Tips for planning and preparing vegetable gardens

Whenever I am working to resolve water problems in a landscape, I must acknowledge that water will always win. The best we can do is creatively direct it toward the areas where we would like it to end up, with a focus on minimizing erosion damage and retaining as much water as possible for use on site. Plants can be part of the solution, and some erosion control systems even double as useful outdoor spaces like patios and walkways. Here are a few ideas to get you thinking about how you can manage rainwater in your own garden.

6 Tips for Designing a Garden from a Pro With these smart ideas you can start designing a garden like a pro! 6 Pro Garden Design Secrets

Ah, the bathroom. This lowly, often overlooked spot in our homes is actually one of the hardest working rooms. If your bathroom has seen better days—we’re talking chipping tiles, constantly-running toilets, vanities with loose, grimy knobs—then we see a bathroom renovation in your future. 

Sowing a seed directly into the ground, nurturing it, and reaping the rewards is one of the easiest gardening activities you can do—yet many gardeners don’t. There are many reasons to direct sow. Often, you’ll have earlier harvests because the seeds will germinate when it’s the perfect time to grow, and stronger seedlings because transplant shock isn’t an issue. Planting seeds in general (instead of buying transplants) gives you more varietal options, and you can also save a lot of money (1 packet of 30 to 150 seeds often costs less than a 6-pack of plants). And then there is the personal satisfaction factor. Ask any child who has planted a sunflower seed how they feel when that flower towers over their head, and you’ll understand what I mean.

For most of the Southwest, “dry” is a normal state of affairs. We live in a complex mosaic of arid, semi-arid, and seasonally arid zones that make most generalizations impossible. And an especially wet or dry season can throw all calculations off, making our usual watering routines irrelevant. We must be willing to adjust to ensure plant health in our gardens.

While we always welcome the chance to deep clean and declutter our homes each spring, we also could use a refresher on how best to approach a huge, home overhaul.

Tips for Growing Cayenne Peppers Capsicum annuum ‘Cayenne’

Below 60°

Tips for Growing Saskatoon Serviceberries Amelanchier alnifolia

Tips for Growing Tulips in Warm Climates

Charlie on his balcony

Are you looking for inspiration on drought tolerant plants?  This article has 50 great suggestions for low maintenance plants that will tolerate hot, dry weather.