I’m a huge fan of container gardening, especially since we are not at our forever homestead. But when it comes to growing a bountiful harvest of vegetables in pots or containers, it all depends on the potting soil. One of the easiest ways to do this is by creating your own potting soil right at home! Although there are plenty of ready-to-grow commercial soil potting mixes available, many have big drawbacks. First and foremost, they can be extremely pricey. In fact, sadly, many cost more than it would to simply purchase your fresh organic vegetables at a farmer’s market! So why spend hard-earned money on manufactured “soil” when you can…

Sweet Potatoes are a staple in our household. The kids call them “orange potatoes”!! Well, sweet potato slips, aka sweet potato seeds are also super easy to grow and a great way to help cut costs at the grocery store. There are actually two ways that you can start sweet potato slips the first way is to place the root end of a potato in a jar of water, in a sunny window and let it do it’s thing. I never have much luck with this way… the water becomes cloudy and moldy and then the sweet potato doesn’t grow. Now I “plant” sweet potatoes in soil in a shallow…

Can you believe it’s time to plan your gardens? I always get so excited this time of year knowing it’s time to start growing, but before you rush off to the store and start buying up every plant be sure you take the time to map out your vegetable and flower garden! Garden planning is an important but often overlooked step, especially in beginner gardens. Mapping out and planning your garden allows you to spatially layout where and when you are going to place all your plants in order to keep your beds producing all season long to their best ability. Here are 5 Tips for Garden Planning Success What…

Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable to grow! And when first starting out a tomato garden is where everyone wants to start. Whether you grow them for canning (like I do) or for fresh eating, a bumper crop of tomatoes can make any gardener feel like a pro. How do we get that bumper crop? Though we can’t control the yearly nemeses of weather, disease, and pests, getting our tomato plants off to a good start gives them the best advantage. The trick to growing great-tasting tomatoes is to choose the best varieties, start the plants off right, and control problems before they happen. Start here with some time-tested tomato…