growing tips to follow, you can start picking tender pods or hearty dry beans in just a few weeks.
If your garden looks tired, the real fix may be beneath the surface: healthy soil. The simple 3:1 composting ratio can transform scraps into rich, balanced compost that helps plants grow stronger, hold moisture better, and thrive all season long.
Want healthier vegetables and a better harvest? These simple, practical tips will help your garden thrive, from building rich soil to watering wisely and catching problems early.
Turn everyday kitchen scraps and yard waste into rich, nourishing compost that boosts your garden, cuts waste, and helps the planet. With a few simple steps, anyone can start composting at home—even in a small space.
Trying to choose between no-dig and container gardening? Learn the key differences in space, cost, maintenance, and plant choice so you can pick the style that fits your home and gardening goals best.
Want bigger, healthier harvests? Crop rotation can boost your vegetable yields by up to 30% while improving soil health and helping keep pests and diseases in check.