My Food Pantry and Hoop House Garden Story

My Food Pantry and Hoop House Garden Story

I have a small hoop house right outside my house. I built because there is enough space on my lawn for my gardening activities and it has taken care of my plants very well throughout the year. My loop house is unheated and has been home to brassicas, greens, and onions until I decided to do some reorganization.
Since the space was full of greens, onions, and brassicas like broccoli and cabbage, I decide to move them all outside and into the non-shaded part of the garden. I did this because these kinds of plants can survive throughout the cold season as long as I will cover them with light-row covers.
After I moved the winter …

My Experience with Growing Kale, Escarole, and Spinach

My Experience with Growing Kale, Escarole, and Spinach

Most gardeners don’t utilize their backyard during the winter season because they don’t know what to grow. However, did you know that winter plants like spinach, kale, and escarole can actually do well in winter?  In my career as a garden writer, I have come to know that it is possible to grow cold-hardy crops as much as other crops.
Well, the secret lies in using winter tunnels. For instance, spinach does well during the cold season because it increases its sugar content in the vasculature and this serves as an anti-freeze to protect it.

Winter Gardening: How I Water My Winter Tunnels

Winter Gardening: How I Water My Winter Tunnels

Winter can be a difficult time to grow plants, especially those that can’t survive in the cold. For this reason, I had to be creative and use winter tunnels to continue my gardening hobby even during this unfavorable time.
Currently, I have planted winter greens like spinach, broccoli, arugula, kale, and escarole in my winter tunnels. These plants are tough and I knew they would do well in winter.
Last week, I decided to check up on my winter tunnels to see how my plants were doing. As …

Creative and Interesting Garden Ideas

Creative and Interesting Garden Ideas

During my first few months of creating an astounding, self-sustaining, and creative vegetable garden, I focused on researching the outs and ins of planting vegetables. You are most probably brought here because you’re researching when and how to plant every vegetable you are planning to grow in your backyard.
It can be a thousand tomato varieties or a bunch of onions. Also, you might want to know about the difference between newly sprouting vegetables and weeds. Familiarizing with these important gardening details will keep you busy and productive for the first few months of gardening.
As soon as you finally settle into…

How to Grow Your Own Garlic

How to Grow Your Own Garlic

Garlic is one of the most important ingredients in every delicious recipe. Thus, there is no question why you should include it on your gardening list. The natural cycle of this gardening season is wonderfully represented through our garlic crops’ health throughout this year. We can start planting during the fall season and hibernate it during winter. Then, it will soon sprout in spring and, finally, harvest it during summer.

Tips for Setting Realistic Garden Goals

Tips for Setting Realistic Garden Goals

There is no other opportunity that feels more refreshing than new beginnings— especially the beginning of another year. Often I find myself setting intentions and goals in different aspects of my life. However, I often miss the fact that my gardens should be included in my dreaming and planning process.
Outlining your gardening goals for an upcoming season can be easy if you don’t consider the necessary factors involved in the process. Well, all gardeners are dreamers in any way. They are very creative and imaginative in the way that they put their thoughts into work. But systematically creating a plan to actualize their …

Deciding What to Plant in Your Garden?

Deciding What to Plant in Your Garden?

If you are like most gardeners and gardening enthusiasts, you are probably confused about what to plant to bring your dream backyard to life. Truth be told, there are so many choices and it can be quite overwhelming to decide what to plant in each season and especially in winter.
Some gardeners have so many ideas flooding in their minds that they forget to think soundly and decide responsibly. You need to be very intentional about what you grow in your garden to get the best possible results.
When deciding what …

Is Your Cilantro Bolting? Here are Tips on How to Stop It from Reoccurring

Is Your Cilantro Bolting? Here are Tips on How to Stop It from Reoccurring

One of my clients told me last year that his cilantro is always bolting. He could not just figure out how he could grow it healthily in his garden. Well, that is actually a common concern that I usually hear from my clients. Some of them still have their cilantro bolting even after their year of experience in gardening— this usually happens during summer and spring. So, what is it that they have in common that caused them to have that problem?
Cilantro bolting can be very frustrating and most gardeners don’t know what to do about it. In this article, I will share with you my simple tips on how to stop your cilantro from bolting…

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