Look at what’s sitting in your produce drawer right now. A wrinkly avocado. A knob of ginger going soft. The leafy crown you twisted off a pineapple and dropped in the trash. Half of it is a houseplant waiting to start. The fruit, roots, and seeds you bring home from the store aren’t dead inventory. … Read more
There was a time when the kitchen windowsill did real work. A jar of cuttings rooting in water. A clay pot of something green leaning toward the light. Grandmothers didn’t run to the store for a sprig of anything. That habit has mostly faded. Now a pinch of fresh basil comes in a plastic clamshell … Read more
Most vegetable gardening is a yearly reset. You till, you seed, you baby the seedlings, you harvest, and then frost wipes the slate clean. Next March, you start over. But a whole category of edible plants breaks that cycle. Plant them once. Walk away. They come back on their own, year after year, some of … Read more
You threw away food today that would have grown into more food. Not metaphorically. Not in some abstract, composting-is-good-for-the-earth kind of way. Literally. The root end of the onion you chopped, the base of the celery you snapped, the seeds you scooped out of that pepper — every single one of those would have produced … Read more
Have you looked at your grocery receipt lately? Produce prices are climbing, and half the time, the quality just isn’t there. But here is the secret most people miss: You don’t need a farm to lower your grocery bill. You just need to be strategic. Don’t fill your garden with cheap vegetables like potatoes or … Read more
Citrus trees aren’t typically known for their tolerance to cold temperatures, but some, like the Meyer Lemon, can survive a frost or two. When colder temperatures are approaching, it is essential to pay attention to how cold each of your citrus trees is allowed to get. It takes many years to get a good batch … Read more
No garden is complete without at least one variety of tomato growing in it. Luckily tomatoes are the most abundant vegetable in the world, so there is a good chance that one and most likely several types of tomato plants will be growable in your garden. In order to enjoy the fruit of tomato plants, … Read more
