13 Easy Planting Hacks to Grow Vegetables for Free

A summer earlier, I’d learned how to make vegetable soup from my friend Irene, a longtime food writer. (My adaptation of her recipe.) The ingredients include garlic, onions, carrots, celery, kale or chard or collards, broccoli or cauliflower, summer squash, shell beans (such as chickpeas or cannellini), green beans, tomatoes, tomatoes, parsley and basil. As I gained my confidence with the basic recipe, I also made some batches with shelling peas or even snap peas, instead of a portion of the green beans—lending a slightly sweeter flavor. And some batches even included a little of each.I don’t grow the celery, nor the chickpeas (nor water, olive oil, salt and pepper, of course), but everything else is under way once the garden gets going.What was most interesting: While, say, any yellow onion or type of garlic will do, certain varieties of vegetables proved particularly well adapted to soup-making, and I want to recommend them:‘Juliet’ tomatoes (above) are smallish but flavorful, not-too-thick skinned, and heavy producers; my choice for sauce and soup. I never

Lee is the author of so many books, including, “A Northeast Gardener’s Year,” “The Pruning Book,” “Weedless Gardening,” (enter to win a copy below) “Uncommon Fruits for Every Garden,” “Landscaping with Fruit,” and “Grow Fruit Naturally.”  He is also an exceptional vegetable gardener, so I was pleased to get his advice to get started with some new crops, and with some new tricks with familiar crops. He also shared a helpful seed-starting video, which is partway through the transcript below.Read along as you listen to the Feb. 8, 2016 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on iTunes or Stitcher (and browse my archive of podcasts here).my seed-starting q&a with lee reichQ. I guess I have to ask: Have you ordered all your seed?A. I have, actually. I try to get them all ordered before the end of the year.

Helping me answer, as he does each month, is my friend and longtime garden writer and photographer, Ken Druse of Ken Druse dot com, author of “The New Shade Garden” and “Making More Plants” and many other favorite garden books.Read along as you listen to the Nov. 13, 2017 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on iTunes or Stitcher (and browse my archive of podcasts here). If you have a question for a future show, post it in comments on this website, or on Ken’s website, or use our contact forms to email us, or ask us at Facebook.com/awaytogarden.the november q&a with ken druseQ. We’re at mid-November. How much frost have you had, and what zone ar

It also takes some experimentation, since our modern homes tend to lack just the perfect place. (Oh, to have a root cellar!) But knowing the basics helps us do the best job we can–and also to grow crops we are capable of storing, or only to grow enough for a shorter period in storage. How to stash homegrown garden vegetables (and which ones, including winter squash, to cure first in a warmer spot for best results):temperature and humidityMANY VEGETABLES prefer to be stored surprisingly cold, at 32 to 38 degrees F.  Notable exceptions: sweet potatoes (55-60 degrees), and pumpkins and winter squash (50-55, after a week or two curing even warmer).Many also like it humid (root vegetables and potatoes, for instance—like 90 percent or thereabouts), b

Growing potatoes in raised beds has many benefits. You’ll find they are easy to plant and care for, and yields are prolific. Potatoes thrive in the well-drained soil of a raised bed garden. Like tomatoes, peppers, and other vegetables, growing your own saves money at the supermarket, brings more flavor to the table, and if you harvest and store them correctly, you can enjoy your potatoes for many months to come. This article is a complete guide for successfully growing potatoes in raised beds.

Transform your home into a flourishing garden with the Most Productive Vegetables for a Balcony and Patio Garden, ensuring a plentiful yield in limited space and enhancing your green thumb experience.

DIY stamped concrete pavers are an easy way to improve your outdoor space, and for cheap!

Microgreens are the first set of leaves also known as cotyledons. They are not the true leaves of plants. However, microgreens can be harvested between cotyledon to first true leaf stage, when 3-4 true leaves appear, and they grow above 2 inches tall.

Growing vegetables in the South means you have to know your climate and your vegetables. Beyond just planting a warm-season vegetable, it’s important to know which vegetables can take the heat.

It took me far too long to discover the beauty and special quality of the shade garden. Since I’ve always been into those tough, hard-scrabble plants that eke out a living in any condition, the idea of a garden full of particular and at times sensitive plants was not of interest to me.But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve discovered a keen appreciation for these gar

Netflix

Growing these root vegetables is easy. Not only the edible roots, you also get the chance to eat their nutritious and tasty green tops. Cook them or use them fresh and raw in salads.