Kristina HicksHamblin

When you plan your cool season vegetable garden, you’ll certainly want to include kale, the versatile star of many a plant-based meal – from salads and smoothies to stir fries and stews.But to harvest the most abundant and delicious leafy gr

Prayer plants are loved for their beautiful, patterned foliage. But if you notice yellow leaves on this houseplant, take it as a sign of distress – a signal to you that something is amiss.In addition to marantas, the houseplants mos

The smell of dill takes me straight to my happy place: Mediterranean-style meals, warm spring days, and soft feathery plants.Life doesn’t get much better than that doe

For those of us who are fans (or fanatics!) when it comes to succulents and cacti, the only thing more enticing than a pot of plump, fleshy foliage might be a cascade of those same leaves trailing out of a hanging basket or planter.The visual cue is clear – our cups are running over wi

When you’re looking for guidance on companion planting to improve your organic garden, it’s likely that you’ve come across a vast array of charts.Companion planting charts tell you which combinations

For those seeking to cultivate a resilient, healthy organic garden, Jessica Walliser’s book “Plant Partners: Science-Based Companion Planting Strategies for the Vegetable Garden” should be one of your essential reference books.We link to vendors to help you find relevant

Chard, also known as Swiss chard or silver beet, is a pretty well-behaved and easygoing member of the vegetable garden.It tends to mind its own business, content to g

Japanese eggplants are known for their long, slender fruit, with thin skins and few seeds.The mild, delicately flavored flesh is l

Beautifully variegated or in soothing shades of solid green, spiderworts are easy-care houseplants that will give you masses of vines to beautify your indoor space.These tropical species are fast growers, so if you

Rocky Mountain bee plant is a low maintenance and showy annual wildflower that’s native to North America, and it’s also a big hit with pollinators!We link to vendors to help you find relevant products

Ah, there’s nothing more delightful than the smell of fresh-brewed coffee, is there? And after enjoying your morning cup of joe, it makes perfect sense to use the spent grounds in your garden.Right?For a well-intentioned gardener, repurposing the remains o

Ah, the Christmas cactus. Perhaps you received one of these as a holiday gift, wrapped with a red ribbon or nestled in a festive planter. Maybe you forgot about it, sitting on your mantle, after the holiday frenzy.And yet, to your surprise, your neglect failed to do it i

If you’re interested in adding a lot of greenery to your home quickly, and want a houseplant that is both easy to care for and nontoxic, the spider plant should be at the top of your list – I know it’s always at the top of mine.Though they are fairly commonplace as far as houseplants

Oftentimes, we gardeners are met with a dilemma – I’m talking about the burden of too much homegrown produce. (Yeah, don’t expect anyone’s pity for this predicament!)When harvests of a seemingly endless supply of cucumbe

While eggs may be the delight of many home cooks, eggshells can be the bane of many home composters.I remember my reaction when I dug in to harvest my very first batch of

Elephant bush is an easy-care, low maintenance houseplant – and there are many different types to choose from!We link to vendors to help you find relevant produc

Spiderworts make very low maintenance houseplants that are ideal for beginning gardeners.They are also available in a dazzling array of unique cu

Growing beans at home in the backyard garden can be a real confidence-booster when you are a beginning gardener.But if you pick your crop too early, your harv

Do you live in a cold region where winters are long and summers are short, and still fancy growing apricots, Prunus armeniaca, in your orchard?Well, luckily for you, despite the c

If you’re the adventurous foodie type, broccolini might be something you’ve not only heard of, but cooked at home or eaten in a restaurant. But what about the similarly named broccoli rabe, also known as rapini? Are these two vegetables the same thing?Ready for a quick and simple answer? No, they’re not!

If you have decided to grow milkweed to help monarch butterflies on their migratory routes, let me join our fluttery orange friends in thanking you!Since milkweeds are larval host plants for monarchs, increased plantings of these

Bush beans are one of the best crops for the beginning gardener to grow. Starting them from seed is easy, they don’t require trellising, and they will give you an easy return on your investment.And there’s really nothing like watching bean sp

So many beans, so little time! If this is a refrain you’ve caught yourself thinking before, you’ve come to the right place.Welcome to Beanland.Here in “Beanland,”

You may be familiar with borage as a lovely garden herb that produces delicate little blue flowers, blossoms that are perfect for freezing in ice cubes for a refreshing summertime twist in your favorite chilled beverages.But did you know this herb, known to us botany ge

Baking enthusiasts everywhere would likely agree that cherries are one of the most delicious fruits available to grow at home, and yet, the areas where these lush stone fruits grow well are somewhat limited.Sour cherries, Prunus cerasus, tend

There are plenty of reasons why you might want to know whether kale, Brassica oleracea, the star of many a spring or fall veggie garden, is an annual or a perennial.Armed with this knowledge, you

With winter coming on, there’s something reassuring about a well-stocked larder.And when it includes an abund

Orchid cacti, or epiphyllums, are forest cacti with long, flat, succulent stems that produce incredible blooms.These long-lived plants are easy to care for, fun to propagate, and stand up well to neglect!We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from

Have you ever wished you could grow a parlor palm tree from seed? Well, you’ve come to the right place. As long as you’ve got plenty of patience, you can!Many houseplants are difficult, or even impossib

As any new cat owner quickly finds out, some felines like to nibble on houseplants.If your home is full of – pard

When you decide to grow your own marigolds from seed, your options might feel almost limitless.These beautiful and sunny annua

Lettuce comes in a range of varieties – with flavors from buttery and mild to nutty and even slightly bitter; textures from delicate to crunchy; and colors from pale to dark green and burgundy.With all these choices, even the most ardent v

How do you harvest an apple?Does that seem like a dumb q

Winter can always use some brightening up. Especially if, like me, you spend much of the season indoors, relaxing and catching up on your gardening reading.A cheery houseplant (or three) might be just the compa

Don’t tell my zinnias, but cosmos are my absolute favorite summer flowers.These members of the sunflower family attract butt

Evergreen Norfolk Island pine trees (Araucaria heterophylla) make festive indoor displays during the holiday season, and are easy-care houseplants when the holidays are over.But don’t wait until after the festivitie