Chelsea Green Blog
Gardening
A Guide to Pruning Protected Crops
Pruning is essential for keeping protected crops healthy & balanced through the winter months. Keep reading for some helpful tips on pruning greenhouse and hoophouse plants! The following is an excerpt from The Greenhouse and Hoophouse Grower’s Handbook by Andrew Mefferd. It has been adapted for the web. Unless otherwise noted, all photographs copyright © 2017…
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Keeping Seeds Organized: Saving & Storing
Storing seeds is the key to having a successful growing season. Follow these tips for keeping seeds organized so you’re ready to plant as soon as the time is right!
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Soil Is Alive: What Lives In Our Soil?
Ever wonder what worms and centipedes are doing as they crawl through your soil? They’re actually working to improve the soil’s health, which benefits the environment and all living things in the long run. The following is an excerpt from Farming on the Wild Side by Nancy J. Hayden and John P. Hayden. It has been adapted…
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How to Extend the Growing Season
Winter may be coming, but that doesn’t mean you should put away those tools just yet! Extend the growing season past the first frost with a few modifications.
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All About Kale: The Evolution of This Popular Green
Once considered an undesirable vegetable mainly fed to cattle, kale has evolved over the years to become a powerful superfood!
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Out of the Kitchen, Into the Garden: Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar isn’t just for the kitchen, it’s also extremely useful in creating amendments for your garden. Before you reach for that bottle in your pantry, if you have an apple tree (or a crab apple tree) use the ground apples to make your own! After your apple cider vinegar is brewed, you’re ready…
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No-Till Arugula Start to Finish
Growing no-till arugula is a simple way to grow your own food. These greens can be used on pizzas, salads, and as a garnish on almost any dish.
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What’s In A Name? The Story of Squash
Squash varieties are delicious vegetables that play a vital role in some of our favorite dishes. It has come a long way, with a rich history and an admirable journey toward becoming the successful meal staple it is today.
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Building Your Own Root Cellar for the Fall Harvest
Building a root cellar is a great way to keep your harvest fresh through the cold months. With protection from weather and animals, these cellars can be just as good as a regular refrigerator. They can be built into a wall in your basement, dug into the ground, or simply buried. The following excerpt is…
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From the Garden to the Bread Basket: Rosemary Bread, Scones and Stuffing
Rosemary bread is the perfect compliment from cream cheese to strawberry jam to squash soup! The results are quite fantastic. Indulge in the trio of recipes below from rosemary bread, rosemary walnut scones to rosemary stuffing.
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Composting as if it Mattered
Composting is more than a way to minimize waste and a garden supplement. It is a method, when practiced and perfected, can supply all the needs of your crops and soil.
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About Thyme: Growing, Harvesting, and Drying Thyme
Thyme is easy to grow and harvest in almost any condition. Follow these tips to get started growing, harvesting (and drying) thyme in your home or backyard!
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Weeding: Work Smarter, Not Harder
Weeds are the bane of every farmer and gardener’s existence. Before you go crusading against the weeds in your garden follow these tips and tricks!
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Preserving Veggies: Tips for Freezing Vegetables
Try your hand at preserving veggies by freezing them! Freezing vegetables is a quick, simple way to preserve them for winter meals.
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A Guide to Great Compost From Eliot Coleman
Compost is the key to an abundant garden. Learn the basics of making compost from gardening expert Eliot Coleman, and enjoy the joy of growing your own food.
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How to Save Tomato Seeds
As your favorite variety of home grown tomatoes start ripening on the vine this summer, be sure to save those seeds for next year’s planting. It takes a bit of care to get the seeds out of the gelatinous tomato goo they’re suspended in, but once you’ve done it you can use those seeds to…
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Biodynamic Farming: Unlock Fertile Fields with Cows & Compost
“An immediate halt to chemical fertilizing and returning to the use of compost instead would turn degeneration into regeneration.”
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Capturing the Crunch: How to Harvest and Store Cucumbers
As the weather heats up, now’s the perfect time to grow and pick cucumbers! With these easy tips and tricks, you’ll be prepared to successfully harvest and store the cucumbers you grow until they’re ready to eat. Unless otherwise noted, all photographs copyright © 2017 by Andrew Mefferd. The following is an excerpt from The Greenhouse and…
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Land Degradation: The Secrets of Fixing the Soil with Biochar
Some of the world’s most productive and resilient soils contain significant quantities of “natural” biochar. Author Kelpie Wilson challenges us to “change our perspective from ‘too much carbon in the air’ to ‘not enough carbon in the soil.’ We are good at being miners and exploiting resources, so let’s mine the air and stash the…
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Perennial Veggies: The Benefits of Perennial Vegetables
Think about how much work your perennial flower beds take compared to your annual vegetable garden. In a busy year, your perennial garden largely sails through despite neglect. Once your perennials are established, and if they are suited to your climate and site conditions, they can be virtually indestructible. An annual vegetable garden, as we…
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Daylily Dangers and Delights
Got some daylilies taking over your garden? Instead of weeding them out, try eating them instead! A common vegetable in China and Japan, the daylily is more than a pretty flower. These wild plants are easy to forage and packed with flavor that will serve as a perfect addition to seasonal recipes. Before trying them,…
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Reaping the Harvest: Tips for Harvesting and Preserving
Tending to your garden is fulfilling in its own way, but the real reward is when everything is ready to be harvested! See below for some tips for harvesting and preserving that’ll keep you nourished for months to come. The following is an excerpt form The Regenerative Grower’s Guide to Garden Amendments by Nigel Palmer. It…
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Plant Spotlight: The Joyful Juneberry
All hail the joyful juneberry! While these rich and sweet berries taste wonderful when they’re fresh, you can also preserve them, use them as a substitute for blueberries in dessert recipes, and used to make wine, beer or cider. To create these delicious dishes, you first need to find and harvest juneberries. Get ready to set…
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Getting to the Root: Growing & Harvesting Carrots
Curious about carrots? There is no better time than now to get to growing. Before you get started, check out these insights on growing & harvesting carrots from gardening expert Will Bonsall. The following is an excerpt from Will Bonsall’s Essential Guide to Radical, Self-Reliant Gardening by Will Bonsall. It has been adapted for the…
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How to Grow and Maintain Fruit Trees: General Fruit Tree Management
Thinking of growing fruit trees? While it’s no small undertaking, fruit trees are much more forgiving than annual crops once established. Fruits like apples, apricots, cherries, peaches, nectarines, pears, pluots, and plums can easily be grown on trees in your backyard — you just need to know the correct management practices before you get started.…
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