Feed the soil, and let the soil feed the plants. It’s one of two axioms I live by when it comes to gardening advice. But if you’re like many, I […]
Articles on Organic Gardening
Buying Compost in Bulk – When Quantity and Quality Matter
I love having land and plenty of room to grow. Although I wouldn’t trade it for anything, it does come with certain challenges that require a little “out of the […]
How to Improve Soil in Any Lawn or Garden
Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, it does. I’m talking about the performance of my lawn and garden. While I’ve been gardening personally and professionally for most of […]
Do Earthworms Survive Winter?
It’s not the most common question I get, but as winter approaches, people want to know if earthworms can survive through winter in places such as worm bins, garden beds or […]
How to make our Custom Worm Bin
Our vermicompost bin which we show you how to make in episode 622 (air date of 11/28/15) is easy to build and works great. It can be modified any number of […]
Nature’s Sponge; One More Reason to Love Compost in Times of Drought
During the hot, dry days of summer, plants and lawns can’t seem to get enough water. Nearly everywhere I look, it’s easy to see the signs of thirsty landscapes. Yet, […]
The Role of Minerals in Making Great Soil
By Jeff Gillman, PhD – for GrowingAGreenerWorld.com By now everyone knows that the best thing to add to a soil to make it work for their plants is organic matter. In […]
The Most Important Soil Amendment No One Ever Talks About
By Ellen Galvin, for GrowingAGreenerWorld.com The secret to growing healthy and nutritious food begins with the soil. Naturally healthy soil contains billions of living microorganisms—from bacteria to nematodes, fungi, protozoa, […]
My Favorite Composting Bin; How to make it for free in minutes
Not long ago, we filmed an episode for Growing a Greener World, which was all about composting. To this day, we get many requests for the instructions on how to […]
Floating Row Covers
Although not the prettiest to look at, floating row covers are worth their weight and more when it comes to protecting your tender vegetables from early frosts or hungry pests. […]
Biodynamic Gardening – An Overview
Biodynamics is truly a ‘holistic’ approach to gardening. It encompasses the principals of organic gardening while taking into consideration the basic cycles of nature. The goal is to restore and […]
Is Your Mulch Safe? Here’s How to Find Out
What’s in your mulch? Consumers concerned about what might be in their mulch, especially when it comes to hazardous materials such as the chemicals used for treating wood, now have […]
Organic Gardening: It’s Easier Than You Think
The practice of organic gardening may seem intimidating and complex but it is not as difficult or expensive as you may think. While it is a different approach to gardening, […]
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
To me, IPM is simply a matter of being in touch with your garden. I call it proactive (vs. reactive gardening). It’s taking an early morning stroll with your cup […]
Soil Prep for the Vegetable Garden
True gardeners rarely refer to soil as simply dirt. They understand the difference between the stuff you dig up in your backyard versus the “black gold” that consist of compost, […]
Eco-friendly Pest Control
Go with Natural Pest Controls First Organic pest control methods are generally less environmentally damaging, and less toxic to non-targeted insects, mammals and aquatic life. Unfortunately, in our time-starved world, […]
Why an Eco-friendly Garden is Good for All
As I sat down to write the introduction to my latest book: The green Gardener’s Guide; simple, significant actions to protect and preserve our planet, I realized that this relatively simple […]
Much Ado About Mulch; Buyer Beware
Yes, it’s true. I’m a big fan of mulch. I always have been. And the more I learn about all the direct benefits, the bigger fan I become. Recently I […]
Who Knew? Recent Discoveries inside the Soil Food Web
Sometime in the late 90’s, I asked 450 members of the Garden Writers Association if they knew what a ‘mycorrhizal’ was or had ever heard of plant exudates. No one […]
Composting Q & A
Q.) I’d like to start composting but not sure where to begin. A.) Composting couldn’t be easier. The basics of compost are plant wastes (leaves, twigs, grass), and kitchen scraps […]
Compost Kitchen and Household Waste for an early start this Winter
As you know by now, I’m a big fan of compost which I believe is the single best soil amendment you can add to any lawn or garden. What you […]
Composting Basics
There is no store bought product better for the garden than compost, and I believe it’s the single most important ingredient we can add to our gardens. Even better, it’s […]
Fall Leaves are a Gift to Gardeners
A hint of fall is in the air. The mornings are cool and crisp, the leaves are starting to change colors and college football is in full swing. It’s clearly […]
Soil for a Productive Garden
True “plant geeks” understand soil and plant nutrition in technical, scientific terms. You don’t have to be able to define field capacity, cation exchange capacity or soil ions to be […]
Organic Gardening Still Often Misunderstood
I’ve spent a lot of time lately speaking to audiences both within the gardening and landscaping industry as well as to homeowners that just love to garden. In spite of […]
Controlling Weeds Organically
So how do you know if that plant you are looking at in the ground is really a weed? Pull it up. If it comes out easily, it wasn’t a […]
Simple Ways to Reduce Garden Disease
As they say, an ounce of prevention…you know the rest. But, it is true! In gardens, there are certain problems that are beyond our control when it comes to plant […]
Taking the Mystery out of Organic Fertilizers
So it’s finally cool for mainstream America to be green. Organic products are showing up everywhere from what we put in our gardens to the clothes we wear on our […]