You Can Clean Your Grungy Landscape Rock
If you have pea gravel pathways or a river rock patio, it probably looked great when you first put it in; after a few seasons, though, it starts to look…
Why You Don’t Need to Sterilize Your Soil
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic triggered what’s been called a “global garden boom,” there has been a renewed interest in various methods and strategies for improving growing conditions…
You Should Try No-Dig Gardening
In school, most people learned that gardening involved planting a seed in soil, making sure it had the right amount of water and sunlight, and watching it grow. Of course,…
When Will the Wildfire Smoke Go Away?
The blanket of orange haze currently surrounding New York City and Philadelphia may dissipate soon—at least temporarily. When air quality will improve on the east coast depends not only on…
What ‘Code Purple’ and Other Air Quality Terms Mean
If you haven’t paid attention to the air quality index until now, you’re probably learning a lot about it rather quickly. Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. are under an air quality…
Here’s How Much an N95 Mask Protects You From Wildfire Smoke
I woke up to an air quality alert this morning, as probably a lot of you did. Smoke from Canadian wildfires has drifted toward the eastern half of the U.S.,…
Stop Planting These Invasive Butterfly Bushes
While butterfly bushes don’t need much water and bloom beautiful flowers, they have a bad side too. In many places in North America, some species of butterfly bushes (Buddleia) are…
Why You Should Use a Smart Hose Timer
Watering your garden or grass the correct amount can be tricky. If there’s hot weather, you can water too little or water at the wrong time of day and burn…
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…
Why You Should Stop Watering Your Plants in the Middle of the Day
You’re doing it wrong. That’s what I tell most gardeners when I see them outside on a hot day, sunscreen and sunhat in hand, enthusiastically plonking petunias and tomatoes in…