Why You Shouldn’t Wait to Aerate Your Lawn
Photo: arteagaser (Shutterstock) As you’re working your way through your fall gardening checklist, you may have questions about what to do to your lawn before winter sets in—like whether aerating…
The Best Ways to Keep Plants Alive During a Heatwave
When I left Arizona for the Pacific Northwest thirteen years ago, I anticipated never needing air conditioning again. Now, I sit at the intersection of an A/C and two fans,…
How to Grow a Permaculture Food Forest in Your Yard (and Why You Should)
Modern gardening often involves weeding, turning the soil, fertilization, and pest control. But permaculture is the practice of growing a garden with the least amount of intervention possible, relying on…
These Plants Make the Best Living Fences
When we think of fences, materials like lumber, chain-link, stone, brick, and chickenwire tend to come to mind. But what about shrubs and small trees? They can be used to…
The Best Ways to Keep Squirrels Out of Your Potted Plants
Most gardeners know that squirrels can pose a threat to nearly any potted plant. They like to dig in the soil to stash food they don’t consume immediately, so in…
Rearrange Your Garden by Using ‘Hidden’ Pots
You put a lot of work into your garden, so nothing is quite as frustrating as stepping back to take it all in and realizing you’re not really happy the…
Why ‘Foodscaping’ Is Better Than Regular Landscaping
For most people, landscaping is a purely decorative act. We design the exteriors of our homes for visual impact more than anything, resulting in immaculate lawns and colorful edgings that…
Turn a Garden Planter Into Secret Storage
Photo: Bogdan Vacarciuc (Shutterstock) Not everyone has the luxury of a spacious outdoor storage shed. If you love to garden but lack the space to store all the necessary tools,…
Let a Shoelace Water Your Plants for You
Long-term plant-watering hacks are usually marketed toward people who are heading away on vacation, but the reality is that plenty of people with houseplants are just too busy to water…
11 Spectacular Vertical Gardens You Can Grow in Small Spaces
Photo: Piyachok Thawornmat (Shutterstock) Like Mark Twain once quipped, land is always going to be valuable because they’re simply not making any more of it. Anyone struggling to make their…